holding peaceful urgency + last Kickstarter update
This year's first love letter went out on January 1st, and it was all about peaceful urgency.
I have some reflections on that, and how it relates to Numinous Spiral, my oracle deck, as well as as my choice not to engage with capitalist pressures around running a Kickstarter.
Finally, I want to share some Kickstarter details here, that I'm not sharing elsewhere. There are some incentives on only the first day of the campaign, so I wanted to give some advance notice, if you'd like to take advantage of the limited offers.
I'm getting ahead of myself. When I sent the love letter on January 1st, I didn't know that I'd be launching a Kickstarter later this year. This is what I sent on January 1st:
"Inching ever so slowly on the production of my oracle deck, Numinous Spiral. At this point, 'inching' feels like too speedy of a description. Millimetering? I'll take nanometering. Whatever will get this project done.
It's been going for 7 years, and I think the birth will be in the next year. Sharing here for accountability ;)"
And that timing is accurate. Funding will hopefully happen this year, for production early next year.
Peaceful urgency, though, is the bigger point. If you ever do a Kickstarter, there's tons of pressure about the promotion. And damn if it's not all urgent:
• "Promote to ensure you have HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE who've saved the campaign before you launch!"
• "After the launch, make sure you post EVERY DAY about it!"
• "The amount of money raised is the BEST MEASURE OF SUCCESS!"
I mean, it's ALL URGENT ALL THE TIME. So exhausting.
You know what? I've followed none of those things. To date:
~ The campaign has 47 followers. If you're one of them, THANK YOU!
I could follow the capitalist pressure and fixate on growing that number. Instead, I'm choosing peaceful urgency, and just doing the damn thing, starting Wednesday.
~ I have zero intentions of posting every day about this. In fact, I chose a campaign duration longer than recommended, in order to justify rest. I plan on communicating frequently with backers. But I choose peaceful urgency, which means I'll probably be pretty quiet on this channel for a while.
~ I'm not panicking about how much money this campaign raises. We have a reasonable goal and we're ready to share.
Is more money raised more useful in this economy? Sure.
Am I going to fixate on a number, rather than the overall momentum of the project. Nope. Peaceful urgency, not capitalist stress.
Now that you know all of that, I want to share some Kickstarter-specific things. If you're not interested, you can check the event listing at the end (if you're local) or just move to your next email.
If you're still reading, here are the broad outlines of the campaign:
~ The campaign has options to purchase the deck, plus 4 other things, called add-ons: a divination coin, an altar cloth, stickers, and a class with me.
~ Because the Kickstarter algorithm favors early momentum, there are 2 discounts for the deck only, on September 9th only.
If you want only the deck, the best deal is on the first day.
~ If you are interested in some of the add-ons, you have the option to get all 4 at a discount. This is the best deal in the entire campaign, and it's available the whole time.
If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, some things to know:
~ Your choice to back the campaign isn't a payment until the last day of the campaign. If you back before the last day, it's a pledge to pay, not the payment itself.
~ You're allowed to change your mind while the campaign is still open. Meaning – you can back the campaign, then decide you'd like more or less than that pledge.
~ The campaign is funded only if it reaches the goal or higher. For budgeting purposes, October 24th is the day the payments happen, for backers.
If you want to save the campaign, go here.
If you want to watch the intro video, go here.
Last thing about timing:
I've decided NOT to send a last reminder email. If you're saved the campaign, you'll get an email from Kickstarter. I'm going to take advantage of the opportunity for rest.
Thanks for being here and supporting my work.
With gratitude,
S.
she/they
https://siderealchemy.co
********
Upcoming events:
~ Menopause Circle on September 9th
~ Soundbath at Moore Chapel on September 14th
Sliding scale, see links for details.
Want more FREE magical missives?
Check out the love letter archive.