This past Tuesday, July 29th, was my baby’s due date. That day has come and gone, but still no baby. Which is okay with me, because all along I told everybody that I had a hunch she’d be late. Luckily, my third trimester has been relatively comfortable aside from raging heartburn problems, and I’m in no hurry. Yes, I am a little impatient to finally meet her, but I don’t have that “OMG GET HER OUT” sentiment that I’ve heard of so many people having.
A lot of things have happened since her due date, so the last few days have been a little crazy, but exciting, for us here. Some of the things have been pregnancy related, like for most of Wednesday and Thursday I thought I would be going into labor because I was having so many “practice” contractions that I figured they’d keep progressing. Then Friday was quiet.
Other events have been crowdfunding related! On Monday night, I posted to a local blog, Perfect Duluth Day, about my crowdfunding campaign, hoping to get a little support. By Tuesday on my lunch break, my phone had exploded with emails, tweets, and texts from reporters trying to get a hold of me for an interview. A half hour later, I was being interviewed by a reporter from a local news station, and I watched myself on the news that night. I know I’m not alone when I say that I cringe to hear my own voice recorded and played back at me.
The next day, Chris and I had a phone interview with another reporter from the newspaper, and our TV interview had appeared on the news in Minneapolis as well. Saturday morning, we bought a copy of the newspaper to see the article about us in it. It turned out pretty well, I think, although the exact wording of the quotes aren’t how I remember saying them 🙂 It focused more on the exchange of my stories & novels for contributions, which I like.
The response I’ve gotten to the campaign overall has felt pretty positive. I know there are some skeptical (or worse) comments out there on the articles, but I’ve chosen not to read them. Really, what crowdfunding is about is asking for support in an endeavor of your choosing. It’s up to people if they want to fund a project or not, and I honestly set out on this campaign feeling pretty sure that it would be a flop. Maybe it won’t get fully funded, and that’s okay. Friends, family, and community will decide if they think it’s something worthy to support, and many already have. I’ve even had a sale in my Etsy shop, an offer to bring us meals after the baby’s born, and a request to commission some hand knitting.
What this shows me is that I live in a world of people who want to help and support each other, if we’re only brave enough to ask. That is the kind of society that I want to be a part of, and something I hope we are moving towards in our country as well when it comes to maternity leave and other investments in our nation’s biggest resource: our children. I’m glad that my campaign is contributing to the conversation about paid maternity leave in our country in some small way, and that it is sparking conversation in some cases. In that way, I know it has been a success already.
I posted a link to Amanda Palmer’s TED Talk, The Art of Asking in an update on my Indiegogo page, and I’m posting it again here, because I think it says a lot about what crowdfunding can be. The Art of Asking, a TED Talk by Amanda Palmer
