(The Inaugural) Atlantian Bardic Madness

It was such an honor to be able to participate in and assist with the very first Atlantian Bardic Madness! This was my very first Bardic Madness and I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. First, it was my pleasure to host Fyt 1.2: Vittles from the Galley which challenged participants to share a bardic piece that included mention of food or drink. All of the wonderful bards who rose to the challenge received one of the fine fyt tokens I had crafted for the occasion: an orange slice preserved in resin! I crafted half with a clear back and half with white felt backing and let each bard choose their prize preference. I enjoyed listening to the other fyt challenges as well and was constantly astounded at the depth and breadth of Atlantian Bardic talent!

In addition to Fyt Sponsor, this event also presented an opportunity for me to teach my very first class! I taught a class entitled "Under Pressure: Conquering Performance Anxiety and Unleashing Your Inner Rock Star" which defined and quantified performance anxiety then included a discussion of pre-, mid-, and post-performance techniques for mitigating and eliminating the effects of stage fright. I had quite a few attendees (including Her Royal Majesty!) and very much enjoyed speaking with each student about their personal struggles and goals surrounding performance anxiety.

I was very sad that I did not get the opportunity to perform due to time constraints and fyt popularity, but I still had a blast hearing and (apparently terribly) dancing to the works of my fellow bards. For my whole-hearted love and support of the bardic arts (and my witnessed terrible dancing by Her Royal Majesty), I was both thrilled and utterly surprised to be awarded the Queen's Glove of Inspiration! It is certainly my goal to be an inspiration to other bards just as I have been inspired by them.

Speaking of inspiration, I was also excited to hand out my own token of recognized inspiration through what I lovingly call my "kitty fidget spinner." I created tokens to hand out at each event to a bard that inspires me from a cat head pendant and a tiger's eye gem. At this event, it was my great joy to bestow the premiere one to Lady Thórvé Skáld Rikardsdottir who, at my very first Atlantian Twelfth Night and during her tenure as King's Bard of Atlantia, inspired me to be a more engaging and confident bard. I can't wait to hand more of these guys out to some very deserving bards!

Next up on the event list is Pennsic LI... how is it Pennsic time again already?! I hope to see some friendly faces at my performances there during the "Not Your Typical Atlantian Thug" concert 8/4 at 7p and the European Music Expo 8/6 at 1p. I'll also be hosting some bardic circles at the Atlantian Royal Encampment, so come sing me a song! As always, happy barding - until we sing again!