Kickstarter: The Power of a Simple Idea

Plenty of people have that really cool idea percolating inside them that they'd like to make happen.  Maybe a music project or a film or a great new art project. Whatever.  And what holds them back?  Well lots of things.  But one of the biggest obstacles is lack of cash.  Fundraising takes forever, accompanied by lots of rejection -- a path full of potholes.  Very few of us have rich friends or relatives.  And while sweat equity can take one fairly far, more often than not it's the lack of money that starves great ideas.  So while pluck and luck may have been a recipe for success in the last century, these days for the arts to thrive, creativity needs cash.  

Which is why Perry Chen's idea is so profound.  A concept that wouldn't be possible without video and the Internet.  And with the help of both, he and his colleagues created a new way for artists, designers and other creatives to connect with their audience and potential funders.  It's called Kickstarter.  And it's a kind of incubator for the arts.  With a personal touch.


For a quick insight, there's a short print interview with Perry at the Economist's culture blog Prospero here.  And watch Perry do a great job of explaining it all at Gel here. I want to write more about what I've found there, but that will be in a future post.  For now, just watch the video at Gel and you'll see how this simple idea has generated something truly powerful.  And Gel is pretty cool too.