I recently launched a new mini-business selling custom iron ceramic decals! PotteryDecals.com is a website where I write about my thoughts and discoveries in the ceramic decal realm and where I sell custom sheets of "iron-rich" decals to people who what to test out the process but do not want to spend the time testing printers and paper. 

This website is also a way for me to test out my branding and marketing skills! All of this just ends up being research into my artwork. So hopefully I can learn some new skills, make some friends, and help my fellow artists create beautiful work via custom ceramic decals. Check out the site Here! 

Party on! 

I recently finished a piece tentatively titled "The New Old." It is an unfired clay sculpture of a 'Bondi Blue' iMac first introduced in 1998. I used a weathering effects process that included unfired clay, acrylic paint, wood stain, burning with a torch and painting with dry clay powder. I learned this process from the delightful Kristen Morgin at Haystack 2010. The whole process was pretty interesting as I had never really done a peice this large with this technique. I wanted to share an album of the computer construction from start to finish! The final photos are not very high quality yet, better ones to come soon. If you follow me @JustinCroweStudio on Instagram you got to see it all in real-time! 

Please join me at the Lakeland Community College this Friday, May 17th, from 7-9pm for the debut of "The New Old" in their annual juried show on display through July 19th. There is all kinds of great local art in the exhibition!

Remember to Like me on Facebreath to see all my new work and updates!  

But first, look <------ I got sunburned. This is like that pain that feels good. Like when you eat to much or your sore from working out. A great start to my farmers tan.

Okay but seriously. I applied for my first grant today. A Creative Opportunities Grant from the Artists of Rubber City group in Akron Oooohhiiiiooooo.  I want to eventually post the full application (it was not a very complex or extensive proposal) but I think Ill wait until they announce the recipients in June. 

In the mean time here is my drawing of the piece I need funding to create. (ceramic decals are pricey!).  The piece is called "It's a Whale!" It is a big ceramic tile piece which features a digitally printed screen shot of a text message from my iphone. Its an ironically insignificant moment that brings up thoughts about the opportunity of new technologies vs. the way in which we choose to use them.  More on this later. ENNNJOOOYYYYY. 

How are Bananas so amazing? They are yummy, funny, sexual, YELLOW (which is almost YOLO), and you can draw browning messages on them with toothpicks. If I could aspire to be as amazing as one fruit it would be a banana. In fact, it would be an honor to BE a banana.  If I was a banana I would travel the world for the 14 days of the ripening an rotting process and I would spread the word of happy banana living to all. 

Fucking Bananas. EAT THEM.  

In 30 days my Kickstarter project MEME The World was featured on major news blogs such as Huffington Post, Visual News Blog, and Trend Hunter. I had the opportunity to write a piece for Clay Times Magazine which was published and distributed in the final 2 weeks of the campaign and my project successfully raised $5,258. I will admit, MTW was not as successful as Pebble's $10 million campaign, but I think 5k is pretty good for an art project.  I am not a 'well connected' person, I'm not friends with any major bloggers or writers, and I did not bribe or threaten anyone. Here, I will share with you how I raised the funds, how my project got great press coverage, and how anyone can be successful using Kickstarter. For more detailed info and links see the How To Be Successful on Kickstarter Google Doc HERE. 

There are two main types of Kickstarter projects: Projects that get funded primarily through friends and family, and projects that get funded through other people. The following information is for people who want their projects funded primarily by 'the other people.'  

1) Involve Everyone You Know in Your Idea. This is REALLY important for a couple of reasons. First, to make sure others see the project in the same way that you do. You think about this project everyday and these people can provide a beautifully objective view on your idea. That outside perspective is incredibly valuable. Second, people involved with your project will be your biggest fans and first backers. The more the better!  This is huge because you will need moral support at some point and early backers are crucial to a Kickstarter's success. 

2) Get Blogger's Feedback. The most difficult part of running a Kickstarter is getting press for it. Making friends with leading industry bloggers can be immensely helpful and sometimes easy. They know the industry you are entering probably better than you do so their knowledge is invaluable in terms of feasibility branding, and ultimately, marketing. If these bloggers really like your project and have an emotional stake in your success they will help you. 

Make friends with bloggers a few months before your project launches. Start by making a list of the top ten in your industry organized from largest to smallest social following, then start emailing! 

3) Research Similar Successful Projects. When creating your project remember that other people have already done projects similar to yours. This means that someone has already made mistakes and had successes for you to learn from! Find 5 successfully funded Kickstarter Projects that are similar to yours and dissect them! Questions to consider: Who are they marketing to? What is the quality of their video and presentation? How much did they raise? Google their name to find out what blogs covered them. Those blogs will likely be a good fit for your own project.

Each Kickstarter has a Bit.ly link where you can see the project statistics.  Add a + to the end of any Bit.ly link to see the statistics for that link. This means you can see the top referes for projects similar to yours. Knowledge!  Here is the link for MEME The World > http://kck.st/VzoRL6+ Click to see the stats! 

4) Your Emotional Brand!  This is essentially 'branding' your project. Why should I care about your project if I don't know you personally? You are not "making up" an emotional brand, you are simply extracting the emotional goal that is hidden beneath the boring skin of your project. Figure out your emotional brand and use it in all of your material: Your script, photos, and especially your video! 

MTW Example: 
pre-branding-  MEME The World is a project where people pass mugs around from person to person and they take a picture each time it is passed to be displayed on a blog. 
post-branding-  I believe in the cultural value of creativity. MTW archives ideas & experiences through the sharing of a simple object: The Coffee Mug

Use this exercise to find your projects emotional brand. Fill in the blanks:
 We are [ Your Kickstarter Name] and we believe in ______________.


6) Rally the Press! Once you have submitted your project to Kickstarter and been approved you will be given a private feedback page, your press page. Next, compile a list of all of the top bloggers and the top print publications in your products industry (like you did before). Email the top 30 blogs 2 weeks prior to the launch linking them to your private press page. You can find the script I used to contact bloggers in this google Doc. Email the top print publications 3-4 weeks in advance if possible. 

7) Rally the Friends! Remember all those friends and blog buddies that you asked for feedback early on? They are now really excited about your project. This is good because they are essential to getting it off the ground. There is statistical research that suggests that 'the other people' only begin to donate after a project is 30% funded. This information can be a good when deciding on your funding goal.

8) Get on 'Popular Projects.'  'Featured Projects' and 'Poplar Projects' are the best ways to  drive organic Kickstarter browsers to your project. Since the 'Features' are out of our hands we will focus on the 'Popular' section which is determined by a computer algorithm.  The idea is simple: Get as many people watching, clicking, visiting, and donating to your project in as short of time period possible.  Launch day/time is a great "mile stone' to get people there all at one time. All of your pre-launch marketing should point to the date and time that your project goes live. Send out all your personal emails as quickly as you can after launch, ask blogs to post at the same moment your campaign goes live, post it on Facebook and encourage your friends to share. This is tough, but if all goes well you will have a great flow of organic traffic directly from Kickstarter.  

9) Ask for ONE Thing at a time. This sounds simple but its not. This rule goes for any email or advertisement.  Ask for one thing and have a 'call to action' (ex. Back Our Project Now!).  I had to constantly choose between asking people to back the project or asking them to share the project. It is really up to you what you you decide to focus on. 

10) Be genuine, Be Personal.  In the end your backers are supporting you as a person. Thank them for backing and sharing, look at them in the eye, be real and be yourself. People will respect that. 

I have put together a How to be Successful on Kickstarter Google Document that goes into more specific detail about the topics covered here. The doc has my email script, charts, links, my landing pages, and the resources I used when running MEME The World. Find it HERE. Best of luck everyone! 

Do you have more tips you want to share? Include them in the comments! 

This is me cranking out 10 mugs for the MEME The World project I am woking on! Check out the finished pottery coffee mugs HERE: http://ow.ly/k21Jm  

In this video you can watch me make coffee mugs that are some of the first for my recently funded Kickstarter project.  MTW is a project that aims to archive ideas & experiences through the passing and receiving of a simple object: The Coffee Mug. Learn more about the project here: http://ow.ly/k2204