Legit guys. Crowdfunding was somewhat traumatizing to be honest. No, I’m being dramatic. But it was hard, anxiety-producing work. Part of the reason why it was so anxiety producing is that we – my boyfriend and I – had to GUESS who would give to us and had to ask random-a$% people we barely knew or remembered if they’d like to support the project. Now, this is great if you are committed to your project – which we were! However, I would love to be able to know who actually wants to hear from me regarding my projects – because there are a good handful of people who really appreciate what I’m doing and would like to know what is going on with my work and how to support.
So, what’s my point? If I do crowdfund again, I will crowdfund with an e-mail list of people who specifically are interested in my work and knowing what I am up to. That doesn’t mean I will only ask them for funding . Alternatively, I would also partner with a nonprofit with existing lists or a producer with a great network but the point is that I have a hunch that having a group of people who truly want to hear from me and support my work will make a difference 🙂
the good news: i successfully crowdfunded with no e-mail list or fanbase. get my step-by-step guide on how we raised $18K
To read my beastly step-by-step guide explaining how we crowdfunded $18K with no following or fanbase, click to view this awesomely detailed post I wrote 🙂
a little backstory
It was a chilly January 2018 day in the current dimension when 30-year-old unnecessarily educated Justina, queer artist child of black Panamanian immigrants, learned she had three months until her cushy job would let her go. Stunned that her comfortable safety net had broken, she stared at the email for 60 seconds before she resumed binge-watching Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. Two weeks later, she had a nervous break down. BUT. Finally, she will play. She will create. And hopefully never work again. Oh, and now she has a journal. More on her/me here.
my money journal: crowdfunding edition
This, my money journal, is a reflection on my successes & failures to make money doing what I actually love. I want to share it with you cuz… I bet you’re on this journey too. In the first series of my money journal, I’m sharing my first big success as an artist. At the end of 2016, I was listening to my boyfriend’s song Black Man in America when a vision for a dance film struck me. Five Black men seated at a white table with guns. Don’t worry. It is nuanced. By January 2017, I was storyboarding. By June, my boyfriend was on board, we determined we needed $16,000 to bring it to life, and we launched our crowdfunding campaign. With no fan base and no real fundraising experience. On August 6th, we filmed. I was freaking out. I had opened a credit card just for this project, was $4,000 in debt and owed our cast and crew $7,000 more. I was all in. By August 20th, 400 backers had given a total of $18,000 for Black Man in America to come to life, exceeding our goal. In this crowdfunding series of my money journal, I’m going to share how we did it, because – imagine what you could do with $5K ,$10K, $20K to bring your visions to life. It’s our tiiiiiiiiime. (Shine bright, shine far…)
