Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

In January, I heeded the siren call of Kickstarter’s #Make100 campaign and in the span of just two weeks, launched my first ever Kickstarter campaign. I had just finished a really fun printmaking class at Edmonton’s fabulous SNAP and was bursting with new ideas to explore. Launching into something so completely foreign to me was perhaps an unorthodox way to commit to a new project but it certainly worked because today I have a fat stack of prints in front of me that would not otherwise exist.

I don’t know how – without any lead-up time to build awareness – I managed to get that campaign funded. Or how I made it through the supply chain challenges brought on by COVID19 (not to mention the mental health drain that came along with it). Or, even, how I had enough imagination to produce more than three dozen new prints that are all one-of-a-kind. I have a few that didn’t make the cut and are now sitting in the “maybe one day” pile until I find a way to repurpose them. But by and large, the disappointments were few and the rewards so satisfying.

Doing this project with so little preparation and during a global pandemic has certainly been a ride. Despite all that, it’s been tremendous fun and today I am hitting “publish” on a gallery of finished prints (not to mention a new website!) for my backers to choose from. I am so grateful that I live in a world where people enjoy and support art, and feel excited to take a chance on new ideas. Nobody knew exactly what they would get and I sure hope they like what they see!

If you are thinking of launching your very first Kickstarter campaign, please feel free to reach out. I have so many lessons learned I can share.