MUTANTU P&L: -19 (≃ -208 USD)
A comic story about CreativeEnergy inhabiting Human, so that a Human evolves to feel CoExistence while learning the spells of Living Systems.
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The project promotes an idea that everything is connected.
It aims to shape cultural norms from "self-centric" to "togetherness" and inspire people to behave accordingly: in a deeper state of awareness and caring for the needs of true-self, others, universe.
The medium is a creative humorous short story with comics that showcases a character called "Mutantu" as a superhero who through funny adventures in a modern world raises its consciousness to understand that everything is connected and such uses its imagination to produce creative works as an example so that other humans follow and join "Mutantu" tribe.
The project explores topics as "life", "living systems", "universe as consciousness", "awareness", "imagination as energy", "energy and vibrations", "senses", "sacred", "effortless being", "chaos and order", "interbeing", and more.
How to run a Kickstarter campaign successfully? Any best-practices?
Understanding of Gut-Brain connection, so that I can translate it to comics. What specifically happens in the gut when sugar is consumed? What is sent to the Brain? How sugar influences human behaviour?
Converting Airtable storyboard into comics layout on Google Slides by stage in the hero's journey, so that I can see what goes into each page of comics and easier decide where one chapter finishes and next one starts
Added specific principles/ideas of Living Systems linked with specific thinkers and subjects to cover in the book as spells a character needs to learn to transform itself and feel co-existence.
Uploaded a video to Vimeo and updated Wordpress with a link to Vimeo and illustrators names, added small changes to spells.
Updated WordPress website with hexagon .png files that showcase how my book will look like.
Created a design of how my book will look like as 6 chapters, all shaped like hexagons, 1 empty chapter in the middle; comics divided into a hexagon shape too with space for reflection for a reader.
I'm so happy I found a way to prototype hexagons super-fast with Google Slides (downloading each slide as .png file) and Lunapic (making a transparent background for .png). :)
[Archived] How to showcase a hexagon shape on my website? CSS is a challenge for me. I use WordPress and Elementor page builder for my site.
Talked with Saydyy (illustrator), reviewed the main ideas, the video, current scenes, and agreed the book design (6 chapters, 1 chapter blank, 67 pages each, 90 g paper) and how all chapters will be showcasing the same characters in black/white comics+colouring book design.
My next steps are to summarise existing 18 scenes into what goes to the first chapter ("who is protagonist? antagonist? dialogue script/narration?") and overall 6 chapters, so that Saydyy could sketch out what's possible to produce for March.
Talked to Malü (illustrator) about the idea of 6 chapters made with different illustrators who form a "tribe" through this collaboration. Reviewed the video, scenes. She suggested to launch Kickstarter in March with clear milestones, e.g. $x for illustrators, $x for production, $x for y and create a list of offers (what different contributors get). Also, suggested to sketch out what will be in each chapter and/or write a script, so that it's easier for illustrators to create comics.
Made visual slides on Canva that work like a video and tell the story what the book is about
[Archived] I have 23 scenes and 30 spells. How do I prioritise them into a storyboard?
I captured snippets of scenes and spells that form the core of the story
Wrote a short story draft where Plant, Bacteria, Body characters are interacting during Christmas dinner, sketched a comic draft and wrote description of the scene into Airtable
Based on feedback I got through 3 calls with potential readers, I updated my book's website:
Added a new homepage that explains the purpose of the book
Replaced testimonials with benefits (self-help jokes, basics of science, not facts but laughs, comics as colouring book, reflection prompts, fits any pocket)
New layout for book pages (anecdotes, cartoon for colouring area, reflection prompts)
Started to think what are the spells that a character needs to learn to friend the creative energy
Updated website to reflect what the book is about - personal transformation and living systems, not just biomimicry like I had on the website V1
Uploaded a book cover as a photo with desired testimonials
Listed characters and three quotes/fragments from the book
Wrote a sinopsis of what my book is about and created about/why section
Made an ebook cover with black/night sky background to communicate a sense of safety, rest, healing and included a funny headline "wild laughs, fantastic results" inspired by popular self-help books that my book will compete with :)
Made a basic WordPress website about my project.
Chosen black, white, red as key brand colours that communicate a depth of personal transformation and light that always gives hope in times of uncertainty.
Chosen Rufina font for headlines as it relates to Serif font used in books, and Roboto Slab font for paragraphs as it feels like a difficult font which reflects a journey of personal transformation that my project brand is about.
Now I wonder, what help/feedback I need for my project?
Advisor who is a comic book author and a creator of anecdotes
Advisor who can help decompose Systems Thinking and define which concepts from Living Systems are the most important for beginners
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From the "Sneak peak", and the gist "for people who don't read," it seems like it's going to be a set of illustrative works to capture the coexistence, where others see not. If it's got to be funny, look for a comedian, or perhaps, a magician comedian as an advisor -- they've got to deal with both systems, and see humor. One interesting comedian I've recently watched and who falls under this category (combining humor with magic), is the Hannibal. :)
Mindey, yes, a magician-comedian-cartoonist as advisor would be cool!
Now, thinking what are the Spells a character (and the readers!) needs to learn to friend the creative energy? These spells would be the behaviours of Living Systems or interactions within Living Systems.
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// a magician-comedian-cartoonist
[Ruta], I'll let you know if my mind comes across a person like that.
// Added new homepage, benefits, new layout for book pages (reflection prompts, anecdotes, cartoon for colouring area)
You may actually try using archive.org to save historical snapshots of your website as work in progress, instead of always entering the same website as a result. Here's how: video.
Thanks [Mindey]! I made my first link with Archive here, yay!
^__^ Interesting you're talking spells. Sounds intriguingly game-like, or movie-like. Thinking of spells reminds me "The Lord of the Rings".
I realised that mapping the concepts in Living Systems does not matter because systems are about interactions not objects. So I have "spells" for a character to learn so that they transform their identity and access a higher consciousness. :) Spells here are actions (inter-actions with other systems) to go through.
Should we have consultation meetings with demos, as people could perhaps give ideas to challenges during them?
[Mindey] great idea :) agree.
I presented my scenes (on Airtable) for six people at Living Systems Collaboratory. Some of the feedback was on "How can I showcase Bacterias as (a living system) living harmoniously within a Human and Human (as a living system) living harmoniously within Earth?"
// How can I showcase Bacterias //
Get a microscope, and get 'em into a photo-session?
I'm thinking about producing the book as musicians do singles and then the album. So, each chapter would be like a living system itself and have a different illustrator, and together all illustrators with me form a "MUTANTU tribe", this way showing that systems are all about interactions and nothing exists in vacuum.
(Also I got a suggestion to run a Kickstarter campaign for that)
// Get a microscope, and get 'em into a photo-session? //
Love this idea, [Mindey]! I was actually dreaming about it (microscope) for some time now lol. Any recommendations on cheap good ones? :)
Cheapest I can remember, is that that paper microscope. I think those were invented for detecting malaria. On the ones suitable for the said "photosession", I'd recommend to think of collaboration with a university, they've got equipment, and rent microscope time, as good scopes ain't cheap, unless you want to play with toys for kids (e.g., [1], [2]).
Thinking about a book design as hexagon published as 6 mini-stories featuring different heroes/heroines who discover their spells in their own way: music, seeds, etc. (Potentially thinking to feature a real project/creator as character.) Together these mini-stories fit into a giant hexagon like a puzzle. And each comic is illustrated within boxes of hexagons not the usual squares.
Each story is illustrated by a different illustrator (2/6 confirmed). I'm also considering one more mini-story as rectangular to showcase "old story" all humans live in. Then, the six hexagon books mark the transition from the old to the new, the personal transformation moment to living systems philosophy.
The challenge is about Prototype: How to make a paper notebook as a hexagon now and divide a page into hexagons nicely? And then, how to showcase a hexagon with hexagons inside on WordPress (website made with Elementor)? Reading online advices here...
Another challenge: How much I can produce as actual book with different collaborators for March?
Thinking, I'd like to produce a mini version of this project for March: One chapter based on the story shown in the video.
If people like it, then I could create a mailing list and ongoing Patreon fundraising. From there, I could expand into more collaborations and more chapters.
After presenting my progress to a friend, I was thinking about her questions on "Can you explain more what is a Superhero mentioned on your site?"
So the idea of the book is to serve as a "min effort in the personal transformation journey and evolving to feel co-existence". Then, I reviewed my spells captured on Airtable and realised that many are Body spells like walking, listening, dancing, gardening, etc.
So, I'd like to add some spells for the Mind not just the Body. What mental models align with living systems philosophy, i.e. help to navigate chaotic world of creativity?
Zoom out, Zoom in (like on Workflowy)
Solo, Together (like a wing that becomes a butterfly at times)
Like a heartbeat
Overall, through Spells that my book Superhero needs to learn, I'd like to show a harmony/dance between Body and Mind, irrational and rational, as a culmination of coexistence within a human being, which will shape coexistence on the planet Earth for all humans if they read my book!
// How to showcase a hexagon shape on my website? CSS is a challenge for me. //
You might want to take a look into Processing.org and ThreeJS.org -- those are the tools that have the potential to create impressions. Though, it all depends on what you are trying to achieve. CSS is also quite powerful, but wherever people are in need of impressive imagery, I'd recommend also thinking about other forms of media, like loading a repeating video over entire page as background, dynamic SVG, or something else.
Reading an interview with ecologist and writer D.Abram, I loved how he describes everything being alive (sensuous earth) and he talks about words as magic.
Then, a friend mentioned Japanese word "Kotodama" that means "soul of language" and "sacred sound".
I'm curious how I can infuse the magic into words with MUTANTU book..
Talked to a friend about senses. "How come my phone has more sensors than I have?" and "How does a bird see the worm? They see the light, urine." Hmm, I haven't thought about that before, how different animals sense. How can humans reveal this world of non-human senses? Is embodiment of non-human senses even possible for humans?
Got great feedback from a mentor on writing (creating blocks of time with no interruptions and inspiring objects), running Kickstarter with a spreadsheet and limiting the amounts of backers for sanity, potential illustrators from Africa and Asia, advice to explore Living Systems science and philosophy videos and chats, so that I could easier spot patterns that would become the spells in the book.
Essential question for this project: If creators create (already), why they still don't feel coexistence (peace within)? What principles of Living Systems (spells) would help welcome a deep sense of coexistence into creators lives?
Questions on my mind:
How to showcase Chaos and Order as a spell?
What real-life comic example would showcase Mind and Heart in sync?
// Why creators don't feel coexistence (peace within)? What principles of Living Systems (spells) would help welcome a deep sense of coexistence into creators lives? //
So far, I think it's a "0oo Questioning" part missing in creator's lives: jumping into a project is not the same without deeply exploring one's motivation.
Also, without exploring the main idea of Living Systems such as -- human body is a system the same way as a bacteria is, as Earth is, as Universe is -- without such reflection, there's no sense of coherence (?), some sort of connection with all life which instantly gives meaning to one's live, because life simply is.
In the book, an example of this principle could be showcased as a scene of digging deeply into one's heart (a "story" exercise as mentioned in my previous book "Banana Break") and also some scene I did not discover yet that explains the idea of human as a system the same way as bacteria, Earth, Universe is.
That's what's on my mind now. This is not a finished thought yet, though.
Now thinking about spells, what's common (about living systems) between sciences and spirituality?