There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it.

It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have only to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you.

No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive.

– Martha Graham

Dear Pledgers,

Here I was thinking I’d give myself more time by setting the new rewards goal so high, but soon realized I greatly underestimated your wonderful support again. THANK YOU! Thank you to those who just discovered my work and thank you to those who have been with me from the very beginning.

The best part of this whole thing has been being able to meet and talk a bit with all of you kind, delightful souls. I’ve so enjoyed hearing your beautiful stories and your absolutely contagious excitement about what’s to come. I’m honored that you chose me to draw your girlfriends, your sons, your daughters, your brothers, your mothers and grandmothers, and your wonderful selves. I tear up every time I think about how much these portraits might mean to you. Words cannot express how honored and grateful I am that you chose me to capture a piece of your spirit; of their spirits. I only hope I can live up to such a privileged duty. What I can promise is that I will draw and paint until my fingers bleed or until my heart explodes.

Glad you're with me...

I’ve been learning so much throughout this experience it’s crazy! One of the things that has become more apparent to me is the marvelous fact that we exist in a codependent world. It’s not necessarily the easiest thing to put yourself out there or reach out for support, but the truth is that everything relies on everything else to live and thrive. We see this in nature – trees need sunshine and rivers need rock to hold them. We see it in everyday life – babies need loving touch to survive and people need farmers and delivery truck drivers and grocery stores to eat. Art is no exception. An artist needs the earth to obtain materials to create, an audience or someone to witness and see their work, and encouragement; someone to cheer them on and give them support. Likewise, people need artists for many of the reasons I talked about in my last update – beauty, meaning, mirrored reflection. We are all beautifully interweaved (whether we see it or not) and no one can live this life alone. Ideally, we look for a win/win – an equal trade of sorts where everyone involved benefits from the situation. I want this project to be like that.     

Okay, enough already… let’s get to the good stuff!

NEW REWARDS

First, please believe me when I say I'd love to open up a spot for everyone who asked but because of the sheer volume of all the portraits I'll be doing, I have to limit myself to how many I can practically complete by the February deadline I set. I pour everything I am into my work and I don't want to burn myself out. I do hope you understand!

That said, I have decided it would be more than possible for me to complete more work BUT at a later delivery date. So instead of February as the latest shipment for the top-level rewards, it would be June the latest. So here are the NEW REWARDS:

•  NEW & CUTE-SIZED: 11” x 14” full-color painting of 1 person for $475 (limit 5)
•  THE POPULAR RETURN: 16” x 20” full-color painting of 1 person for $575 (limit 5)
•  THE PERFECT 10: FOUR more openings for the 18” x 24” full-color 1 or 2 person painting $725 (June deadline)

Very exciting! Still you must have noticed… I am limiting the rewards. There is going to be an incredible amount of work coming out of this project and we unfortunately have to stop somewhere! This is it folks – there will be no more higher-level rewards after this. That’s all I’m willing to take on!

Because you guys are my peeps, I am letting you know about the new rewards BEFORE the public. I want to give you every chance possible to upgrade or grab the slots you've been waiting for so...

THIS IS A TOP SECRET POST!  ONLY BACKERS CAN SEE IT!!*

Here is the exact time I will post the new rewards:

SATURDAY, APRIL 14th – 11:11PM (EST)

Please understand that this does not guarantee you a slot (simply because there are so many of you!) but it does give you a really, really good chance. Best of luck to you all!!

*I will make this post public AFTER all of the new rewards have been filled.

BONUS REWARD for my fellow artists

I am aware of the fact that the success of this campaign is not usual. There are a lot of popular projects on Kickstarter but unfortunately the art category gets severely neglected. I want to help change that and help fellow artists raise the money they need to launch art projects of their own.

So everyone who pledges $5 and up has the option of receiving an online e-book/downloadable PDF sharing everything I've learned (and continue to learn) about creating, launching, and promoting a successful art-related Kickstarter project.

We need more art in the world and more happy artists to make it. If you know someone interested in starting their own Kickstarter campaign, please tell them about what I’m offering here.

PRESS LOVE

Interview with my friends at the super-talented PRISMA Artist Collective - LINK

Beautiful Hello blog feature – LINK

THANK YOU to all the users who have been spreading the word on their blogs, facebook pages, tweets, tumblrs, deviantart accounts, etc. You guys have made all the difference! I’m totally feeling the love!!

Shout out to backer Kristen: LINK
Shout out to backer Kathie: LINK
Special shout-out to Ringo45 on Reddit (Message me dude. I want to know who you are!)

Also… Susan from Daily Art Muse has heard about my tutorial and e-book plans and has offered me a complimentary seat in her TEACHING ART ONLINE (TAO) course. I’m stoked about this because it means that I will gain more insight into how to make an even better tutorial/e-book for all of YOU! The course begins April 23rd and I will be reviewing it on my blog so keep a look-out! Better yet, join me if you feel you can also benefit from this class. Susan is offering an awesome $30 discount on TAO if you email her after purchase and say you heard about the class from me! Class full? Or maybe April’s too early for you? No worries! Susan will be offering her informative course again in the fall.

(Ps. Sorry to anyone I missed! Please send word with a link to your blog share or feature and I will make sure you get the shout out you deserve!!)

REFERENCE PHOTOS

Many of you have been asking about what I am looking for in a reference photo. Since this update is pretty lengthy already, I will be talking about that in an exciting new VIDEO UPDATE coming out in the next day or so. :)

365-Days is kind of a lot of people

It is absolutely incredible what we’ve accomplished so far! I never expected this level of response and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people cheering me on! However, I must admit that I’m a bit worried about filling all of the 365-day portraits. I am thrilled/ecstatic/freaking-out over the amount of pledges so far but in order for this project to be a real success, I need to have someone to draw every day. Some of you have asked what I’m going to do if the spaces don’t get filled. I hope that’s not the case but I will go ahead no matter what, keep options in mind for filling the days and let you know what’s up. In the meantime, I will continue to spread the word and I hope you will too! I want to see us go all the way with this and maybe even show those video-game Kickstarters that art is cool too! Ha! ;)  

With love and gratitude,
Michael