Lucinda Hartstrong's Academy for the Productive Arts
In a world where the literal fabric of reality wishes to take on new forms and new purposes... well, let us say that no artist will be found starving.
About the Academy
The wonder of true art is that it itself can be put to good use in the world. Many who dabble in art never truly realise this, however, and it is because of this tragic truth that Lucinda Hartstrong's Academy for Productive Arts was established and upkept for so long.
True artists - or Hartists, as the students sometimes affectionately call themselves - are those who have developed the skills and knowledge to change the world with their imagination. The Academy's purpose is to spark inspiration, cultivate skills, and inform artists, so they can bring greatness to the many industries of the world and in turn, improve the lives of all.
What is Productive Art?
This world has a peculiar feature, in that the very building blocks of it are filled with intent and desire. What you know as molecules, atoms, subatomic particles, or quarks, are in this world, wanting to change. We call this thinking matter The Power. Some forms of matter - of The Power - are naturally more willing to change than others (we call this "Creative Energy"), and in the natural world transformations can occur in instances we call "Inspiration Events", when the matter of the universe itself witnesses (or is comunicated) something and chooses to imitate it.
Think of it this way: the very ground you stand on, the air that surrounds you, and very flesh you possess, is all thinking, and wanting to change. The matter itself - The Power - is a toddler who wants to change their drea job every time they see someone in uniform.
Humanoid-influenced inspiration events occur daily in the form of spellcasting: those who are well-versed in the arcane and the intellectual studies can convince the matter itself to change through primordial language and command. However, there also exists another way in which to cause these inspiration events to occur: visual art. The matter of the universe needs not to be communicated to with words or symbols, but can be compelled to change through simple practice, persistence, skill, and beauty: much like a humanoid artist.
Lucinda Hartstrong's Academy for the Productive Arts is a beacon to those who wish to see change, and is welcoming of all who possess the spirit and the willingness to inject goodness into the world, and create one's own fortune, through inspiring the Gods and the Powers to use the world as a canvas themselves.
What can Productive Art Do?
Productive Art is not as demanding of The Power as traditional spellcasting is. As Productive Art does not require specifically-carved gemstones or foci in order to be performed, the communication with The Power is much slower, and the effects are more passive or ambient. Below are examples of some commonplace uses of Productive Art:
In agriculture, Productive Art is sometimes used to encourage fields and orchards to bloom or fruit more rapidly or explosively. An orchard touched by a Hartist will often be blanketed in thick layers of blossoms or fruit in the sunny seasons.
In health, Productive Art is often used to make intricate altars, sculptures, or amulets that encourage resilience, healing, or mindfulness through inspiration of The Power.
In religious practice, Productive Art is often used to lure the eye of specific deities, inspiring them to grant their blessings to specific people or areas.
Leawater Lake: A Reservoir of Creative Energy:
The Academy itself is built on the shores of the majestic and massive Leawater Lake. The water here is fresh and clean, but more importantly: there is great amounts of it! Some people believe that humanoids were birthed from the sea millenia ago, so it makes some sense that water would be so charged with Creative Energy, making it the perfect material to inspire through humanoid-influenced inspiration and art. Students at Hartstrong's Academy first practice their artwork on the lake's shores and attempt to persuade the water to imitate their ideas. When they have mastered this, they move onto new materials.
Being so massive, Leawater Lake provides a near endless supply of matter to inspire and transform, giving it a new role in society beyond simple hydration.
Local Area Map
(Map made with Inkarnate)
The People of Hartstrong's Academy
The Founder: Lucinda Hartstrong
Lucinda Hartstrong (1298-1357 A.F.) is remembered as a well-loved and accomplished artist, inspiring generations of humanoids from across Aederace to follow their imaginations and passions. Growing up near Leawater Lake as part of a small hamlet, Lucinda was surrounded by the nearly untouched allure of the surrounding mountains and fields, and many of her early works were inspired by this beauty. In her early adult life, Lucinda left Leawater Lake to become a teacher in the town of Gravesend, but later learned that it was not the place for her. Below is one of her shorter pieces written during her stay in Gravesend:
A Summer's End
Though grass doth grow and flowers do bloom,
They are forfeit to downtrodden doom.
Though weary urchins and serfs stride,
They go unseen under beleagured lords' eyes.
For the town doth tax,
And the town doth tax,
And the town doth tax.
The tax demanded is more than gold:
It demands pieces of thine soul.
I've determined to depart this taxing place,
I pray the scars of my toil will fade from my face.
If it takes all my life.
After Lucinda left Gravesend, she was inspired by previous student to start a school in Leawater, where she stayed and taught until she passed. The encircling natural environs have been carefully monitored and managed ever since.
Headmaster Darian Dermu
Darian Dermu remembers the academy from his days as a youth, and since his appointing to the headmaster position Dermu has worked to ensure the academy is prepared for the future while still retaining the character of its former years.
"Many humanoids gawk at the idea of being near a century in age and yet still considered a child by your family and peers. Such is the way of elven culture, but let me make it clear that even at such an age I had barely the experience with the real world that any human or dwarf would have had before leaving the metaphorical nest. At 91 my parents had insisted that I pack my meagre possessions and begin my education as a Hartist. We had hoped at the time that after a mere few years of education I would be able to return to the family and provide some new innovation to our small pottery studio, yet I was not expecting to love the experience as much as I have thus far. It is my passion for this craft, and my love for this institution that sees to my staying here for as long as I would be allowed."
Unlike many modern institutions, at Hartstrong's there is no dictated limit to the maximum length of a headmaster's term allowing Headmaster Dermu's continued presence at the academy to preserve its curriculum and atmosphere in a way unseen elsewhere.
Dr. Ormorn Singlespan
Doctor Ormorn - like any aspiring doctor of medicinal practice - worked hard for his doctorate, and his family's reputation permits him to demand a premium for his quality services and efficient treatment. Yet, Ormorn does not practice medicine any longer. Doctor Ormorn practices visual art, or more specifically: body painting.
"Diagnosis is always the easy part" reports Dr. Ormorn, "but the real fun begins when I have a puzzle to solve! You must be able to use the arts to show the healing process, and then the magic can make use of it. The process of the Arts is not a fast one like the divine magics of yore, and it requires niether gods nor needles. I will paint stage after stage of the body's natural healing process over a bandage, inspiring The Power to replicate each stage of the heaing until it is gone!"
"When the bandage is removed, the wound will (more often than not) resemble the painting in a most identical fashion! The process overall takes less than 3 hours, and a similar procedure (with some adjustments) can be conducted for inner-body ailments, such as the removal of diseases and the curing of toxins."
Ormorn continues his studies in depth at the Academy, as he has done so for the last 79 years, though he often speaks of how he misses his family who have long since disowned him for his supposed "great disrespect" of his family and their "more realistic" craft.
Ormorn teaches an introductory class to Therapeutic Bodypainting every month.
Art Taught at the Academy
The Academy generously provides education in a variety of different visual, constructive, and performative art styles, any of which can be mastered to a level where they inspire The Power and become ‘Productive Arts’.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
Dance |
The dancemasters at the Academy have rehearsed and perfected performative styles from across the continents to bring students a most comprehensive and diverse level of body-bending knowledge. |
Stone Carving |
An entire campus in the nearby hills is dedicated to the practice of stonework, experimenting with marble and limestone in early years. Experienced students are offered opportunities to work with exotic materials such as Moonsilver. |
Woodwork |
Carpentry is essential not just for the production of furnishings, but sculptures, and the framing and display of other art pieces. Art produced at the academy deserves to be framed in art of its own right. |
Painting |
A myriad of painting styles from across Aederace and beyond are taught at the Academy, including the distinct and challenging Air-weave* style. |
And many more! |
"Life Immitates Art"
Location Geography
The Academy campus is situated on the South-Eastern shores of Leawater Lake, the largest lake of the Aederace continent. The lake is quite high in altitude, and is ringed by regions of rocky hills and mountains, including the twin mountains Mount Kyrell and Mount Tyrell, as well as Mount Skyreach. All three of these mountains - as well as Leawater Lake itself - are pictured in the Academy's emblem, which has not changed since the academy's official founding in 1327 A.F.
The Main Campus
The main campus is built to house only a meagre 200 students, however the campus has rarely housed even half of that number.
The Other Campuses
To help preserve the natural beauty of the Leawater Lake area, niether the town of Leawater nor the Academy has been provided the opportunity to expand much beyond their original bounds. Still, a couple minor outside campuses have been erected for the benefit of the students.
The Stone Campus
The Stone Campus is stationed next to the local quarry, where stones and ores are dug up. The area is rich with stone and rock ideal for carving and polishing, particularly marble and granite, however these materials are incredibly difficult to relocate, so instead students who wish to learn to carve stone relocate to the Stone Campus.
The Bloom Campus
The Bloom Campus is stationed West from the Main Campus, along the shores of the lake also. Here a variety of specially cultivated trees and gardens grow under the watchful care of the Head Gardener. Some students come here to learn the art of Greenthumbery, meanwhile others come to meditate, contemplate, or seek inspiration for the practice of other art styles. This campus is not for use by any and all who wish to visit and study at it, however. It is an exclusive place where only those interviewed specifically and granted permission by the Headmaster are allowed to attend.
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