Wow…
It’s been less than twenty-four hours since I let people know about The Human, Earth Project, and it’s been amazing to see so many positive messages from all over the world, and so many people getting excited about the idea. I hope you’ve all had a chance to watch the video and check out the photos on the website, because this is where it gets real.
The crowdfunding campaign has just gone live, which means we have one month to get nine thousand dollars together. This is our chance to make it a reality, or just leave it as just a nice idea that could have been. If you’re interested to see this happen, please get the word out there. If you know anyone else who might be interested, please let them know.
I know a lot of you have been spreading the word already, and that’s brilliant. To make a crowdfunding project like this work, it’s important to build momentum early. If people see that others have chipped in, they’re more likely to chip in themselves, and that’s how we’re going to make it happen. It would be great to get some contributions in now, on day one, and watch it grow from there.
Everyone who puts something in gets something back, so if you’re interested in making your own contribution, take a moment to check out what’s on offer.
I’ve done my best to come up with the right rewards for the right contributions. I want to strike a balance between raising the funds and making my portraits available to as many people as possible, so I’ve made them available both as digital copies and signed, printed copies.
I’ve just added a new reward, too, that could be a lot of fun: personalised photographs. I’ll take a photo of one of my portrait subjects holding a written message of your choice, just for you, or as a gift.
The idea was inspired by a little project I put together while I was living in northern Vietnam. Some of my friends who had previously visited me – Indonesian, Italian and French Canadian – were all gathered together in Bali. I took a series of photos of people they’d known in Vietnam holding messages written for them, in each of their three different languages, and they loved it. It was a lot of fun for everyone involved.
I’d like to add more rewards, especially in the $30 to 60 range. I’ve considered sets of postcards, T-shirts and things, but I’ve found it difficult to gauge the price without knowing quantities and shipping costs. I will be adding more rewards as the campaign goes on, but for now, I don’t want to promise what I can’t deliver. If you have any suggestions for rewards that are relevant and worthwhile, shoot me a message: I’d be happy to hear them!
You can see the video and the full set of portraits here on the website, if you haven’t already. If you’re interested in chipping in, or know someone who might be, this is where it’s happening. (To add a little incentive for getting in early, many of the current rewards have been released in limited quantities).