Just How Did I Get Myself Into This Anyway?
A friend Anne Jirsch asked:
“Marilyn what’s this I hear you are crowdfunding? May I ask what it is for? I am curious.”
My response is below:
“Anne I can’t even begin to tell you how I got into it. I agreed to run a free 1-Day Unleash Your Creativity Workshop at an art gallery on Sunday.
While I was there I saw a beautiful piece of art which has been in existence for several years yet had never sold. It’s £4500 so way more than I would spend on a painting at the present time. I was talking to the Gallery owner about the artists and work and how they get funding etc., and of course one of the reasons they have the show running this month is to sell stuff and make money.
He suggested that I crowdfund the purchase of the painting as a way of making money for the Gallery. At first it sounded like a crazy idea however as the creative exercises unfolded during the day it became clear that if I were to buy the painting there were ways we could use it to continue to generate income for them, and that’s where it went from crazy idea to something that had possibilities.
I’ve never crowdfunded anything however by Monday morning I had set up the Go Fund Me page and was off. I figured I couldn’t run a Workshop about Unleashing Creativity and then not follow the creative inspirations and ideas born of the day.
Today is day 2 and it has been quite a journey to say the least and I am figuring it out as I go along and refining and learning as I go. A key piece I think is ‘reach’ and finding people who resonate enough with the idea to support it in whatever way they can.
The target currently feels a long way off and I do have a time constraint however as the saying goes, every journey of 1000 miles still has to start with those first steps.”
You can hear more about Artistic_UK in my interview with one of the Founders Colin Sugden here:
To support the project go to: https://www.gofundme.com/upcoming-artists-amp-the-haunting-eye
Joy, Euphoria and Crushing Disappointment
Today is the start of day 3. The first 48 have been a roller coaster of euphoria and squeals of joy against an almost immediate backdrop of crushing disappointment. To hear more about that you can watch the video below.
While filming the video last night I realised a reframe was in order if were to emotionally survive the week and rest of this crowdfunding process.
Dealing with Disappointment
A few thoughts came to mind as I contemplated my journey thus far . . . .
- A journey of 1000 miles. I was reminded of a version of the old Lao Tzu quote and I reminded myself that although the target seemed a long way off in comparison to what had thus far been raised, a big target really does start with those first steps.
- Ask. My dad who is no longer with us used to say: “If you don’t ask you don’t get.” As you will hear in my video above I talk about telling my clients to ask for help when they need it. The flip side of the coin is asking and having people not respond. That’s hard. I know however when I look back, whether I fail or succeed with this task, I would rather have taken a chance and asked for help with this project.
- Courage. It is scary to do something new or completely outside your comfort zone; art really isn’t my thing, however having had the courage to take the first step and launch the crowdfunding campaign, I now need to draw on that same reservoir of courage to see it through.
- Decide. There are no half measures now I’ve started. I am either all in or all out. I’ve just got to decide then act accordingly.
- Music. Music fuels me. I created my #DanceBreak idea back in 1975 as a form of insulation from an abusive childhood. As I filmed my Facebook live video last night I could hear Bon Jovi in my head singing: “Keep the Faith . . . . And it’s hard to hold on when there’s no one to lean on . . . .” I have created a playlist of some of the songs that have come to mind today as I live through the highs and lows of this journey.
- Perspective. Given what I know about algorithms and can see how many people open my eNewsletter my request for help probably hasn’t been ignored by “thousands of people.” It’s more likely just a couple hundred.
Continuing a Legacy
This is also turning into something more than raising money for Artistic_UK because the more I learn about Bernie Katz to more I see how we can create something in a alignment with his legacy. One of the first quotes I saw about him read:
“If you felt small, broke and bitter, there was a man in Soho who put you right.”
I’m sure artists in the throws of the creative process must at times feel the same way.
It’s almost a year to the day since he died. Celebrity friends called him “The Prince of Soho.” Many said that a part of Soho London died with him. If he was still alive now I would be calling him up today to see if we could meet up for a chat.
Mason Storm & Bernie Katz, the Men Behind the Painting
To learn more about the men behind the painting go to: https://marilyndevonish.com/mason-storm-the-man-who-was-going-to-unveil-banksy-me/
For those not in the art world Mason Storm is probably best known as the man who threatened to unveil the Artist Banksy.
Music Playlist
BON JOVI
For me this journey so far has been about keeping the faith now I have picked up the gauntlet and decided to run with it.
RONAN KEATING
It has also been a MASSIVE roller coaster of emotions . . . . “Life is a roller coaster. You’ve just gotta ride it.”
KATE BUSH
This morning as I looked at my target and the amount of money raised it felt like an uphill struggle was ahead, the line from this song popped into my head: “You’re running up that hill with no problem.”
I’ll add to the list as songs come to me.
Thank you so much to those who have already supported me. If you would like to donate and share the link go to: https://www.gofundme.com/upcoming-artists-amp-the-haunting-eye
Marilyn Devonish
The NeuroSucess™ Coach and potential Patron of the Arts
CONTACT INFORMATION
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