Category Archives: Crowdfunding

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Hey, I Need Your Help! (Yes, You!)

Hey, all–I need your help and feedback!

Last spring I had a wildly successful IndieGoGo campaign (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-tarot-of-bones) that raised funds for the substantial cost for the materials I needed to create the assemblages, and cover some additional expenses like paying a graphic artist for the card back art, buying the books to fulfill campaign perks, and starting to stock up on shipping materials.

While over 200 people supported the first IndieGoGo campaign, there were a lot of folks who were unable to do so at the time, or who didn’t hear about it until after the campaign was over. So I’m running another campaign in February-March 2016; this will give folks another chance to preorder the Tarot of Bones deck and book at a lower cost. It will also help me cover the rest of the funding I’ll need to print the deck and book, to pay for perks for both campaigns, and shipping all of the above once the deck and book are out. IndieGoGo is not my only source of funding for this project, but it helps a great deal!

I’ve created this quick survey right here so you can tell me which perks you’d like to see me offer this time around. IndieGoGo only allows twenty perks, and I want to make sure the ones I offer are ones YOU want to have (plus leave room for a few expansions and international-only options as needed). You can also make suggestions for perks not listed here; however, keep in mind that IndieGoGo only lets you choose one perk at a time, so having a bunch of add-ons like “one pouch” will take up perk space very quickly. Packages including the deck and book in addition to other goodies are a better option.

Thank you for your time; your feedback will help me make the Tarot of Bones 2016 IndieGoGo campaign even better!

And please reblog/share to help me get more responses!

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Important Note for My Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo Backers!

So last week I sent out an email to all the IndieGoGo backers who got the “Book Lover” #1 or #2, “Add a Print”, or “Deck, Book and Pouch Combo perk packages”, asking you what your preferences were (what books/prints/leather color you wanted). There were also a few people who gave enough to get a perk, but didn’t select a perk, and I wanted to make sure that you hadn’t just accidentally forgotten to pick a perk.

I’ve heard back from a bunch of you–thank you! But I still haven’t heard from a fair number of you. So if you have not yet responded to last week’s email, please reply ASAP! If you don’t recall getting an email and you picked one of the above perks, please check your inbox and your spam filter, or just email me at lupa.greenwolf(at)gmail.com and we’ll talk details.

And, again, many thanks to you all for your abundant support 🙂 I’m going to get back to work on the assemblages for the Tarot of Bones now that I have the administrata caught up for the moment.

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203%! Woohoo!!!!!!

Final IndieGoGocomicsans

Well, folks, we did it! The Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo campaign ended at midnight, 203% funded at $10,147! Considering I was just hoping for a couple thousand dollars for materials, and a bit more to defray operating costs, and I wasn’t even expecting it to get funded in the first place, the final tally is pretty damned astounding. Almost 250 of you believed enough in the project to back it over a year out from release, and more of you have contacted me telling me that if finances and other factors had been different you would have jumped in, too. (Don’t worry, there will be other preorder opportunities in the future.)

So now what? Well, IndieGoGo needs to take care of all its behind the scenes magic, which means over the next couple of weeks they’ll be charging everyone’s cards and Paypal accounts. No doubt there’ll be at least a few that are declined, just from sheer statistics’ sake, so I don’t know whether they spend part of the time asking those folks to try again or not. And of course both IndieGoGo and Paypal will want to take their cuts of the money that’s raised, so I’m definitely not going to end up with the entire $10,147 in my account. But theoretically in two weeks I’ll have both the deposit that’s left and a final list of those who successfully backed the campaign. After that I can contact my backers to find out perks details (what books/etc. they want, etc.), any address changes, and so forth. I’ve already begun asking my sources to arrange the last skulls, bones and other materials I need for the rest of the assemblages, so once the money arrives I can place my orders.

In the meantime I’ll keep working on the assemblages. I have 37 done at this point, which means I’m almost halfway done! In fact, I made ten of them in a two-week period, which is just absolutely crazy–so I’m taking a few days off to work on a few other projects on my work bench. I can’t stay away for too long, so expect more assemblages soon!

And, finally, though I’ve said it many times over the past six weeks: thank you. Thank you to everyone who helped me ramp up the promotion leading up to the campaign, thank you to everyone who promoted it through podcasts and interviews and reblogs and shares. And, most of all, thank you to everyone who’s believed in me and the Tarot of Bones so much that you invested in a nascent project fueled by creative insanity and a love for natural history. I hope that when Summer 2016 rolls around and the deck and book are in your hands that you find it was worth it all.

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The Star Shines Brightly–On Raccoons

star

When people design animal-based tarot cards, they often save the most magnificent megafauna for the Major Arcana. I like to buck the system a bit here and there. So for the Star, I decided the humble, resourceful, and often scrappy raccoon was the perfect symbol. No, they can’t fly, and I’ve yet to see one pouring water into a pond. But the Star is the comeback after the Tower’s tragedies, and there are few vertebrate critters more adaptable than the raccoons. Even after their natural habitat has been plowed up and paved over, they not only survive but thrive, taking advantage of the shelters and food we unwittingly provide them. So I decided that this raccoon skull, staring rapturously up at a glorious silver star, carried that promise of renewal and gumption that this card represents to me.

Also, just one more reminder–the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo campaign ends tonight at midnight PST! As of this post it’s at $9,750–almost 200% funded! Every dollar helps, and you still have time to back it!

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THIS IS IT! The IndieGoGo Campaign Ends TONIGHT!!!!!

magicianmockup

Okay, folks–THIS IS IT. This is the LAST DAY for theTarot of Bones IndieGoGo campaign! It will end at midnight PST tonight (right when May 19 turns into May 20) That’s just a little over fifteen hours left.

Right now, it’s at $9,470, 189% funded. Please remember that I don’t get to keep all the money–IndieGoGo takes a percentage, and Paypal takes a chunk for every person who’s paying with Paypal instead of a debit/credit card. But every dollar I do get will be paying for all of the materials I need to complete the assemblage pieces for the Tarot of Bones (as of today I have 37 completed, almost halfway there!) and the rest will be put toward other expenses, from printing and shipping costs to perk fulfilment. This campaign won’t cover all my costs, but the more money raised today, the less I’ll need to pull together going forward, and the more time I’ll have toward completing the deck and book on or ahead of my production schedule.

PLEASE REBLOG THIS POST!!!! And if you’ve been putting off backing this campaign, now’s your last chance! We’re so close to $10,000–that would make this campaign 200% funded. Let’s make it happen–and, as always, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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You’ve Been Waiting for This Card

thefool

Here’s one of the most highly anticipated cards of the Tarot of Bones: The Fool! A coyote is ready for her first journey away from home, carrying her favorite antler toy–and all the lessons she’s practiced with it! It’s spring, there are flowers, things look promising–but she’ll have to be cautious in the days ahead.

Also, the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo ends TOMORROW, May 19! As of this posting there are just 33 hours left to back it, and it’s currently 188% funded at $9,395. Let’s see if we can hit $10,000 for 200% funding, and more money to help make the Tarot of Bones a reality!

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The Queen of Cups, Enthroned

queencups

I’ve been busy with a lot of volunteer work this weekend, but I managed to complete the Queen of Cups last night. I’ve chosen the carpet python to symbolize this card. Snakes have almost specialized their ribs as much as the red slider turtle who represents the King of Cups, and in the same way the Queen of Cups has deep control of her emotions as well. Additionally, a snake’s ability to sense vibrations mirrors this card’s tendency toward sensitivity, especially toward things that may be under the surface. But what about the python’s deadly hug? That surely doesn’t reflect the Queen’s notable compassion! Well, not exactly. But Carpet Python invites us to feel compassion toward all beings, including those that may make us feel uncomfortable, like snakes!

Also, you have only THREE DAYS left to back the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo campaign! It ends this Tuesday, May 19, and it’s currently at $9,225 (185% funded!) Every dollar will go toward making the Tarot of Bones deck and book a reality; materials for the remaining assemblages are covered, but there are other costs like printing and perk fulfillment, so the more I raise now the less I have to come up with later. If you’ve already backed it, many thanks to you! Please pass the campaign link on to others who may be interested so they don’t miss out.

 

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The Seven of Cups Wishes You a Happy Friday

seven
Well, okay, technically it’s me wishing you a happy Friday. The Seven of Cups just wishes you’d make up your mind already.

This, for me, is the card of artist’s block. I don’t get the “I don’t know what to create” sort of block. I get the “I want to make ALL THE THINGS but I just can’t settle on one to start with” sort of block. It’s great to have ideas of things I want to bring into reality with art materials and writing and so forth, but unless I actually sit down and make the work happen then it’s all for naught. That’s why I chose seven different types of rib bone, and places them in a bit of disarray. It looks like my mind when I’m trying to sort out which project to get going on, because they ALL look so appealing! Eventually, though, I have to reach out and pick one, and remember that the rest will still be there.

This is the 34th assemblage I’ve completed, which means I’m over two weeks ahead of schedule at this point! I already have the 35th on the workbench, and I hope to have it completed over the weekend.

In the meantime, the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo is now at $9,115–woohoo! Only four days left, since it ends this Tuesday, May 19. Also, we are officially out of the Slightly Later Bird Combo, but I just introduced the Bird Slept In Combo, where you can get the Tarot of Bones deck and book for $40, which is still less than what it’ll cost when it’s released in Summer 2016! And there are still a few Early Bird Ebook Combos left, too, at $20 each. So head on over to the IndieGoGo campaign and back it today!

 

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Progress Continues With the Nine of Pentacles

ninepentacles

I’ve wasted no time in getting back to work now that I’m home! Here’s the Nine of Pentacles, the 33rd assemblage completed! It’s a wonderful card, signifying that your hard work is coming to fruition and you can enjoy the results of all that effort. I certainly hope this card will be prominent in my life next year when the Tarot of Bones is released; it’s been a labor both of love and creativity, and I allowed myself to appreciate my progress so far. Speaking of that, I’m just six cards away from being halfway done with the assemblages, and it’s still six weeks away from the midway point of the year! I’m aiming to have those six pieces done by the end of May, which would put me a full month ahead of schedule. I really am enjoying this project, and I can’t wait to hold the final deck and book in my hands.

Speaking of that, I already posted this morning about the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo campaign being over $9,000–but here’s another quick reminder. Just five days left!

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Stretch Goal Achieved! Now What?

Here, have a picture of where I've been hiding out this week.

Here, have a picture of where I’ve been hiding out this week.

Well, I just got back from my adventures in the Oregon desert (which you can read about over at my blog, A Sense of Natural Wonder) last night to find that the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo did indeed reach $9000 and is 181% funded! That means that after the decks and books have been sent out Summer of 2016 I’ll be doing an exclusive Livestream class on how to use them, just for campaign backers. (Those who can’t make it will have a video emailed to them, and it’ll be a month before I make the video available for public consumption.) HUGE thanks to all of you who have backed the campaign so far–but we’re not done yet!

The campaign ends in five days, on May 19, 2015. And there’s another stretch goal outstanding–if the campaign reaches $12,000, I will record an audiobook version of the Tarot of Bones book. It’s something I really want to do, but it’s also time-consuming, and although $9000 is a LOT of money, it’s not enough to cover all the expenses for the Tarot of Bones deck and book PLUS all the perks and shipping and other expenses. (Keep in mind this campaign was originally just meant to bring in the funding for the materials for the remaining assemblages, which it did with gusto!) So the more this IndieGoGo campaign brings in now, the less money I have to fundraise later on–and the more time I have for things like audiobook recording.

$3,000 in five days seems like a lot–but remember that the campaign hit its goal of $5000 in under 100 hours! Four days! So let’s shoot for that goal of $12,000 by next Tuesday, and get that much closer to the Tarot of Bones being a reality. Here’s the link for the campaign itself–even if you’ve already backed it, please let others know about it as word of mouth is very important. ALL of your support is greatly appreciated, whether financial or not!

Now pardon me–I have assemblage pieces to create!