When I first started my blog last year, I did so to showcase my writing ability and to discipline myself to write on a regular basis. I didn’t set out to make money from my blog and that is still my intention. I notice nowadays that most bloggers and vloggers end up having to sell themselves to companies and as a result of this, they stop making unique content and become little more than yet another advertising platform. So much of the content that is produced these days is supported by large companies, who see it as a new avenue to advertise in. I really do not want that for my blog.

Sometimes on my blog you will see the hashtag #HonestReview. This means that I do not receive anything in terms of gifted items or a fee, to share with you places or items that I love. Occasionally I will receive a gifted item or a book in pdf form to enable me to produce a review. I will never accept money for advertising. It simply is not what I want from my blog. The freedom this affords me is more than enough payment for being able to review items honestly. My blog post today does not contain any paid for promotions. I am writing about things that I speak to my friends about.

Today I would like to blog about two important websites that provide financial support to the Arts: Kickstarter and Unbound.

Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/ is a funding platform for creative projects such as film, music, art, theatre, games, comics, design, and photography.

This week I want to publicise an important Kickstarter campaign that is producing an animated film to help children understand loss, as well as mental health issues arising from loss. Loss is one of those issues that we do not tend to focus on in education and yet so many children will experience loss during their childhood.

What We’re Meant For is the story of a 13-year-old girl, Jamie, and her relationship with her father, shortly after her mum dies. Jamie and her father are both dealing with the situation in different ways.  Jamie is overcome with emotion and yet her father seems to be shutting down emotionally. This inevitably results in alienation from each other, at a time when they should be dealing with their loss together.

 

The story specifically focuses on the moment when all of this comes to a head. The film tackles the issue in an authentic way, but it is also uplifting and inspirational, presenting our world as hopeful and worthwhile, even if it isn’t ideal.

You can read a lot more about the film and the team behind it here

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/643005407/what-were-meant-for-a-2d-animated-film

This link also provides further details of how you can contribute to making the film a reality. As someone who regularly gives money to Kickstarter campaigns, then I can fully support how worthwhile these campaigns are. This campaign is based in America but you are still able to gain many perks from supporting this campaign from shoutouts to downloads and soundtracks.

Unbound is also a crowdfunding website, but it is a publisher that supports authors. According to its website, their mission is to disrupt publishing with fresh ideas that don’t fit the mould. Today it is becoming increasingly difficult for new authors to secure a publishing deal. Sadly, many publishers prefer not to take any risks and that is why professional writers frequently struggle to gain any interest. Today it is all about the lack of risk and that explains why people such as Zoella and Louise Pentland, with their several million subscribers, are able to get book deals instead of genuine and gifted writers.

Last week I was sent a gifted copy of an Unbound book. ‘How to Come Alive Again’ by Beth McColl. Beth is an advice columnist for Dazed & Confused magazine and has written about love, sex and mental health for Brooklyn Magazine, Gradient, and Ask-Men. Her book is a kind of self-help for people experiencing mental-health difficulties. Beth writes on her Unbound page:

“It’s a book about what happens when ….you can’t get up out of bed. It’s a book for when you outwardly seem happy and functional but are drowning in a toilet of depression, worry, and hell. It’s a whole mess of practical advice for anyone who has a mental illness or knows and loves someone else who does.

It’s everything I’ve tried – what’s worked, what hasn’t worked, what’s made everything worse, what’s gotten me into trouble and then out of it again. It’s a middle finger to everyone who still believes that mental illness is a choice.”

I really enjoyed this book. It is witty and written in a very easy-to-read style. The advice for dealing with mental health is very comprehensive. It includes such topics as how to gain the most from counselling, helping others who experience panic and anxiety, as well as mechanisms for coping with social anxiety and of course, the latest buzz-word; self-care. The major bonus of this book is that you can dip in and out of it.

Gift Ideas

This is a very significant year for me as I shall be turning fifty. The plus side of being born in August, is that many of my school friends have already turned fifty before me. One of my oldest school friends is also a keen gardener and so I wanted to buy her a gift that represented our friendship over nearly forty years, as well as catering to her hobbies.

I went to Horsfields Garden Nursery and bought her a David Austin rose named Absolutely Fabulous – a very apt description of our friendship! The garden centre wrapped the rose in a beautiful package. For £20, I thought the rose was an absolute bargain. Unlike a bouquet of flowers, the rose will last for many years. David Austin roses are always spectacular and they grow really well in most gardens. With Mothers’ Day coming up, then I would really recommend buying a rose as a gift.