Where do we begin? For an idea so absurdly ambitious as The Jubilee Project this question makes me feel like I have writers block for visionaries. It is dangerously easy to write thoughts and ideas, and an altogether monumental leap to take abstractions and make them concrete. I guess that's why I am writing this, because I need your collective genius to get this idea off the ground. There are so many aspects to consider, for example because this idea is, in part, a business, we need a business plan. A strategic and concrete way of conducting ourselves in the market. We also need to know which expirement we will do first (clothing, publishing, music...?). We also need to establish a some sense of how this will progress, i.e. first x then y then z or first a then b then c... or whatever. That is why I have talked to each one of you and asked you to contribute, because each of you in your own unique way can contribute to each of these; be it the strategizing, the planning, the expirementing, or the growing parts of this Project.
It seems to me that we do need to clarify the abstract so that the abstract can be a light along our concrete sidewalk, if you pick up the metaphor. How do we do this? These are important questions because if these don't happen, this Project will belong to the colossally huge information wastebasket that is the world wide web. So my dear companions, how now shall we proceed?
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4 comments:
Collective prayer. This is where we need to begin. We need to find out what our first project should be. For example, let's start a Gorilla Kingdom Zine. This is just for the sake of example here, this doesn't necessarily have to be the first project. However, I do think we need to focus on one thing at a time and not just dive into multiple projcets at once.
So we all decide to do this Zine. The publication will include our short stories, poems, excerpts from books we are reading, reviews...whatever. We need to talk about the short-term/long-term goals of the project. We need to talk about such topics as distribution, quantities, production, etc.
Now that we have our first project we need to find out how we are going to finance it. How much will it cost to produce and distribute this zine?
In summary:
1.) Prayer for the right ideas.
2.) All of us submitting ideas for a project that we feel would be a good/realistic starting point.
3.) Answering the questions about the project that were stated above. (i.e. finance, distribution, etc.)
So let's get some ideas rolling. I do think a zine would be pretty cool. However, we have no budget so we are at a stand still as far as actually producing anything at this point.
That's all I got for now.
I agree with Justin, prayer is at the top of the list. It determines what the Jubilee Project is, and gives us access to what God intends it to be.
As far as the plan, the finances, the distribution channels of the project we need to get together and brainstorm. Putting pen to paper even in the most collective sense helps to put some solid ground beneath our feet. The Zine is a great concept and there are plenty of avenues to make this collaboration fly. Clothing, music, etc. are all good ideas...good ideas that need funds. We can get those down the road, trust me there are plenty of pocketbooks in this world that are starving for a tax deduction. Since none of us currently own businesses that can contribute any substantial capital, we need to think of that as a down-the-road plan.
Sam, God brought this dream to you, we are here to get behind you in any way that we can appropriately do so. I'd suggest you approach a handful of us (5-10) to be a part of a board of directors, get us in a room together and we can see what comes out the first meeting. Maybe set aside a couple of nights a quarter where we can meet to get this thing going.
Another possible idea is to open up the posting capabilities to other select members who might add to the dialouge. Or even better open a forum so that we can start a thread of ideas and develop them and add new threads as the idea develops.
The other idea is to get some "old blood" in the mix, ie - some guys and gals who have been down the road a little further than we have that can help add experience, perspective and legitimacy to this enterprise.
I know you have at least a brief sketch in your mind of what the Jubilee Project is. No matter if that is what it ends up being, it is a good starting point to develop from. Start there and be flexible where it befits the overall objectives of the project and be rigid if it infringes upon the core of what the project is supposed to be.
I'll shoot over more thoughts as they come.
Justin, yeah i dig the Zine idea. Jed and I were talking and we thought it might be a good place to get some funds to (by using advertising as a revenue generator). We could also advertise local ministries, or missions organizations, or even missionaries needing support. Whatever... We could even talk to shea about how we could put something like this together. We could do some guerilla marketing to get the Zine's name out there, and once we get some hits then we have some leverage to get some companies to advertise. I don't know what do you think?
Advertising is going to be a stretch at first.
I look at Ruca's quarterly zine that they produce themselves. It's free and it is ad-free. And it is good.
Advertising is too much of a business and I don't think we want that just yet...it may kill the cool factor in the zine. Or, if you will, it may lacken the 'hook' (see comment on 'Zine' post for more details on this.)
Let's just ask God to provide us with the money to do this the right way. I think that's what He wants. Let's see Him provide little by little. When we see God provide in our faithfulness than we know it is time to act and move forward with something.
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