The age of the internet has enabled people to pursue all kinds of creative endeavors, from a high-tech computer mouse that fits on a user’s index finger to calendars made of cats dressed as magical creatures. These projects, along with thousands of others, can be found and funded on Kickstarter.com, an online program for funding creative endeavors.
Kickstarter works by allowing people to create a page dedicated to their project. After the project is created on Kickstarter, it is open for funding. Strangers, friends and family then have the opportunity to view the project and donate money towards its funding.
According to Kickstarter’s website, the organization has helped find funding for more than 35,000 creative projects. It has had more than $45 million pledged by more than 3 million people since it first launched in April 2009.
“Thousands of creative projects are funding on Kickstarter at any given moment. Each project is independently created and crafted by the person behind it,” the website reads. “The filmmakers, musicians, artists and designers you see on Kickstarter have complete control and responsibility over their projects.”
Kickstarter has found a niche locally, with six active projects in the Tuscaloosa area and 36 in the Birmingham area. It has also been used by University staff and students as a way to fund educational projects.
“Two of my students were spearheading the effort to get us set up on Kickstarter and to help us manage the logistical stuff,” said Kim Bissell, associate dean of research. “Kickstarter seems like a wonderful idea or program for start-ups and for people who need just a little bit of funding to launch a very cool project.”
Bissell’s students turned to Kickstarter as a way to gather funding for their magazine, “Alpine Living,” an international travel magazine published by the journalism department and created by students and staff. They were able to gather the money they needed as well as some additional funds.
“We managed to raise the money we had set as our goal, so we then used the money to distribute to the entire group of ‘Alpine Living’ staffers,” Bissell said. “I would definitely recommend it for groups or individuals who need a little bit of money to get a program going.”
While the program helped them gather the funds they needed, Bissell cites its reliance on social media as a downside to the program.
“I would say the only downside to it is that it relies heavily on your ‘friends’ or family via social media. I did feel a little bit guilty about asking people I knew for money,” Bissel said.
After using the program to create funding for the second edition of “Alpine Living,” they were unable to continue using the program for future “Alpine Living” projects because of Kickstarter’s emphasis on new projects.
“’Alpine Living’ magazine used Kickstarter two years ago prior to the publication of the fourth issue, but because Kickstarter backs new projects, “Alpine Living” was not really appropriate for use again,” Bissel said.
Chip Brantley, a journalism professor at the Capstone, has also used Kickstarter extensively in the past. He began using it when he was looking for funding for a creative writing program in Birmingham. Through Kickstarter, he was able to get the necessary financial backing for the project, and since then has consulted with others to help them navigate through the program.
“I think it’s incredible,” Brantley said. “I think it’s enabling a type of support for creative projects and enabling people to do creative projects that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do.”
Brantley said projects benefit from the connection made between audience and creator. By opening projects up to public funding, the “audience” or the consumer for the programs is able to have a direct involvement in its creation.
“I think it creates this dynamic between what we traditionally think of as audience and creators,” Brantley said. “With Kickstarter, you are seeing people who would traditionally be thought of as audience take an active role in the creation of something.”
For more information on Kickstarter and to look into local projects, visit the program at Kickstarter.com.
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