Kickstarter project helps bring “Ordinary Days” to life
When Marissa Mozek, a sequential arts major, decided to come up with “Ordinary Days,” a 200-page anthology, she knew that she did not have enough money to get her project funded before graduation.
Fortunately for her, the solution was only a click away.
Mozek created a Kickstarter project on April 30,with a goal of reaching $3,500 by the end of May. Her Kickstarter page featured a video about “Ordinary Days,” a list of the 21 artists involved, and several sneak peeks of the artists’ work.
In the span of one week, the project earned $2,500. Although Mozek credited the artists’ talents for getting the funds, it was also because of her persistence in rallying friends and family online to help contribute to the project.
She explained that the idea of creating the “Ordinary Days Anthology” began when she developed De Quervain tendonitis in her wrist during the past winter quarter. In order for her to graduate on time, she came up with a new solution. “I knew I could critique work well and I love working with artists daily so I decided to find 21 artists and publish an anthology for my own work,” she said. “That said, this type of project has never been done by another undergraduate in the sequential department.”
The 21 artists showcase their own “slice of life” comics in the anthology. Mozek said that she opted for using real life stories instead of fiction because “slice of life stories are easy to relate to and can be more powerful than a story with fantastical elements. I really just want the readers to get back in touch with reality and their roots… to bring something that is old but new to the table.”
By May 11, the “Ordinary Days” Kickstarter project had reached its goal of $3,500 and as of the morning of May 13, it currently has $3,661 pledged. “How we got people to fund this project is because the amount of talent and caliber of the artists that are being showcased spurs people on to help in anyway,” Mozek explained. “I wouldn’t have been able to get this project funded as quickly.” She added that being organized helped get the project the finance.
Persistence, talent and generosity proved that this Kickstarter project is not so “Ordinary” after all.
