A Conversation on Crowdfunding and Being Human

Crowdfunding is an amazing journey, a rollercoaster of highs and lows. It is like a micro version of the exact rollercoaster that you feel by trying to make a living out of your creativity. Both are a constant cycle of the ultimate in joy, deepness in shame, loneliness in guilt, brightness in optimism, amazingness of love, importance of connection, hardship of rejection, and back to the source of it all, LOVE. So I am now mid crowdfund, heading into the last 2 weeks, the final stretch. And now there is the little voice, the doubtful one that peeps up every now and then. She was quiet in week one and two, there was too much love at the party for her to be heard!  But now the dream is at stake here, that nasty little one comes back out to play! One moment I am feeling the love of the universe to give me such an amazing path to take in life and the very next moment I am working through why the hell music even matters. Now that last little take on life, that is HER... she is the doubter in us all, she is the one who stops us from taking that leap, stops us from dreaming our dreams, and tells us to get a "real" job. That voice stops most of the population from following dreams, paths and destinies. It stopped me from recording my album for over 10 years. HELL NO.. I won't let that little voice win!! So I pledge that for these final 2 weeks, when the stakes are HIGHEST, I pledge to acknowledge that little voice, the little naysayer.... I might say... "thank you for coming to my little crowdfunding conversation party, now you can take a seat over there in the back row on the cold brown leather seats and leave us to get down to the real big girl business here of recording my first album". Her words can't even be heard over the excitement going on over here on the snuggly floral patterned floor pillow party of dreaming the big dream!

Now I am fully aware that my dream is now in the fate of not only the universe but also with people I know and people I have never met. And when you put yourself out there, you do get to lap up the love from strangers... like front page covers:


but you also have to be prepared for the naysaying strangers:
This one fairly ill-informed commenter discussed his concerns on crowdfunding on my Dad's music page. Some people suggested deleting his post and I said.. NO... this is a great conversation to have. Other friends who have crowdfunded have got many similar comments about begging for money etc etc and I think the conversation about what crowdfunding is and isn't is important NOT just for crowdfunding, but for being human in general. 

So let's talk this out... what is crowdfunding to you? For me it is a way to cut out the middle man, the gate keeper, it is a way to bring music and love directly to people who want it (not everyone wants an Irish gypsy songstress in their life... fair enough) But if you do, I am graciously asking you to let me bring you some music. And herein is where the magic is... I am asking you to accept my little interaction with you. The interaction of a stranger to stranger, human to human, artist to audience is what makes life what it is. Our whole day and life is made up of these little interactions. So how we interact and greet our fellow human beings is a reflection of the life we live. So are we going to stand behind some sort of fourth wall that keeps the artist and the audience apart, or are going to stand with each other through a crowdfunding platform like Pozible and be together as artist, listener, human to human and understand we have much to give and receive together. So am I asking you to throw money at me? begging you?.... NO those words in their very essence cheapens what being human means to us all. I am asking you something though... I am asking you to JOIN me on a little journey! Crowdfunding is by far one of the most progressive steps the art industry has seen in bringing together what is essentially life, artist and audience, human and human. It allows that magic thing that art can do, it allows for the magic to touch you, whether it is song, painting, poetry, sculpture, or even a frozen statue with a flower. It allows you to help the very magic art that did something for you...and then it allows for you to touch back (in a totes above board kinda touching way!).

Let me now hand over to a statue with a flower, Amanda Palmer, who as usual, hits the nail on the head in this TED talk on how to give and receive fearlessly...


Thank you all that have so graciously and fearlessly given, shared, and thought about giving! The link again is here if you're still thinking: www.pozi.be/ainetyrrell We have 13 days to make this little interaction happen!!  And I hope that Amanda Palmer's kickass talk and perhaps my little journey might inspire you to get to being human today in whatever beautifully inspiring way that you do it. xo Áine
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ps The universe does work in beautiful ways... as I was proofreading this for spelling mistakes an email came in to prove this VERY theory I was just talking about... this giving and receiving... an email from a stranger who had watched my Pozible video... an Irish woman in Ballarat who owns a cafe called The Church and Retro saying 'I can't join you on the bus, but come and stay with us next time you are in Ballarat. We will cook you stew and bake you Soda Bread!' AHHH bless... forget the bad news this week and rest easy that humans are divine!

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