Edit: Wow! Thank you all so much for your donations! This will go a long way toward helping me get home and care for my family. I'm hoping to make at least 50% of my goal by the end of this thing. One week left! Please keep spreading the word! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about perks - I'm happy to give what I can in return!
~~~~~
Hello! My name is Dana. I was born and raised in Grand Marais, MN and I love it there, though I currently live in Southern California near Los Angeles. For the last six years I've been living back and forth between the north woods of Minnesota and sunny SoCal. My most recent move was in April 2013 and I expected to live here for no longer than a year - long enough to help my Midwest-born boyfriend Jordan save money and pack up for a move back to MN so we could begin our lives together up north where we belong.
Unfortunately I did not fully understand how expensive living in Southern California is compared to my humble homeland, and I've been stuck here since. You can read my whole story in my first blog post here: http://backtothenorthwoods.blogspot.com/2014/11...
With recent news, a sense of urgency has taken over. My mom has been diagnosed with stage four (IV-B) lung cancer. I need to get back to Minnesota as soon as possible to be with her and my dad to help them through this. I'm worried and scared and not ready for the road ahead, but I'm determined to help however I can.
The money raised from this campaign will go toward my travel and moving expenses, finding a place to live in MN, and possibly a down payment on a used car (the one I was driving back home is a year younger than I am, and it's rusted out so bad I'm worried it may not be safe to drive). All the rest of the money will go straight to my folks to help them not only cover their bills, but let my mom have some much deserved fun the next few years. Thankfully insurance is covering most of the medical side.
My parents are some of the most generous, kind, caring people you could ever meet and have gone out of their way to help people all their lives, but times have been hard lately. My dad is still working when he should be enjoying retirement. It breaks my heart to see them struggling and I want to do whatever I can to make sure they're taken care of because they've cared and helped me so much throughout my life.
I find it difficult to accept money for nothing, so instead of setting up an Indiegogo Life campaign I opted for a regular one so I could include perks. My personal goal is to one day be able to make a living off of creative pursuits (writing and art), but I don't yet have a strong portfolio with examples of what I'm capable of. Through this campaign, you can help me build this portfolio and make my dream come true.
All rewards will be negotiated and delivered via email. Feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions - aurorawolf@gmail.com
My first creative pursuit when I move back is to write a book. I intend to write a memoire about what it's been like living two lives between the northern country and a southern city over the last few years. If it's well received I will look into publishing later.
Everyone who donates at least $5 to this crowdfunding campaign will receive a digital copy of the book, no matter which perk level you choose. For example, if you sign up for a large custom art piece, you will receive the book in addition to the art piece.
Art perks may take me a year or two to deliver on. I want each piece I do to be my best ever. The book is my first priority, but I plan to complete at least one art piece a month, if not more. The "January 2017" date is arbitrary - I hope to have most done long before then.
EDIT: Today (03/27) I added a $20 perk for custom digital sketches as a more affordable art option for anyone who might be interested!
You choose the animal species and whether you want the drawing to be realistic or whimsical. If you'd like a pet portrait I will need you to email me some really good photos of your pet.
Realistic = Animals as true to life as I can draw them
Whimsical = Fantasy creatures, animals showing human emotion or ability, cartoony style, anthropomorphic animals and character portraits.
And here are two OLD examples (10+ years old!) from when I was in high school that some of you may recognize. This is the kind of work I want to do again, now that my skills have improved.
Many more examples can be seen at my Deviant Art gallery: http://aurorawolf.deviantart.com
Artwork will be fully rendered with some kind of background (not just blank paper) to the best of my ability. You will get art worth what you donate - higher amounts will receive full backgrounds and more detail. The art you will receive will be higher quality than my current examples and could be completed in a variety of traditional media (graphite, colored pencil, charcoal, watercolor, acrylic, pastel). These art pieces are a chance for me to experiment and grow as an artist and expand my portfolio, so you will be receiving my best work yet!
I am happy to draw any and all animals including mammals, reptiles, insects, fish, farm animals, pets, amphibians, birds, extinct species and fantasy creatures. No humans or humanoids (centaurs, mermaids, etc) at this time, please, though unicorns and dragons are quite welcome!
I'm happy to help bring your personal vision come to life if you have one, or you can let me "wing it."
I retain all reproductive rights to my work, but you will receive the finished original artwork mailed to you for you to mount and frame or keep as you wish.
Here's a run down of art reward levels:
$25: A quality print of any animal drawing/painting I do as part of this fundraiser
$20: A digital sketch commission - not eligible for prints (New 03/27)
$50: Small size 5"x7" - graphite, ink, or limited color palette
$75: Small size 5"x7" - full color
$100: Medium size 9"x12" - graphite, ink, or limited color palette
$200: Medium size 9"x12" - full color
$500: - large size 11"x14" (possibly larger) - full color
One of my other creative pursuits is costume design and creation. Taking a drawing and turning it into a 3D wearable walking character is pretty awesome. As part of this crowdfunding campaign I am taking on one costume commission. As with the rest of the art, this may take a couple years to complete, but you are guaranteed a quality costume done to the best of my ability.
This will be a partial costume including the head, hands, feet, and tail. This is an "artistic liberty" costume creation. You choose the species, whether you want it realistic or toony, and whether you want natural or unnatural colors. I do the rest! I'm happy to entertain other personal requests though, so let me know if you have something specific in mind - I might like it!
If you have questions about anything, please email me! aurorawolf@gmail.com
To follow progress on my book, all artwork associated with this campaign, and my homesteading aspirations, please follow my blog here: http://backtothenorthwoods.blogspot.com/
I also have a new website in the works: http://www.auroraswoods.com
Thank you for stopping by! If you're not in a position to help right now (I know times are tough) please consider spreading the word to others, I really appreciate it.
- Dana