Kickstart Your Dreams

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:34 pm by Mark D. Roberts

Kickstart Your Dreams 2015-03-13T15:34:36-05:00 Mark D. Roberts

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

While some folks take the the streets to camp out and protest economic unfairness in our society, others are Kickstarting the economy and advancing their own dreams. While some complain that you can’t get ahead unless you are rich, others are finding ample funding for their creative visions through the online phenomenon called Kickstarter.

I’ve been thinking about blogging on Kickstarter for a while. An article in today’s New York Times suggests that now is the time to write. David Pogue, author of “Embracing the Mothers of Invention,” offers a fine summary of Kickstarter and its surprising success. Here’s Pogue’s description of Kickstarter:

Kickstarter is a “crowd-funding” site. It’s a place for creative people to get enough start-up money to get their projects off the ground. The categories include music, film, art, design, food, publishing and technology. The projects seeking support might be recording a CD, putting on a play, producing a short film or developing a cool new tech product.

How does Kickstarter work? Suppose you have a great idea, a work of art of an invention or something like that. You’re sure your idea has promise, but you don’t have the funding to move it forward. What are your options? Well, you could go out an protest against the 1%, hoping that somehow this will end up to your advantage. Or you could get your idea up on Kickstarter and see if people what to support it. If they do, then you get the funding you need to pursue your dream. If not, then you can always camp out in a public park.

I first became aware of Kickstarter just over a year ago. I received several invitations from friends to help “kickstart” the making of the film version of Blue Like Jazz. Based on the bestselling book by Donald Miller, Steve Taylor and Ben Pearson, along with Miller, had written a screenplay for the movie. But they could not get the funding they need to make the film. It was dead in the water, $125,000 short of what was needed with no obvious sources of support.

Enter Kickstarter. A couple of fans of the book learned that Steve Taylor could not get the funding he needed, and proposed to use Kickstarter to raise $125,000. Taylor figured this would never work, but gave permission anyway. A few months later, 4,495 backers had given $345,992 to the project. The filming commenced, and the movie will be out in April of this year. I have seen a preview of a rough cut of the movie at Laity Lodge. It’s an engaging film, one that will stir up plenty of conversation, much like Miller’s book did in the first place.

Supporters of a project (I have supported one so far) do not get any financial return on their investment, though there are sometimes incentives. (If you gave $5,000 or more to the Blue Like Jazz project, you got to spend a deay on the set as Steve Taylor’s assistant.) What supporters get is the joy that comes from sponsoring something worthwhile, something that can make the world better.

One of the things I like about Kickstarter is that it gives “the little guy” a chance. “Little guys” can advance their ideas and maybe even get them funded. “Little guys” like me can contribute to things we believe in, making some small difference. Just because we’re part of the mythic 99%, we’re not stuck, if we’re willing to be creative and/or generous people.

Recommendations

Technology and Culture

Blue Like Jazz

Kickstarter

Previous Post

January 23, 2012

What You (Really) Need to Know

Next Post

January 27, 2012 Should The Government Regulate High Heels?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Advent Calendar Alissa Wilkinson Archeology Art and Faith Ash Wednesday Bible Books Business Business and Faith Christian Year (Liturgical or Church Year) Christmas Christmas according to Dickens Christmas, Culture, and Christ Christmas: Keeping Christmas Well Church and Culture Church and Ministry Church and Technology Church Life Church: What is a Church? Cities Code of Ethics for Pastors Contentment Creativity Cultural Commentary Culture Daily Reflections Dallas Willard Deliberating on Digital Dignity Easter Education Ephesus and the New Testament Ethics Eugene Peterson Evangelical Existential Questions Faith Faith and Work Family Food Friendship Fun Good Reads Gospel Centered Christianity Grace Handel's Messiah Harvard University Health High Calling History Holidays Holy Spirit Holy Week Hospitality How Does God Guide Us? Hunger Games Insights for Leaders - De Pree Center Inspiration from the High Calling Jesus Jesus: Following Him as a Disciple Jesus: Seven Last Words Jesus: Was Jesus Married? Jesus: What Was His Message? Jesus: Why Did He Have to Die? Laity Lodge Leadership Leadership Conversation Lent Les Miserables Life for Leaders Linda's Advent Doodles Linda's Lenten Doodles Living Well Loving Neighbors Max De Pree Center for Leadership Mental Health Mission of God and Missional Church Money Moral Dilemmas Mormonism Movies Nature New York City Pastors and Churches Pentecost Photos to Share Poetry Police Blotter Politics Prayer Preachers Portal Preaching Presbyterian Church Quotations Reading the Times Recommendations Reflecting on Technology Religion and Culture Ruminations Sabbath Science Seven Last Words Sexual Harassment Social Media Something to Think About Spiritual Warfare Sports Stations of the Cross Stephen Hawking: Heaven and Faith Stories Technology and Culture Technology and Education Technology and Mental Health Technology Bits Texas Thanksgiving The High Calling Thin Places Uncategorized Vocation Women Words Work Worship

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 April 2015 March 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 November 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "meek" mean in the Beatitudes?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Very rich Funny Gentle and humble Angry and harsh