Getting a Jolt from Kickstarter

Bloomberg Businessweek Oct. 2011

I wanted to write a little more about Kickstarter and what it has to offer.  For starters, the Oct. 24th issue of Bloomberg Businessweek has a neat little graphic about "The New Venture Capital" aka Kickstarter.  And its headline states that the site helped entrepreneurs raise $8.8 million in September.  That's a lot of people interacting with a lot of projects.  And many of those projects raised more than their goals.  


Here's one of their innovative concepts: you take your idea and use Kickstarter to help you find an audience.  If enough people like what you're proposing, they'll give you the money. And by contributing, they'll also hold a stake in your creative concept.  So when it's completed, you already have a supportive audience to build on.  Which makes the whole process more democratic and offers more opportunity to anyone with a great idea and a plan for making it happen.

Nora and one of the kids

An abandoned lot in Brownsville

Which brings me to Nora Painten's Brownsville Student Farm Project.  She wants to turn this empty lot into a working farm to teach city kids about food, nutrition, teamwork, farming, the discipline and benefit of work, and the joy of growing your own food.  

This is Nora's Garden Plot

She lays it all out in her video on her Kickstarter page.  Of course her concept is very appealing. Who wouldn't enjoy an urban garden, especially one run by an experienced farmer with a mission to bring her love of the land and farming to city kids.  And many years ago I taught third grade in Brownsville.  Back then, it was mostly ruin and rubble.  So her effort to reclaim the land caught my eye.  And after I saw her video, I was curious about who might support her project.  So I picked one at random on her list of backers.   

And I found that one of her backers is Katherine Ferrier, who had her own Kickstarter project, Cultivate, to bring dancers, designers and musicians together as a creative community to perform in a small New Hampshire town.  And she has her own blog about dance-making, collaboration and the creative process.  


I love how exploring this site sends you on a journey.  Starting with an innovative idea to fund the creative process, moving to introducing kids and the local community to growing their own food and moving to a dance-maker with a vision of growing her own creative enterprise.  Each reaching out, sharing their experiences and creating community via the web.  It's all about connections, and I love how one leads to the next and the next.  And before you know it, you're discovering people and ways of seeing the world and living in it that you would never encounter, save through this amazing catalyst for innovation and vision, the Internet.

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.

Why More is Less

Where do vision and inspiration come from?  A recent debate on design by committee (a la Google) v. the "insanely great" work coming from the Great Designer himself (Steve Jobs) aired in the NYT's Digital Domain recently.  And the big idea put forward was to model design in the digital world after the auteur theory of film directors.  That the creator's vision (rather than the committee's) should drive the design-decision process.  


In the film world, the theory goes, the auteur director guides every aspect of the production, running the creative team and making the key "design" decisions that inform the finished film.  Simply put, the director has creative control.


Working in a parallel universe, I thought I'd write a little about the power of one v. the input of many.  Because as a "creative" I deal with this issue all the time.  And while I do my best work working alone, I also value the input of others.


What I find fascinating about the creative process is that there are times when another's input allows you to see the work afresh and to re-fashion it into something better than you would be able to do entirely on your own.  But, as in much of life, timing is everything.  And the input is really helpful when it accurately reflects on a hidden or unaddressed problem in the material.  


Such as, "this part is unclear or repetitious" or "why not bring this idea closer to the top so we become more curious or more grounded" or "you could shorten this part..."  I think you get the idea.  If you learn how to listen (and not prejudge what's being said) you can see how they're responding to your creation.  And that helps you understand if you're really delivering an effective piece.  


What I like to do is create the structure first, then have people react to it. Because part of the job is to find a clear and compelling way to tell your story. And, if I'm able to do that well, then the critique I get is very useful. And the bridge between the creator and the committee (also know as clients) becomes stronger because we're all working on the same page. And everyone comes out on top.  


This gives us another way to look at the battle between engineers and designers described in the NYT piece.  But I suspect we're also talking about that old issue of form v. function.  Two different ways of seeing the world.  And when you can find a way to combine the two, as Apple seems to do time after time, you end up with something that captures the imagination.  And that's a bottom line I totally endorse.

Mila's Daydreams

My daughter Jennifir recently had a baby, her second.  And like many parents of newborns, finds endless fascination in her baby's waking and sleeping moments.  So did I when my two were that age.  And then there's the whimsical Finnish artist Adele Enerson, who transforms her daughter Mila's naps into flights of fancy.
Once upon a time Adele worked as an advertising copywriter and concept designer.  Here's how she describes her blog:  This blog is my maternity leave hobby. While my baby is taking her nap, I create scene around her and take quick snap photos.  I use only few minutes per picture, including creating idea, implementation and editing, 'cause I don't want to disturb her sleeping and most of my time is for my family.

Adele created a short Youtube video showing some of Mila's dreamy creations.  And a book of Mila images, When My Baby Dreams, is coming out next year.  

Adele also blogs about her life and being a mother and you can see a quiet exuberance there... celebrating her daughter and the freedom to explore and the chance to create her own sense of wonder. Last month Mila celebrated her first birthday... and is now transforming herself from dreamy infant to adorable little girl.   

Something Silly

Every once in a while you run across something so sublime it just begs to find expression.  And here's a great example.  A blog and site called Pothole.com capturing some whimsical moments in the urban landscape.  Giving a new look to an old problem:  the Pothole. 

They have several slide shows from different cities.  These sample photos come from the site and there are plenty more. So take the plunge and you may start to see those annoying little black holes in a whole new light. 

Opening to Grace at Richmond Hill

A few weeks ago, I decided to spend an afternoon wandering around the Church Hill area of Richmond.  Some of the city's oldest homes are there, by the church where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech about liberty or death.  I happened upon this place called Richmond Hill, intrigued by it's well-worn brick wall, a barrier that made me curious about what lay beyond.  

I wandered into the entry way and asked a man there, "what is this place?"  He explained it was a former convent and now a religious retreat, devoted to the city of Richmond and healing.  He said they had a lovely garden and a labyrinth and, noticing my camera, offered that I might enjoy taking pictures there.  When I asked the lady at the desk, she welcomed me in.  

It was warm, overcast with hints of rain all afternoon.  The moist air was rich with birdsong as I opened my eyes to what was there, and after a while, I could "see."  As a filmmaker, it would be the sum of all the pieces of that experience, captured moment by moment.  Each to be revealed and honored.  Later I would find an order for the images and create a slide show.  You'll find a link below. 

I was on a journey, inward towards a stillness I sometimes feel after yoga or meditation.  And outward towards a quiet beauty, a serenity marked by the weight of years... and all the seekers who tread upon these paths.   

Photographing a place that "speaks" to me puts me in a space without time or borders.  There's just that fragment that beckons, catches my eye, and the time spent is without measure, save what is captured as a way of remembering.  

And I position myself to find the right framing, sense the tonalities and structures that will form the composition, and find an exposure that blends the light dark values.  I can feel when the framing works, almost hear a click as it locks in, and rarely crop after the fact.  I may shoot a few different exposures, especially when I'm using shadow and light as a means to focus the eye.  And perhaps a modest color correct, mostly to add a little contrast and richness to the image.  

These images are part of a larger set I've placed on Flicker, called Richmond Hill.   If you go there, you'll get a more complete sense of that afternoon.  Opening to grace.

Intel's Visual Life

Still from The Expressionist

I found myself on Intel's Visual Life site and I want to share.  Especially a video called "The Expressionist" which you'll find on the site.  


In it, designer Michael Wolff talks about understanding the visual experience, its importance to him personally and its impact upon his vision as a designer.  He speaks so clearly about the importance of seeing and engaging in the world around us.  And how that ability informs his work as a designer.  The visuals that accompany his comments are simple, sparse and elegant.

Still from The Expressionist

I'm seeing more videos in this style these days.  Basically static camera, every shot well composed, action takes place within the frame, each shot placed with the next to tell the story, sparse ambient music.  


When it works well, with purpose, it really moves you thought the moment in a highly visual manner.  Leaving lots of room for the words to have impact.  A huge departure from the often frenetic pace video used to embrace.  But that was then... and if this is what's replacing it, I applaud.  But do check out "The Expressionist."  It's well worth the 5 minutes.

Still from The Sartorialist

I also watched the piece on Intel's site about fashion blogger Scott Schuman, better known as "The Sartorialist."  He talks about shooting street style fashion, which he does with aplomb.  


And while I find him personally a little off-putting, as opposed to the engaging and fascinating Michael Wolff, he has a keen eye and a great sense of capturing people imbued with that certain something we call style.  And although he directs and poses his people, his photos have that sense of casual encounter that typifies the street.  I especially liked watching him work with the discovered moment and then seeing what he actually shot.


What I haven't talked about is Intel's understanding that it's not about their chip, it's about what you can do with it.  And what better way to show that, than to profile people who personify "the visual life."   I think it's a great way to re-brand themselves.  And the Intel message only appears at the very end, when you're ready to receive it.  Marketing magic.