Total Art Soul - for artists

EUROPE ONLY

A new organization has been brought to my attention which I feel would really benefit our members. Sponsume is a new online platform to help individuals and organisations promote and crowd source the funding of their projects.

The site soft-launched this week and is the brainchild of Grégory Vincent, an ex-financial analyst and fund manager for M&G Investments, the investment branch of Prudential Plc. The London-based startup is currently bootstrapped with funding from ‘friends and family’.

At Sponsume’s heart is the ability to let entrepreneurs, artists, charities, inventors, or just about anybody, raise funds for their idea through the sale of project vouchers, which can – should the project go ahead – be redeemed for various rewards. These can be almost anything, except equity and intellectual property rights, with the contract existing between the user and project owner, not Sponsume itself.

So, for example, an artist might want to raise money for an exhibition of their work. Sponsume users, should they want to support the artist and see the exhibit go ahead, would purchase vouchers in advance that would later see them gain entry and/or get a print of the artist’s work. If the total funding needed isn’t raised before the deadline and the exhibition doesn’t go ahead, users get their money back (minus any PayPal fees, according to the site’s FAQs). In this aspect, it’s very close to the model that Groupon-style group buying sites employ.

Similarly, project owners are encouraged to make their ideas go viral by sharing a link to their Sponsume project via social networks such as Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook etc.

A project owner gets their own profile on Sponsume and can upload a promotional video. While the amount of funding that projects can try to raise can be anything between £200 to £50,000. Sponsume also insists on keeping a 12.5% deposit to discourage projects that don’t deliver on their voucher’s promise, which is then released at a later date.

Right now Sponsume is free for project owners to use but at a later stage the company plans on charging commission of around five percent of the total raised. Other revenue streams include interest earned on accounts, sponsored placements and partnering with video production companies.

The kind of projects that Sponsumer sees itself attracting include new businesses, new products, charity events, exhibitions, concerts, new albums, documentaries, films, sporting events, classes and conferences. Currently, only EU projects are being accepted.

You can follow Sponsume on Twitter to get more updates or ask questions.

US ONLY

Since posting about Sponsume above, another organisation has come to light called KickStarter.

Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. We're a great way for artists, filmmakers, musicians, designers, writers, illustrators, explorers, curators, promoters, performers, and others to bring their projects and ambitions to life. Project creators inspire people to open their wallets by offering products, benefits, and fun experiences. (For more on our approach, check out Where Projects Come From.)

Kickstarter is not a place for charity projects, raising funds for business expenses (rent, payroll, etc), soliciting donations to causes (medical bills, etc), or having people fund your life (travel, living expenses, etc).

Kickstarter can not be used to solicit investment or loans. Projects may not offer financial return or equity under any circumstances.

Lotteries, raffles, and sweepstakes are forbidden.

Currently a US bank account and address are required to start a project. This is a restriction by Amazon, who is their payments processor. If you don't have a US bank account and are interested in starting a project, they appreciate your patience. This will change, but  they don't know when.

You can follow KickStarter on Twitter too.

Blu is a valued member of TAS who adds much interesting content to the site.  She is also a fellow expat living in France.  I am therefore delighted to be featuring her here.  Blu represents the epitome of what this site is about.  She only started painting last September and has really got the bug. 

“Onion soup sustains. The process of making it is somewhat like the process of learning to love. It requires commitment, extraordinary effort, time, and will make you cry.”~ Ronni Lundy

Her painting is totally driven by her photography, the two go hand in hand.  She gets inspired everywhere she goes.  As she walks around the fields and forests near her home, she is inspired by nature all around her.  She recently visited Monet's gardens in Fougeres and took hundreds of photos which will be her inspiration for weeks to come. 

A reflection in the river Nancon in Fougeres. The only thing on the water was the curious lonely white leaf at the top of the picture. Adrift ~ dérive.

She desribes her creative journey as 'coming home'.  She has spent her entire life doing other things and sligthly regrets that it has taken so long to get to this point.  Saying that, she is having a great time experimenting and finding her own unique way.  She has been asked to exhibit but she's having far too much fun right now to get too serious.

Wild Flower Funfair

I would describe her work as abstract and impressionistic.  She is clearly inspired by impressionism but also by her surroundings, probably much in the same was as Monet was.  I'm very excited to see more work from this emerging artist.

Lighting the Forest

More of Blu's work can be seen here.

Active members of the forum get featured on our main blog. Joining is free and simple. Just click signup.

Peter has been a valued member of TAS since almost the beginning. I have been really inspired by his work, even to the point where I have picked up my pencils and did some pencil drawings myself. Needless to say, they are not in the same league!

Born in Hertfordshire in 1952, Peter's career as an artist began aged 8 years old when a painting of his was entered by his school into the Hornimans Tea national painting competition and won 3rd prize. It was at this point that he realised not everyone could draw and paint successfully. It hadn't occurred to him before and he's painted (and drunk tea) ever since.

After a working life which involved many changes, from soldier to college tutor, in 2002 I took the life changing step to become a full time artist. Things have gone quite well so far, with sales all over the world and features in several publications.

Now he lives on the East coast of Suffolk in the UK with his partner Jenny and big dog Murphy. He has a wide portfolio of subject matter and media, including landscape, portraiture, wildlife and illustration.

Peter has a book published with some of his haunting images of Native America and the old West. It is available

here

.

More of Peter's works and achievements can be viewed on his website

www.mightyfineart.co.uk

With Earth Day just behind us, are you being eco friendly?  I don't want to go back to the dark ages, or give up modern appliances but I'm sure I could do more.  We try our bit and live a very simple life, heating with sustainable wood only, growing our own vegetables, recycling and using rain water where possible.

One of the things that constantly takes me by surprise is that once I find out where things come from, how they are made and what the cost is in terms of the planet or people, I start making much more informed decisions.  For example, we live next to a beef farmer and have seen first hand how the veal industry operates.  We have since become vegetarians as we don't want any part in the process.  It's a decision we made based on knowledge we have gleaned and this can be applied to almost everything. Educating ourselves is a very important first step all of us can make.

The way I think we could all become greener is just to take it step by step.  Trying to do too many things all at once can seem overwhelming and just too much change all at once.  Here's a list of a few things that you could start with in and around your home. 

1. Buy Eco or organic if you can afford it. Sadly many of these products are still very expensive.  I have recently started to purchase Eco washing liquid, doing away with the softener and the price works out about the same and my clothes are lovely and soft.
2. Recycle your household waste. We only have 1 rubbish bag once a month. Everything else is recycled.
3. Buy groceries in bulk- This not only will save you on petrol going to the shops several times but buying in bulk can save on packaging as well. Also take reusable bags to the supermarket.
4. Use recycled content copy paper for your home and office. If paper has only been printed on one side, use the other side to make scribbling pads. 
5. Unplug electronics when they are not in use, you'll be amazed that this actually will save you on your ectricity
bills.  Those little standby buttons use quite a bit.
6. Use a dry erase board instead of paper, this works great for messages and make for great homework helpers.

7. Use energy conserving light bulbs. Mostly we are obliged to use these now anyway. I can no longer find the old style bulbs in the shops.

8. Build a backyard habitat, this can be as simple as putting up some birdhouses, bird feeders or even a decorative
pond can become a habitat.

9. Donate or recycle cell phones or sell them on eBay. This will keep them from leaking possibly dangerous chemicals from their batteries and plastic is hard on the environment.
10. Reduce your junk mail by adding a note on your mail box to say you don't want it.
11. Compost all of your kitchen waste (except anything cooked as it attracts rodents).
12. Grow a few vegetables. Planting a courgette plant in amongst the flowers is easy and won't spoil the look of your garden.  You don't have to have a huge patch to produce food. You can even plant things in containers, like potatoes.

13. Shower instead of bathing and use a small shower head. If you do bath, share it with your loved one ;-)
14. Make your own cleaners with vinegar, soda, lemon juice etc.  They all clean brilliantly well. 

Basic All Purpose Cleaner Formula

This makes about 2 cups of formula, and it works really well cleaning dirt and grime.

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda or washing soda
• 2 teaspoons borax
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent
• 2 cups hot water

Combine all the ingredients and the water into a spray bottle. Shake well. The washing soda or baking soda makes this formula a great grease cutter.

15. Collect rain water from the roof. We have 4 x 300L butts, this gives us more than enough water for our large garden.

I think these are all relatively easy things to do and may get you on the way to being a little more eco friendly without feeling you have to change your entire lives. 

If you do some other things or have other ideas, please share them. I'm always eager to learn more and try new things.  

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