I have become a complete crowdfunding bore now, with most of my social media posts plugging our Kickstarter project and nothing else. I know this will eventually turn off potential backers, but what can you do – you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t, as the saying goes. Though I think I’d better take a few days break from it.
I had some correspondence with Sophie Cullinan (who had tried crowdfunding herself) while planning the campaign and she thought it might be easier to promote the project with being in a group. Maybe, maybe not. There’s always the problem with too much exposure.
At the time of writing, the video has been shared an incredible 161 times on facebook.
The trouble is, artists are not natural salespeople. Most in the group have shared the video and are just hoping that’s enough. Of course it isn’t though, as people (potential backers) needed to be asked personally before they give in and pledge some cash. It’s horrible asking for money.
I had an email back from one person that I’d asked to back us, saying ‘but you’ve got plenty of time!’. I don’t think like that. My head is still stuck in the same mode I use when making installations: I have X amount of time, thererfore X must be made by week 2 etc. Then Ican relax.
£60 has been given to us by hand and we are trying to work out how to ‘bank it’ as there is a clause that says you can’t back your own project. 20 days to go and we’re only at just over 10%.
Desperately need a plan B.
Someone in work had left a stack of books in the staffroom for us to help ourselves to. An assortment of novels – many being the type I used to read.
I couldn’t actually remember the last time I’d read a novel. These busy days made it seem too self indulgent, to sit there, coiled up and engrossed in a book for hours on end. I took a book….in fact, I took 3 of them… and then I felt a little guilty about being greedy, so I vowed to read one and then return it to the pile for others to take.
I’d actually forgotten what it was like to completely lose track of time. To not check my emails ten times in a day or to stress about what was happening on social network sites. To have two whole days of being off work and not even thinking about my own work.
I began reading yesterday afternoon and if I didn’t have to go across to Ormskirk this morning to pick up my work, I wouldn’t have moved from the chair for the entire two days.
Have I wasted time? Or have I just found new time?
When I got to the Chapel gallery this morning, they had taken most of the work down and boxes and boxes of the new work was already taking over the gallery. I could see Glittery things and Father Christmas shaped heads. I’m guessing a selling show then.
Everyone seems obsessed with sales this year as I see more and more of artist friends turn to craft fairs to show their work. One was really excited about selling cards in a high profile retail outlet, only to find that for the £2.99 they are selling her cards for, she gets 75p. I wouldn’t be bothered.
…and as for our crowdfunding video… its like sticking pins in your eyes – Completely painful. It’s been live 3 full days and we only have 4 backers. I’ve shared it on facebook and twitter, but people are just liking the posts and sharing them, not backing us. This is frightening stuff.
Our crowdfunding video is now live : http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scibasecolonize/scibase-colonize?ref=search
It has taken an enormous amount of work to do this and after the initial excitement of making the video and getting all of the rewards together, we now have that worry of ‘What if we don’t get enough backers?’
Please help if you are in a good enough financial position !
I was hoping I would have news of our crowdfunding video by now, but it’s still a few days away from being live. For some reason, it wouldn’t upload, forcing frantic emails to Kickstarter (who don’t answer emails at weekends frustratingly)… and several goes on different PCs before it finally went though.
Now there is a waiting period of at least two days while it is screened by the site and hopefully given the OK. Time is ticking on and we still have no funding secured for the exhibition.
So I’ve carried on with my own work, making collages using manipulated paper and I’m quite happy with the way they are going. I took the opportunity to submit to a charity auction for the Cornerstone gallery: http://www.hope.ac.uk/cornerstonegallery/pre-paidpostcardexhibitionandauction/ to ‘force’ myself to work in 2D again. I’d been thinking about it for ages, but I just couldn’t gather the motivation to it. Cheers to deadlines!
I can’t show the work here just yet as it’s a secret auction and kind of defeats the object if people recognise the work I’m doing now. I’ll wait until my name is revealed first.
Last weekend, I picked up my truck installation from the Williamson tunnels, marking the end of exhibition #2 for me. While I was in the area, I decided to call in to see the David Hockney exhibition at the Walker :http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/events/displayevent.aspx?EventID=14821 I was so influenced by him years ago and I fondly remembered the numerous coloured pencil drawings I did. I don’t know if it was because he was one of my idols at one time or what, but the exhibition felt ‘comfortable’. Nothing challenging or particularly thought provoking – just easy on the eye.
This feeling came again as I viewed the work of Hurvin Anderson at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham: http://ikon-gallery.org/event/hurvin-anderson-reporting-back/
We went on a work trip to the new Birmingham Library yesterday (fabulous building – well worth seeing!) and while in the city, I persuaded the others to come over to the Ikon gallery with me.
As with the Hockney’s, I felt a real ease in seeing paintings again. I am soooo bored with bitty exhibitions at the moment and could really do with more stimuli.
What have we come to when we find paintings new and refreshing again?
Alistair Hudson from Grizedale Arts came to talk to us yesterday, about their role in the Office of useful Arts http://arteutil.net/main/
(as part of ‘Art Turning left’) http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/exhibition/art-turning-left-how-values-changed-making-1789-2013
I think I must be living in a complete bubble sometimes as I spend far too much time concentrating on just my own work and trying to make a living. Why did I not know that they did so much for the community? When I think of Grizedale, I think of the outdoor sculpture space – not this! I love that they sold local produce at Frieze to help fund one of their projects. Being a bit of a reluctant ‘working with the public’ sort of artist, it actually made me want to go out and do something. Go Grizedale! http://www.grizedale.org/
