Crowdsourcing that Actually Encourages Creativity

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across the site Kickstarter.com from a tweet I saw, mentioning a new crowdsouring site for creatives. Of course I assumed that Kickstarter must be another site commoditizing creativity to the point of uselessness, so I clicked through to see how low things had gotten. But I was completely surprised to see a site that actually used to help individuals with creative ideas get their projects off the ground.

A New Approach

To those of you who have not heard of Kickstarter yet, you will be surprised to find out that the site turns the idea of crowdsouring around. The individual posts their idea for the project, and then the community helps by making donations. You could think about it as the small guy’s public television drive without the annoying hosts and panel of phone operators in the background. However, the key differentiator is the lack of risk associated with making a donation. If the project doesn’t reach its goal within the timeframe, then no money exchanges hands. This avoids a project being 35% funded with no way to fulfill the promises it made to its backers. For more even more information on how the site works, check out the “learn more” page.

Currently the projects being posted are by invitation only, which may be why so many of the projects listed on the site are interesting. Part of me thinks that maybe it should stay that way? Right now the projects are all highly interesting and full of potential, the obvious result of careful oversight by a panel talented and influential individuals. But I am digressing; the true innovation here is how quickly Kickstarter has changed my perception of the idea of crowdsourcing.

As it currently stands, Kickstarter is using crowdsouring to launch the projects of talented individuals, not take advantage of them. A system built to achieve good things, things that may exist outside the boundaries of what is financially lucrative. Things that make people smile. Right now I think we all could agree that we could use a couple more things like those being created utilizing the Kickstarter community.

My Kickstarter Project

Being the designer that I am, I immediately saw Kickstarter as the solution to a number of potential problems upon visiting for the first time. The most interesting to me, and the one I felt was potentially the best fit for the community is a book idea I had been holding on to for a while. The only problem keeping me and Marin from starting the project was a lack of initial funding to secure some necessary tools/supplies.

So with the help of Kickstarter I am proud to announce the “Chicago Griddle Guide” which if funded, will be the greasy spoon lovers dream guide to navigating the Chicago food Scene. I encourage you to check out the project and make a donation if the project interests you, Marin and I would really appreciate your support (or your help spreading the word). Plus the rewards for making a donation aren’t half bad either.