Good morning, A&S friends!
I want to share something that came up last night at the Scribal Moot. How do you get feedback and learn what some possible next steps are to improve your art or research?
One benefit of the internet and social media is connecting with groups of people you may not have contact with regularly. In the A&S community on Facebook and G+ there are specialty groups that allow for discussion, constructive feedback, and allow you to put faces to names. I use it to enhance interactions with people I see at events (not replace, because seeing people in real life is pretty cool too).
Going to A&S groups at events or Shire (or Canton or Baronial) workshops lets you get hands on learning and is a great place to ask for feedback when there is downtime either before or after the workshop. For all you embroiderers out there, Athena’s Thimble is very good about feedback and peer review. For scribes, there are local guilds and specific deputies who can help (especial the New Scribe’s Deputy). I hear the Brewer’s Guild also does round table discussions and offers feedback on entering A&S competitions.
In the meant time…there are some good groups here on Facebook. Some of these groups are closed and you’ll need to wait for a moderator to grant you access, but others are open to the public. Do some poking and you’ll find some familiar faces and even some new teachers!
For the Scribal inclined – “EK Scribes” is great for posting works in progress and getting constructive feedback. “SCA Scribes” or “SCA Scribes and Illumination” lets you see what other people are doing across the Known World!
For the Embroidery inclined – “The Keepers of Athena’s Thimble” is very active and sometimes features bonus posts about owls. 
🙂
There are numerous groups for all types of SCA personas from Vikings to Courtesans. They can help with garb ideas, research, and even offer candid “learn from my mistakes” posts.
There are way too many groups to even list, but these are the ones that sprung to mind on my drive home last night. Go forth and explore! And never feel bad asking for some candid feedback. If we can’t help you, chances are we know someone who can help point you in the right direction.
For more information you can visit the Quintavia MOAS page or contact me using the form below!
—Baroness Æsa feilinn Jossursdottir