Cosmic Lettuce is creating
Independent Astronomy Research and Space Music
Constantly In A State Of Becoming
Milestone Goals
Pay For Basic Expenses & Fund Hardware/Software Improvements
I have no interest in any more support than what I need, so I simply have a single goal: pay my basic expenses and have a little left over to fund improvements in hardware/software. For the astronomy research, this means better equipment and is detailed here (see the section "Things To Do For The Future"). For the music, this also means better equipment, especially recording equipment.
About
I've got a telescope and a synthesizer. I see and hear beautiful things all the time.
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How would you like to support the work of someone who is both an astronomer and a musician?
I'm doing serious astronomical research and making beautiful music on a very part-time basis but I'd like to do this work full time. I want to eat, sleep, breathe, and live astronomy and music.
I have one obstacle in the way: I need money to pay for household expenses. There are quite a few ways to get money. Most people opt for taking a job. Nothing wrong with this and millions of people all over the world do it every day, but there are alternatives. I'm choosing to find supporters who will gift me every month because it requires a decent amount of responsibility on my part, while giving me the greatest chance to be free to follow my interests, minimizing any negative consequences, and maximizing the rewards.
I'm looking for supporters who are willing to gift me about $5 dollars (US) a month. This is very similar to other "crowd funding" projects except that in this case I'm looking for continuous support rather than a one-time gift to fund a specific project.
Still having doubts? I don’t blame you. What I’m basically asking you is to take a chance and gift me the money I need to pay my household bills so I can do what I want instead of getting a job like everyone else. So at that level my proposal seems like a scam to fool people into paying me to sit on my butt all day and watch TV. But if you already know me pretty well, you know that I march to the beat of a different drum. You also know that I don’t shy away from any form of work. I don't do ANYTHING for money, but I will do almost anything to pay the bills so I can keep doing what I enjoy. I especially enjoy work if it’s necessary and/or meaningful. If you think about it, there really isn’t much of a difference between being supported by a number of “employers” or just one employer – it’s just a matter of perspective. Plus, if you think your support could be better utilized by someone else, then you always have the option of suspending or ending that support.
I've been in astronomy at pretty much every level. The only thing I didn't get into was trying to get funding. When I was staff at the University of Arizona, I saw the people above me spend 80% of their time writing grant proposals so they could pay people like me to do all the work. Where does this money come from? Mainly the National Science Foundation and the military. Who funds these two entities? YOU!!!! So look at what I'm proposing to you this way: would you rather directly fund someone who you can have direct contact with and see that your dollars are well-spent, or give those dollars to a government entity that then doles it out according to it's priorities? So what I'm suggesting is that we drop the "middle man".
My monthly budget is $2500, which means I'm looking for a continuous level of 500 supporters. Here’s a promise: Once I reach this level of support, I will not accept any additional support. I’m interested in Astronomical Research and Making Beautiful Music. I’m not interested in "making money" and have very little use for it. I only need money because this society requires money to supply the necessities of modern life: shelter, food, water, electricity, transportation, etc. So I’m only going to take what I need. The only way that I can convince you of this is to ask you take a chance for a couple months and see what happens.
Take a chance on a sure thing.
Who Are My Supporters?
My supporters are people who are interested in or have a passion for astronomy and/or music and are just as curious as I am about how the universe works and what we can do in it to use our senses to experience how beautiful it all is.
The vast majority of my supporters are people that I will never meet face to face. They are mostly non-scientists or amateurs or hobbyists. I'd like to think that professional astronomers and musicians would be interested in my work and would kick in a little from time to time. My supporters are also friends, or friends of friends, who are interested in the work I'm doing.
My supporters are people who understand that they are giving me a gift with no strings attached and likely to get no "return on investment." Meaning, they aren't necessarily interested in getting anything in return that will directly and concretely benefit themselves. Their direct return will be satisfaction and joy in knowing that they are supporting interesting and important work.
I'm doing serious astronomical research and making beautiful music on a very part-time basis but I'd like to do this work full time. I want to eat, sleep, breathe, and live astronomy and music.
I have one obstacle in the way: I need money to pay for household expenses. There are quite a few ways to get money. Most people opt for taking a job. Nothing wrong with this and millions of people all over the world do it every day, but there are alternatives. I'm choosing to find supporters who will gift me every month because it requires a decent amount of responsibility on my part, while giving me the greatest chance to be free to follow my interests, minimizing any negative consequences, and maximizing the rewards.
I'm looking for supporters who are willing to gift me about $5 dollars (US) a month. This is very similar to other "crowd funding" projects except that in this case I'm looking for continuous support rather than a one-time gift to fund a specific project.
Still having doubts? I don’t blame you. What I’m basically asking you is to take a chance and gift me the money I need to pay my household bills so I can do what I want instead of getting a job like everyone else. So at that level my proposal seems like a scam to fool people into paying me to sit on my butt all day and watch TV. But if you already know me pretty well, you know that I march to the beat of a different drum. You also know that I don’t shy away from any form of work. I don't do ANYTHING for money, but I will do almost anything to pay the bills so I can keep doing what I enjoy. I especially enjoy work if it’s necessary and/or meaningful. If you think about it, there really isn’t much of a difference between being supported by a number of “employers” or just one employer – it’s just a matter of perspective. Plus, if you think your support could be better utilized by someone else, then you always have the option of suspending or ending that support.
I've been in astronomy at pretty much every level. The only thing I didn't get into was trying to get funding. When I was staff at the University of Arizona, I saw the people above me spend 80% of their time writing grant proposals so they could pay people like me to do all the work. Where does this money come from? Mainly the National Science Foundation and the military. Who funds these two entities? YOU!!!! So look at what I'm proposing to you this way: would you rather directly fund someone who you can have direct contact with and see that your dollars are well-spent, or give those dollars to a government entity that then doles it out according to it's priorities? So what I'm suggesting is that we drop the "middle man".
My monthly budget is $2500, which means I'm looking for a continuous level of 500 supporters. Here’s a promise: Once I reach this level of support, I will not accept any additional support. I’m interested in Astronomical Research and Making Beautiful Music. I’m not interested in "making money" and have very little use for it. I only need money because this society requires money to supply the necessities of modern life: shelter, food, water, electricity, transportation, etc. So I’m only going to take what I need. The only way that I can convince you of this is to ask you take a chance for a couple months and see what happens.
Take a chance on a sure thing.
Who Are My Supporters?
My supporters are people who are interested in or have a passion for astronomy and/or music and are just as curious as I am about how the universe works and what we can do in it to use our senses to experience how beautiful it all is.
The vast majority of my supporters are people that I will never meet face to face. They are mostly non-scientists or amateurs or hobbyists. I'd like to think that professional astronomers and musicians would be interested in my work and would kick in a little from time to time. My supporters are also friends, or friends of friends, who are interested in the work I'm doing.
My supporters are people who understand that they are giving me a gift with no strings attached and likely to get no "return on investment." Meaning, they aren't necessarily interested in getting anything in return that will directly and concretely benefit themselves. Their direct return will be satisfaction and joy in knowing that they are supporting interesting and important work.