I've been trying to muster a WMA group for just over a year now and after a lot of hard work, training and exposure, we still have huge amounts of 'talk big - do nothing' going on. I run occasional adverts in the local press and occasionally get a phone call from an interested conversant on sword work, who usually will do nothing but talk and talk and talk, never show up and then, vanish (after bugging the hell out of me for days.)
I trained my wife in sword and buckler...she's out with a back injury leaving me stranded without anyone to demo at the shortly arriving ren faire. The SCA will be there with their flamboyant show-pieces and also a number of groups with foam swords and kiss rock band makeup.
Has anyone set out to start a WMA group from nothing, how long did it take and how can I get people to stop dreaming and doing something...or is this just the problem of our time...is being the genuine article so abhorrent to a pop culture society...am I doing something wrong...
Most of us started from scratch, don't worry, practice and take your time :)For one, I think people have so many leisure-time options these days that anything new really has to somehow shoulder aside a lot of other things to claim its own space. Similarly, just getting noticed can be a challenge.
To put some perspective on this, I'm a long-time member of the Chicago Swordplay Guild and was the communications officer for some years. (I'm *not* speaking for the Guild here.)
Counting our Milwaukee subgroup, the CSG has AFAIK maybe 40-50 reasonably active (dues-paying) members. On one hand, that's great, it's substantially more than it was six or eight years, it gives us a solid financial base, etc., etc.
OTOH, what percentage is that of the combined metro area populations of Chicago and Milwaukee? Depending how you define it, the Chicago metro population is between about 8 million and 9.5 million people. Greater Milwaukee adds roughly another 1.5 million.
So with roughly 50 members out of very roughly 10 million population, one of the nation's leading WMA groups (more than 10 years in operation, hosts the WMAW every other year, been mentioned in each of the local papers at least once, been on live local TV a couple times,
does demos several times a year) has captured one of every 200,000 people.
I don't mean to discourage you, but rather to suggest that you probably aren't doing anything wrong. You're just trying to promote a little-known hobby in an area that isn't hugely populous.
I'm not a marketing person by any stretch, but I suspect that ads in the local paper won't do much good.
What *might* be more effective? Maybe a demo at an Asian MA tournament. Working through an ethnic organization, that is, if you do I.33 sword-and-buckler, find out if there's a German-American group in the area. They might be fascinated to learn about the manuscript, and a demo (with handouts) at an Octoberfest might spark some interest.
And regarding our "pop culture society," I absolutely think that is a factor. It's easier to pick up a foam "sword" and go LARPing than to try to really understand and execute historical techniques.
Many people want the fun without the sweat, the bruises, the occasional torn muscle, etc.
America is the home of "Ten easy lessons," the problem being that nobody ever learned anything worthwhile in 10 easy lessons.
I wish you luck, and I'm hoping that this thread will engender some good discussion.
(And to answer a question I know some people are thinking, depending on my job situation and my mom's health, I'm hoping to bring the magazine back from hiatus this summer.)
Have you thought of teaching a class thru a local community college?You may not draw a lot more on going students, the students in my rapier class changed every semester, but when folks pay for a class they tend to show up.
You are really operating at "par for the course", this is nothing out of the ordinary, and you aren't doing anything wrong, especially if my assumptions about your situation are correct.My assumptions being:
You work for a living.
You have some level of familial obligations.
You don't have a huge vat full of money to throw at your interest group/club.
If I am correct, then you really are making the best of the situation. Putting aside "the problems of society today", unless you are spending thousands on advertising, and are available 50-60 hours a week (no other job or family), you really can't expect to match the turn-out a commercial venture will have. I have had friends start commercial Martial Arts business that have gone belly-up (hurting their financial situation) in months because they fell victim to the "if I build it they will come" mentality (assuming their enthusiasm is naturally shared by everyone on the planet). Finding the folks who have the right attitude/outlook, with the right schedule, and the financial means within about a 12 mile radius ain't easy.
So cut yourself some slack, honestly it'll take ten years to be an overnight sensation :)
No comments:
Post a Comment