In March of 2015, I tried running a Kickstarter campaign in the hopes of raising funds for the offset printing of my first book. (See more about the book on its own page in this website). Although I did not reach my financial goal, so many other goals were reached that -for me personally- it was a great success! Below are a few of the positive outcomes:
- The book is finished! After about 4 years of researching, writing, and making diagrams, I got through the home stretch of the last 200 hours of re-doing the layout and editing. I am still so happy to have the first copy in my hands!
- As one of the rewards, I designed a collection of nets (the 2D patterns of polygons, which fold up into polyhedra) with patterns that reveal different symmetries of the shapes (see below). I'm developing these 'net books' into something I can sell. This has given me a bunch of ideas for other products. -For an artist who often spent a year or more on one project, the idea of making small items that many people can enjoy is a shocking new head space to be in!
- Inviting others to use my net designs turned into an experience I can share as a 'Polyhedra Party,' filmed in the Kickstarter video. For years I've been wanting to find a way to bring my playful version of math into the lives of children & adults. Along with my book, I can use the art of making to invite people to discover how fun math can be!
- I joined on-line communities where I connected with special friends and found places filled with cool information. I am so excited to continue traveling in this virtual world and to see where these connections can lead!
I feel so changed by this whole experience, but it is just a beginning. I want to give the Kickstarter a try again in a year, when I've had more time to promote the book, find more people & places interested in it, make deeper connections, and look into grants for partial funding of the project, too.
Thank you for reading my very first blog post and please let me know if you have any suggestions.
Cheers,
Stacy
