I’ve been closely following the Nebula Creatives fundraising campaign for the past few weeks, and I am nothing short of impressed about the way this team works. They are professional, dedicated, and always in good spirits. I know how challenging it is to start a business because this year I myself established a publishing company and a magazine. And although the effort is definitely rewarding, it is not easy to stay 100% positive and optimistic. These days artists are forced to become shrewd entrepreneurs, something that is by a definition an antithesis of creativity. This is why those artists who manage to master the business side should earn our admiration.
INTERSTELLAR WINDS, THAI FOOD AND SCIENCE FICTION.
‘LAB 99’ NEW HOT GRAPHIC NOVEL
READ INTERVIEW OF THE LAB 99 WRITERS
Fundraising is not easy. People who used to enjoy talking to you all of a sudden feel uncomfortable, because now you are asking for money. It is unfortunate because we don’t always think how much effort goes into a decent fundraising event. Even from my limited experience with fundraising, I was called a bot, a spammer, a beggar, a shameless self-promoter… This much is enough to get you down, but the artists must carry on disregarding all the negativity and cynicism.
“GLITCH ART, AFRICAN FLAVORS AND
SURGEONS FROM PARALLEL DIMENSIONS”
READ INTERVIEW OF THE LAB 99 ILLUSTRATOR OSCAR JOYO
Although I am not raising money for anything personally, I would love to talk about Nebula Creatives and their cause. Their IndieGoGo campaign is currently at the 60% and on it’s final day. With a flexible goal of $5000, this is not too much to ask for an original comics and a movie that is coming up afterwards. And actually you don’t have to just give up your hard-earned money. You are getting loads of fun perks in return. I ordered one myself. For $35, Oscar Joyo created an alien version of me! If you saw the original picture, it’s amazingly similar, yet … alien :). Also I am getting a gorgeous comics book – first issue in the mail. So excited about it. When my family found out, they all decided to become Lab 99 aliens, so I ordered four more $35 perks. Folks, this is better than the ugly Christmas sweater! Check it out, my name is among the backers of the campaign. I also know that for the Nebula Creatives even $1 will mean a lot.
In his interview, Christian Stanfield confessed that the upcoming movie will be something of a cross between the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Hunger Games. I am so sold at this point! Plus, the comics feature a lot of Thai motifs, which is amazing, because we all can agree that diversity in sci fi is not overdone. For Lab 99 creators, diversity is not a selling point, it is an authentic expression of another author, Rujanee Mahakanjana who was born in Thailand. Rujanee is an accomplished filmmaker, but Lab 99 is her passion. Please at least check out the campaign, you are not obligated to contribute, but at least learning about the project will make the Nebula team’s efforts worthwhile.