CIU 111 (Week 10) - What effect can crowdfunding have on your work?

Crowdfunding has recently become one of the more indie ways to start making an idea into reality. Crowdfunding is the idea that the startup money for your project is sourced from the audience the product is aimed at.

An example of this could be the Goat Horn Mug. Firstly the Goat Horn Mug is basically a goat horn shaped coffee mug. The reason why it raised so much attention in such a little time was because, the time the mug was released on Kickstarter (a crowdfunding website for inventors) was 2011, the year of the hipster, where listening to indie music, having a ponytail and drinking locally brewed ale was acceptable and stylish.

The Goat Horn Mug was the essential coffee holder for any aspiring hipster. This is because the mug could draw attention to itself and people would ask questions due to its strange shape and the way it's carried. Nevertheless, the project which was initially thought of by university drop-outs, was able to make enough money that the creators have designed a range of coffee related products and built a company around the solo product, which wouldn't of been made without crowdfunding.

Its important that we recognise the negatives from crowdfunding, like the fact that what was you idea and creation can be changed slightly to please the audience that would buy it, this is also a good thing, you can find out what the audience wants, which is perfect for the selling aspect. Crowdfunding is overall a good way to kickstart your arts social identity as you wouldn't have to sign with a bigger company, you art, your work can be produced on your terms.

References

https://www.thegreenhead.com/2009/07/glass-piggy-bank.php

https://www.goat-story.com/products/goat-mug-brown