NEW Stretch Goals, plus Symbology Cloth Preview!
almost 4 years ago – Sat, May 16, 2020 at 10:00:41 AM

Wow, friends! It's been an incredible week and a half, and we're already 140% funded!! I can't believe it! I'm still filled with such appreciation for all of you, and such awe for the outpouring of belief and support for Fifth Spirit Tarot. 

We have almost reached our first stretch goal at $26,000, which will unlock two 3-inch tall vinyl stickers for all physical reward tiers and extra PDF coloring book pages! Yes, that's right! I'm adding coloring book pages to this stretch goal to include my Art Witch babes in the love! At that funding level, I'll also be able to order 1000 decks from my printer instead of 500, making the base cost per deck actually viable from a business sense. Whoo-hoo! 

If things keep going as they have been, that first stretch goal should be unlocked before we know it (fingers crossed), and we still have 19 more days to go! So here I am to update you with a bright and shiny lineup of NEW stretch goals to aspire towards. :D

New Stretch Goals!

$26,000 / STRETCH GOAL 1: Two stickers for all physical reward tiers, plus extra PDF coloring book pages! To see the stickers, check out my last update post or scroll to the bottom of the Fifth Spirit campaign page. The extra coloring book pages will feature a selection of cards from the Minor Arcana of Fifth Spirit, exact cards TBD. 

$31,000 / STRETCH GOAL 2: Twelve additional tarot spreads in the guidebook!!! One spread for each of the zodiac signs. :D These will be included in the physical and PDF guidebooks. (I'm especially excited about this one!)

$36,000 / STRETCH GOAL 3: A bookmark of some weird, original thing I draw! I will illustrate a few bookmark designs of totally new art exclusively for this Kickstarter! These bookmarks won't be available elsewhere after the campaign. The design you get in your package will be a surprise. These will only be included in the tarot deck tiers (Early Witch, Diviner, Cartomancer, Symbologist Diviner + Cartomancer, x2 tiers). 

$41,000 / STRETCH GOAL 4: Digital calendar with Fifth Spirit art and important astrological dates! I'll design a printable 12-month calendar for 2021 and load it with all your major astrological dates! This will be a digital PDF download that you can print at home, included in every tier above $10! 

$46,000 / STRETCH GOAL 5: Art print of a Fifth Spirit card with every deck tier. Exact details TBD, but probably 5x7". If we reach this goal, I'll ask the backers to vote on which card(s) they'd like as a print. I might print two options? Details will become clearer as we near this goal! 

The Symbology Cloths Are Here!

In other super cool news, the first small batch of Symbology Cloths arrived at my doorstep this week! LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL THING.  

These altar cloths are everything I hoped for and more! Screen printed by the good folks at Misplaced Screenprinting here in Portland, Oregon, the detail in these beauties is amazing. The Symbology Cloth is screen printed with eco-friendly water-based ink on 100% cotton, natural-colored tea towels. At 27x20", it's a generous size for spreading cards on, adorning your altar, or being the coolest tea towel in your kitchen. I also designed it with divination in mind: cast runes, stones, or even dice onto it and interpret the symbols they land upon! (If you use dice, you can also interpret the numerology! May I suggest a d10 for my Dungeons & Dragons folks?) 

I can't get enough of these, so I took a short video to show off all the little details! Check it out!

FYI, the song playing in the background is "Blood Bank" by The Mountain Goats.

Adding the Symbology Cloth to Your Reward

I've had several people ask about adding a Symbology Cloth to their reward tier, and you can do that by adding $24 to any physical reward tier. (Sorry, I can't add a cloth to the Art Witch or Believer tiers because your tier doesn't include shipping.) Just click "Manage Your Pledge" at the top of the page, and change your total pledge amount to include an additional $24. This is the same price that's included in the Lil' Symbologist, Symbologist Diviner, and Symbologist Cartomancer tiers. 

While I'm on the topic, you can also add the digital PDF Coloring Book to any tier by adding $7 to your pledge! 

I will be using a pledge management system like Backerkit after the campaign ends, where you'll be able to confirm your additional rewards before I order and ship. <3

Whew! That was a lot of stuff! THANK YOU AGAIN for believing in Fifth Spirit, and please keep sharing it on social media so we can unlock these stretch goals! I really want to draw you some weird, fun bookmarks! 

Okay! That's all for now! Sending love and high fives to you all!

xx,

Claire

Fifth Spirit Surpasses Its Goal! In 2.5 Days!
almost 4 years ago – Sat, May 16, 2020 at 09:59:12 AM

Oh my goddexx, I can't believe it! Fifth Spirit has surpassed its funding goal in less than 53 hours!! That's just over 2 days! I can't stop using exclamation points! What in the holy blessed what?!!

You know what that means? Fifth Spirit is really happening! It will be printed! It will be in your hands in less than six months! Exclamation points! Since we've still got 28 days to go, I'm going to start thinking of stretch goals or some little special extras I can include with every deck tier. :D

But for now, I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to every single one of you who has backed the project so far—all 252 of you! I am so moved and so stunned by your outpouring of support for Fifth Spirit, especially in these challenging times we're in. It brings to my mind the Ace of Cups, the overflowing well of love straight from Source, and a phrase that I often pair with it: there's enough in the cup for all of us. 

Speaking of the Ace of Cups, here's a little behind-the-scenes look the doodle that started it all, and how it evolved into the Ace of Cups you see in Fifth Spirit today. On the new moon in Aquarius on February 4th, 2019, I absentmindedly sketched the Ace you see on the left below, not intending to start a tarot deck. (Little did I know!) I re-illustrated the image a lot as the style of the deck took shape (and as I learned how to draw!), until the final version you see on the right. 

The Ace of Cups is the card that started it all, and it's the one I've spent the most time with in concept and revision, and it's the one I'm holding in my heart today. 

THANK YOU AGAIN. Raising my coffee cup to you all. <3

xx,

Claire

Stretch Goals Added!
almost 4 years ago – Tue, May 12, 2020 at 10:58:49 PM

Hello, lovely backers! I can't believe it's been less than a week, and we're already almost 120% funded! I continue to be blown away by the response to Fifth Spirit. THANK YOU AGAIN.

I'm just dropping in to let you know that I'm adding stretch goals! While I wasn't originally planning stretch goals, I thought they would be a lovely way to thank all of you for the extra success of the campaign, and for helping me bring Fifth Spirit into the world with a bang! :D

Here's the first one:

$26,000 / STRETCH GOAL 1: STICKERS FOR EVERYONE!*

If we hit this amount, I'll be able to order 1000 decks from my printer instead of 500! To celebrate, every physical reward tier will receive 2 FREE Fifth Spirit stickers in their reward package! Printed here in Portland, Oregon, these 3" tall, durable vinyl stickers feature The Empress and The Emperor, two of the most iconic cards from Fifth Spirit, so you can emblazon your stuff in queer archetypal glory!

*I'm only able to include these in the physical reward tiers—if you paid shipping for your reward, you'll get 'em. If you didn't pay shipping, you won't. (But I'm brewing on a little digital somethin' for the Art Witch tier. <3)

I'm working on sourcing and budgeting further stretch goals, and I'll update you here when I have them nailed down! All stretch goals will be new extras and won't change the printing or features of the deck itself—it's already in exactly the form it wants to be. :D   

Onward and upward! 

xx,

Claire