Starting a One-Card Draw
I'm here as someone who has just done her first one card draw to talk about starting a crowdfunded project. I've known miintikwa for a long time, and she's been doing one-card draws for all that time, so that's where I first encountered them. When my own calling as an auspex (one who practices divination via birds, quickly swallowed by the broader term "augur") came along, it was quite natural to think that I might someday be doing one card draws of my own.
I'd actually started paying attention before then, though, because I got involved in ysabetwordsmith's Poetry Fishbowl. Having been a poet myself, I was interested to see someone actually making an income as one, and so I paid attention to what she did and how she did it as well, even though I quickly decided that I didn't have the chops to make it as a poet.
As a patron, I soon joined crowdfunding as a way to find still more nifty stuff, like stonetalker's work, and that, of course, led to reading about things that other people were doing to get and keep their audiences and the funds they bring.
All of this was pretty organic in my case, but it's exactly the right thing to do deliberately when you decide you might like to start a crowdfunded project; any crowdfunded project, not just a one card draw; watch, learn, and synthesize all the data you gather into something that will work for you. The broader your exposure, the more likely you are to come up with a "just right" plan.
The hardest part of beginning a crowdfunding project is waiting to launch till you are really prepared. It's also hard to know when you ARE prepared; you want to keep some things open so that you don't use up everything you've got in one go. For example, I launched my bird oracle deck while the art is still in progress, in part because I thought that my followers might enjoy being involved in it; one of the things I've learned is that one must INVOLVE the audience in a crowdfunded project; this brings a sense of ownership that is more likely to lead to investment down the road.
On the other hand, going off half-cocked and then having a massive amount of downtime or having to rescind on promises is going to kill an audience very quickly, so it's important to make sure you have a solid something to offer and are able to follow through on the promises you make. I tried to start a few groups (not crowdfunded, but the situation is similar enough to transfer) on LJ that never really got off the ground because I wasn't truly ready when I launched them. One must be prepared to really support one's audience and idea in those early days; no one else will do it for you!
So, I launched my one card draw. I had a working (tested privately) oracle deck. I had my pricing and an initial set of products (readings, in this case) in place, as well as a way for people to give me money. I was already a member of a couple of vibrant communities friendly to my activities, and I had a small group of interested friends. My first draw was a success beyond my wildest dreams. Part of my success was my unique offering; part was connections and publicity, part was my preparation, and part was luck. Now, I'm working on follow up and follow through; I'll be making an extra post to my Wren Starling blog, I'm even more active here, etc. Soon, I'll be looking at scheduling my second one card draw. My most important preparatory step? Accepting that it will almost certainly be less successful than my first one, since some of the novelty that is a big draw in my case has worn off.
See, the most important thing about crowdfunding I've learned so far is that this field that attracts a lot of sensitive artist types requires those people to be far tougher than they probably are by nature. You might have to keep talking into a void for a while. You might invest far more than you get back for a LONG time. Find ways to get a boost when you can, but, in the end, be prepared the feel like there's no point to it all and you should just give up, take your ball, and go home...and keep going anyway, always innovating, always trying something new, until that magic moment comes and suddenly you realize that you have a real audience and, hey, you're DOING this.
And then keep working, because it never, ever stops...but that's part of the fun when you are a creative person!
I'd actually started paying attention before then, though, because I got involved in ysabetwordsmith's Poetry Fishbowl. Having been a poet myself, I was interested to see someone actually making an income as one, and so I paid attention to what she did and how she did it as well, even though I quickly decided that I didn't have the chops to make it as a poet.
As a patron, I soon joined crowdfunding as a way to find still more nifty stuff, like stonetalker's work, and that, of course, led to reading about things that other people were doing to get and keep their audiences and the funds they bring.
All of this was pretty organic in my case, but it's exactly the right thing to do deliberately when you decide you might like to start a crowdfunded project; any crowdfunded project, not just a one card draw; watch, learn, and synthesize all the data you gather into something that will work for you. The broader your exposure, the more likely you are to come up with a "just right" plan.
The hardest part of beginning a crowdfunding project is waiting to launch till you are really prepared. It's also hard to know when you ARE prepared; you want to keep some things open so that you don't use up everything you've got in one go. For example, I launched my bird oracle deck while the art is still in progress, in part because I thought that my followers might enjoy being involved in it; one of the things I've learned is that one must INVOLVE the audience in a crowdfunded project; this brings a sense of ownership that is more likely to lead to investment down the road.
On the other hand, going off half-cocked and then having a massive amount of downtime or having to rescind on promises is going to kill an audience very quickly, so it's important to make sure you have a solid something to offer and are able to follow through on the promises you make. I tried to start a few groups (not crowdfunded, but the situation is similar enough to transfer) on LJ that never really got off the ground because I wasn't truly ready when I launched them. One must be prepared to really support one's audience and idea in those early days; no one else will do it for you!
So, I launched my one card draw. I had a working (tested privately) oracle deck. I had my pricing and an initial set of products (readings, in this case) in place, as well as a way for people to give me money. I was already a member of a couple of vibrant communities friendly to my activities, and I had a small group of interested friends. My first draw was a success beyond my wildest dreams. Part of my success was my unique offering; part was connections and publicity, part was my preparation, and part was luck. Now, I'm working on follow up and follow through; I'll be making an extra post to my Wren Starling blog, I'm even more active here, etc. Soon, I'll be looking at scheduling my second one card draw. My most important preparatory step? Accepting that it will almost certainly be less successful than my first one, since some of the novelty that is a big draw in my case has worn off.
See, the most important thing about crowdfunding I've learned so far is that this field that attracts a lot of sensitive artist types requires those people to be far tougher than they probably are by nature. You might have to keep talking into a void for a while. You might invest far more than you get back for a LONG time. Find ways to get a boost when you can, but, in the end, be prepared the feel like there's no point to it all and you should just give up, take your ball, and go home...and keep going anyway, always innovating, always trying something new, until that magic moment comes and suddenly you realize that you have a real audience and, hey, you're DOING this.
And then keep working, because it never, ever stops...but that's part of the fun when you are a creative person!