While she was recuperating Millie sat mostly on her rafter and observed what was going on below her in the classroom. There is still a little wound visible on her tummy. She is wearing her leash as a safety harness so she won’t fall off.
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Tony had a concerned comment yesterday, that Millie looked quite depressed. I can assure you she is definitely on the mend. Her life in the class room started around six month ago, when my students had the brief to develop a magazine ad series for raw milk. One of the students just couldn’t find an angle into it and so I brought the cow along to illustrate some options. I had found her at the salvation army store the same day. When I came back the next day, the poor little thing was lying neglected on the floor. I just picked her up and hung her in the rafters to symbolise another idea had died. To make sure the message was received, I also stuck a chopstick through her body (and before anybody gets up in arms: It doesn’t go right through. it is attached with blue tack). I do love my job and my students :). The students of course decided the cow has to live!
This week I am working full-time again and have heaps of menial stuff to do as well. The Dedes are waiting and waiting and waiting patiently in the art cupboard until I find the time to attend to them again. I am a little distressed as my creativity is at an all time low. I had to come up with a quick solution to breath some life into my blog. Then I spotted Millie. Millie is a toy cow I donated to my students a while back and ever since she is having a life of her own in the rafters of the class room. The picture shows her how she was chilling over the weekend. She will be the star of my blog this week, sorry Dedes!
3 days to go on the crowd funding campaign for the Artist’s survival cookbook and it is clear it didn’t work. Well, to be honest, it would have been a miracle if it had worked, as I am not well connected. Though it was worth a try. It was an interesting experience. What surprised me the most, was how many times I had to explain what crowd funding actually is, even to young people. On a postive note, 7502 hits on the little film is a great result! It is definitely good to have in the marketing mix, though the question is how much effect it will have on the book. I had a look where the most viewers came from and first of course is New Zealand with 3300 views, but the second is Vietnam with 605 views. Even more bamboozling, there are more viewers in Nepal than in Brazil, where I know the Dedes have some really good friends. Beats me :)
Ah well, the Dedes will battle on…
Ah yes, the Dedes are on the back bench for a little while again. I so wish I could work on my book, but at the moment I am overloaded with work at my part-time place. The foundation course I am teaching on has just finished and all those poor teachers out there know what that means: Heaps of marking, following up slackers and other administrative tasks. Last Friday though we had a wonderful exhibition and it was a brilliant send-off for all the students who have been working together for 18 weeks. One of the last modules I taught was fibre arts and the picture shows the work of Sam Hall. I am confident he is one we will hear more of in the future. He is now off to art school in Oxford and I wish him all the very best for his career. The artwork is a felted brain doused in red wine. The helium balloon smiles at you for a while, but when you come back a few hours later it will lie limp and deflated next to the damaged brain.
Yesterday I had a workshop with kids at the Michael Park School in Auckland as part of their Art in Action event. The kids were absolutely fabulous. I am always amazed about the creativity and how they turn simple things into effective props.
My PledgeMe campaign isn’t going too well. Over 2800 views of the little movie, but only 7 pledges.Thank you so much Tony and Mike for your pledges!
No idea what else I could do. I do like the little film and Cash Cow really fainted.
Alien seems to be happy, but he is a happy chappy anyway, not a softy like Devil and Mouse. Anyway, he came into the kitchen today to give us the latest update on the campaign for the Artist’s Survival Cookbook. We have 4 people who pre-ordered the book so far and a whooping 870 people who watched the film.
“What’s there to celebrate?” asked Devil. “If only every eighth person would pre-order the book, we would have met our target by now. Nah, I don’t believe in this modern marketing stuff.”
“That is why you are no longer the spokesperson for the Dedes” replied Alien. “Let me have a go at it!”
“I only know I can’t do it anymore” said Mouse, and got herself a new handkerchief.
Now Devil started sobbing too. It seems they are all pretty exhausted. I have 64 of these puppets. I don’t even want to think about what happens when they all start! Can someone please pledge. Otherwise I might drown in puppet tears :).
Mouse and L’Artiste have been working hard over the last two weeks to get the crowdfunding campaign together. They made one film, which was far too long and they also realised it looked like they are promoting a cooking show. No, they really wanted to entice people to support their art and their cookbook – the book they’ve spent every free minute on and laboured over for the last six months. They decided to reshoot. They really wanted to get it right. Anyway, they finally got the campaign up. Last weekend Mouse was busy sending out emails telling every man and his dog that the campaign is finally up and running, and then…. nothing!
This morning I found Mouse sitting in a corner of the art cupboard, crying her little heart out. “Nobody wants the book” she said between sobs. “Absolutely nobody! It’s not that they have to give us money for nothing, they’ll get a full-colour book with over 100 pages for it!”
“Give it time” said L’Artiste with a brave face, though I thought I saw the glint of a tear in his eye as well.
Hurrah, I have done it. The crowdfunding campaign for the Artist’s survival cookbook is finally up and running. If you pledge, you basically pre-order the book but you also can pledge for a Lil’Dede, or the real thing, a Dede! They are not often for sale. Have a look, have a heart, and pledge. :) And if you know someone who might be interested in the book, share! Get the word out! The Dedes and I are grateful for all your support.
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