I just posted this on my “reallybigroadtrip needs a bus” crowdfunding campaign page, but it’s a bit of a rant and I like those so I’m double-posting it here too…
Hello you lovely people, how are we all doing on this rainy old May Day?
I was feeling a bit grey, myself, so decided to freshen my world up with some blue skies and desert scenes. You can see how in my latest #rbrtOZ blog post that you can find here: http://www.reallybigroadtrip.com/2012/05/video-game-tuesday.
I have to say it’s worked a treat! Since that blog post went live I’ve had a bunch of lovely exchanges with totally awesome humans, arranged two exciting new meetings, applied for some fun for later in the year and am about to pop out (in a brief pause from the rain) to go buy some milk so I can have another coffee… it’s all go here y’know!
So, we’re doing OK over here in campaign-land, especially considering I was out of action last week with a nasty lurgy. Currently we stand at $3,195, which is 13% of my target in just a few weeks! How awesome are you guys?! OK so we may not have reached the lofty heights of Ms Amanda Palmer – who last night reached her Kickstarter goal of $100,000 in SIX HOURS! – but I’m still utterly blown away by all your support.
You see, this whole crowdfunding thing isn’t just about money, it’s about community… and changing the world. What we’re doing here – from the little people like me right up to the AFP‘s, Double Fine‘s and Pebble‘s of the world – is breaking new ground. Instead of asking some lofty industry to approve of our quirky ways, we’re going straight to the people who will be directly involved with what we’re trying to make – YOU.
The Pebble is a great example of using the crowd to create hype in order to sell a product. But in a different kind of way; they’re pre-selling a prototype that enables them to actually go and make that product come to life. You buy a watch, sure, but you know that you were part of the team’s journey in starting up the very business you support. That is exciting; every time you look at your wrist you know you helped make that happen!
Tim Schafer and the Double Fine team aren’t just releasing another video game, they’re exploring – and sharing – what happens when you break free from the shackles of publishers and investment bankers – people who tend to avoid risk and experimentation at all costs. But what the hell is the point of making something as playful and interactive as a videogame without exploring a few unknowns along the way?! What is digital culture for if not to try, fail, learn, and get better?
Amanda isn’t really using Kickstarter to sell her music – she’s offered the download for ONE DOLLAR for heaven’s sake! No, she’s proving a point against a system of record labels that says THEY own the artist and their music can only be released in a trickle through their gateways – creating scarcity. Amanda loves to perform, to tour, to get out there amongst her fans. And she loves to collaborate, make things, play in different disciplines; and rightly so since she has a wealth of talented friends with whom to play!
In fact, while I’m on a rant, go check out Amanda’s video where she beautifully states “we are the media”… Yes, we are, and we will only need to rely on each other more as governments progressively remove our privacy, censor our internet feeds and tell us where we can and can’t access our entertainment, rather than encourage industry to adapt to new digital market demand.
“We are the media” says Amanda Palmer (2m40s)
And me? Well I don’t have ‘a product’ as such. But I have a non-traditional creative practice that struggles to find recognition and financial support in the contemporary cultural landscape. And not just in Australia, either. I’m watching this amazing digital world explode beyond imagination, and some mean old men trying to lock that down and take away our toys. But they can’t, because we are bigger and stronger than them… provided we communicate, share, and help each other. That’s what the internet is built from: community.
I adore my community, you inspire me and challenge me and make me question why I do what I do on a daily basis. Because of you I have a lot of places to go and a lot of people to see. And I’m very excited about all of the unknowns – and now some of the knowns that are starting to firm up! Many new opportunities are starting to come my way because I’m reaching out to my own community and beyond through this campaign. If I was doing a traditional arts funding process I would be quietly sitting here at my laptop organising things and planning a big announcement for when it was all polished and perfect. This way I get to talk through what I’m thinking before anything gets laid in stone. For a collaborative girl like me, that is true heaven.
So I thank you all for joining me in my little adventure. I thank you for your pledges and your retweets, for your more personal comments and questions, and for just being such an interesting bunch of people. You make me feel proud that I’m doing this crazy thing; you help me believe I can pull it off. For that I’ll be grateful more than you can ever know.
Keep sharing, keep challenging, keep being awesome and keep ranting!
xxf
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