Michelle Nelson-Schmidt's Blog, page 55
September 9, 2016
Thank you.
Oh, y’all… I just want to say thank you. Thank you so much for letting me fill your FB everyday with my Kickstarter. Only 9 days left… Yippee!!
Asking for help – asking for money – is SO not my thing. I like to give far, far more.
But because I know that ultimately, this cartoon will give to so, so many children – far more than I can reach with school visits, far more than my Storytime Live, far more than even my books – I have asked. For 22 days in a row.
And lordee, it’s been so emotionally hard to ask people for money multiple times a day, every day. I think of all the other people who need help too. Then I feel guilty. So, so guilty.
Then I go back to my WHY. And I know I have to keep putting it out there.
And also? I LOVE that we are doing this TOGETHER. People from all over this country – different races, different religions, different orientations, different cultures. Oh man, talk about MAGICAL. We all need this magic these days. That, I know.
Thank you to the incredible 381 Backers who have given their hard-earned money to help make this dream a reality so far. Thank you to the ones of you planning to, but haven’t yet. You give me faith in us as a human race. I will NOT let you down.
Thank you to the hundreds of others who have shared my Kickstarter link and supported me emotionally.
You are in my heart forever and I am forever grateful.
9 more days, y’all. The #WhatifKickstarter ends Sept. 18 – on the day I leave for my first week of school visits where I will talk to a few thousand kids. I can’t think of a better way to end such an incredible journey. ❤️
And just in case you need it… https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1744738870/the-whatif-monster-animated-series
September 7, 2016
A Very Doggy Storytime Live! 7:30pm est
Lucy – the dog, the myth, the LEGEND! Find out how Dogs, Dogs! (and Cats, Cats!) came to be a book!
There’s a whole story behind my first two books! Tune in tonight to find out what it is! You’ll get to know my beloved Lucy Goosey Lovey Dove and hear me read Dogs, Dogs!
As always, comment on this blog post by 7pm est for a chance to win a gift from me to you!
It’s gonna be DOGGONE AWESOME!
Click here or on the photo below to watch LIVE at 7:30pm est!
August 31, 2016
The Magic of Bob – Storytime Live at 7:30pm est!
I’m home sweet home in Georgia and feeling the Bob Love today!
Join me tonight for the MAGIC that contained in Bob is a Unicorn – and I PROMISE afterwards you are going to feel awesome about how perfectly unique you are and how much this world NEEDS you!
As always, comment on this post by 7pm est for a chance to win a gift from me to you!
Click here or on the photo below at 7:30pm to watch and chat with me LIVE on my Livestream account!
August 27, 2016
The children. They own my heart. <3
When children are using their own money to fund my #WhatifKickstarter? You know you are part of something that is being created from the magic of the Universe. ❤
These two children and their parents have my heart and soul. They met me via my weekly Wednesday Storytime Lives and I was lucky enough to meet them in person one time when I happened to be in a city an hour from where they lived. Their parents drove in rush hour traffic after work and school to have dinner with me. It was magical. I still have our hangman games in my sketchbook we played while waiting for our pizza.
August 24, 2016
Storytime Live on Facebook tonight!
Join me tonight on Facebook at 7:30pm (mountain time zone) for a special #WhatifKickstarter Storytime Live Edition!
Stories! Smiles! Gifts!
Click here to watch on Facebook at 7:30pm mst!
August 23, 2016
August 22, 2016
Special Storytime Live Kickstarter Editions ALL WEEK LONG!
Besides stories, smiles and laughs, you can also WIN A GIFT from me!!
TWO WAYS TO WIN AN ORIGINAL PAINTING TONIGHT!
Comment on the live video to win during the live broadcast.
OR
Become a backer of any amount on my #WhatifKickstarter for my #WhatifCartoons by clicking here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1744738870/the-whatif-monster-animated-series.
(I will do a drawing from all the backers later tonight after the Storytime.)
To watch tonight, click below at 7:30pm mountain standard time:
August 20, 2016
Heart vs. Brain. The Struggle is REAL, y’all.
“WHAT THE HECK, HEART. WHY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS?!?! Are you MAD, WOMAN?” yells Michelle’s brain.
“Because I said I would.” whispers Michelle’s heart. “Because I told children and parents and everybody I would make cartoons. And I will. Somehow. No matter what. Because when I make a promise to a kid, I keep it.”
“GAH!!! You promise TOO MUCH! You never think things out! And now just look at what you’ve gotten us into! Ugh. And I’m the one who has to do all the work!!”
Brain stomps away.
“I know. I’m sorry.” Heart goes after Brain and gently put her hand on Brain’s back.” But you know it always works out, right? C’mon, you know…” Heart smiles at Brain.
“Sigh. I know. But…can’t you ever just REST? Can’t you ever NOT do big, giant things? Let me maybe just…enjoy life a bit?” grumbles Brain.
Heart’s lip trembles. Tears well up in her eyes.
“Oh, now don’t cry. You’re gonna make me cry. Okay, okay, you’re right. It’s a lot of work but yes, it does always work out. I just…worry. It’s a lot of money. And we have two kids in college…But you’re right! It will be AMAZING. Cartoons…just think of it! YES! Let’s get those graphics done!”
“Thank you Brain. I really need you to trust me on this one. I won’t lead you wrong. Promise.” Heart hugs Brain.
“You never, do Heart, you never do.” Brain sighs and smiles at Heart.
……………………………………………..
I’m writing this to get the words and emotions swirling in my head out so that I can get back to work. I have a lot to do and not much time to do it. Paintings to paint, graphics to create, school visits to prepare for.
And oh yeah, raise thousands of dollars to make a cartoon pitch. Cause that’s how I roll, apparently. Someone says to me 7 weeks ago, “Hey, you ever thought about making your books into cartoons?”
And suddenly here I am needing a crazy amount of money.
I need to raise $40,000 to get a cartoon pitch produced. And that? Is a LOT of money. I know. I started a Kickstarter campaign to do it. Sure, it says we need 25K, but what we really need is 40K and if we don’t raise that amount? I need to come up with 15K on my own.
Does that give you some anxiety? Butterflies in your tummy? Yeah. I have supersonic steroid doping butterflies knocking around MY insides.
But now that my Heart and my Brain are on the same page? I GOT THIS.
P.S. But if it so moves you? Feel free to donate a little something to my Kickstarter. That’d be SWELL.[image error]
“Or if you work at a bank? Maybe you can hook me up with a sweet interest rate on a small business loan. Ya know, just in case.”- Michelle’s Brain.
August 19, 2016
August 18, 2016
Why I Do What I Do. And Why I NEED to Make Cartoons for All Children.
I hear voices. Really. I do. They show up first as whispers in my ear. If I stop and listen, really try to hear, they get louder. They get braver. And finally, they tell me who they are and what their story is. Once that happens? I have no choice but to tell their stories. It becomes a compulsion and an obsession. Their whispers become voices so loud that I simply cannot do anything else until their stories are told.
People often ask me if I can write a story about a certain subject or featuring a certain character. The only way I can answer that is to say, “I can if they show up. My characters choose me – I don’t choose them.”
Currently, there’s a magic blue whale named Beatrice talking so loudly, that frankly? It’s hard to concentrate on much else. She is demanding my time more loudly each day. And to make it even louder in my head? An angel named Charlie Grace showed up last Friday whose whispers I catch very faintly when I have quiet moment. They don’t care how busy I am – no matter how many times I tell them to wait. (Parents of small ones? You know what I’m talking about!)
I will write their stories. I will HAVE to. Like I have written Jonathan James’, Bob’s, Dog’s, Mouse’s and Cordelia’s stories. But it doesn’t stop there.
Then I must share them. I must travel all over this country sharing my stories with as many children as possible because that is my job. That is my purpose. These stories I have been gifted, are stories children NEED.
I know this because of stories I get via email, Facebook messages, letter in the mail or text message.
Stories like this – shared with permission from the mother. (I had sent her daughter a Cordelia book and doll, not knowing her story but feeling a strong need to send it as a gift when I heard she was having some worries about school this year.):
You know your characters are special, and as a teacher I LOVE having them as a part of my classroom. But what they mean as a mom is so much more. My daughter knows I’m sharing this with you and wanted you to know. She was abandoned at birth, has no idea who her birth parents are, why she was abandoned or anything.
As a baby with HIV she was not held or touched like others. Being an orphan in an eastern European country, you’re basically nothing, and with a serious and very misunderstood illness, it’s even worse. She was in 5 different facilities and was not allowed to attend regular school until she turned 8. We adopted her and moved her out of her orphanage the day she turned 11. She was convinced we would bring her home and sell her organs, that’s what she was told would happen, but she says very matter of factly, that it was better than staying there -that’s how bad it was.
We have used the Whatif Monster in therapy, to change misunderstood fears. It has helped so much for her to be able to talk and realize that everybody is scared and needs help. But now CORDELIA! We’re going to therapy tomorrow with her! She GOT IT! ON HER OWN!!!
She read it on her own (she was not completely literate in her country’s language – 3 years here and she’s on grade level!) She just came over to me, “Mom, people in my country told me I was stupid, and ugly and horrible, and I believed them. Now look at all I can do since I came here and you guys tell me everything I can do and I am doing it. I need to remember that and I think I can do something amazing.”
This is why I do what I do. Even though I travel to over 100 schools a year talking to as many children as I can, I need to do more. Share with MORE children. Cartoons can help me spread my messages and stories far and wide.
But I need help to do it. If it so moves you and you can, please consider funding my #WhatifKickstarter for #WhatifCartoons to help me share my stories. You won’t regret it. I promise.
Find out how to donate to my Kickstarter campaign by clicking here or below.
