The Eight Foot Bride and The Gift of Giving

My friend Jason Andrew has been trying to raise money for a science fiction anthology called The Future Embodied.  He has been running a Kickstarter campaign for nearly a month and as it comes down to the last 5 days and there is still $700 left to go I am finding myself full of ideas.  I've shared many of them with Jason.

He recently blogged about the uncomfortable feeling he gets asking people for money, even though that money won't go to him, but to increase the amount he can pay the writers that are accepted to the anthology.

I have felt this same feeling.  There is a certain amount of shame in asking someone to buy a $15 bag of popcorn to help my son have a better Cub Scout program.  There is no way the popcorn is worth that much.  Yet it flies off the table every year and people love to give.

My mom used to say that if you refuse a gift you are robbing the giver of the blessing of giving.  If you are in need you must ask for help in order to give other people the blessing of helping you.

If you are in need of funding for your book or prayer for that cold that won't quit or a shoulder to lean on when your spouse makes you so very angry don't be afraid to ask those around you.  Most may say "no" but some will say yes and you have given them a blessing by giving them that opportunity.

Amanda Palmer gave a TED Talk on how to open up to those willing to help you.  From the start of her career as a living 8 foot bride statue asking for coins on the street to a fully crowd-sourced music career she understands that sometimes you have to open up and trust the people around you with your needs.