Help Replace Stolen Film Equipment

My name is Monte Patterson. I'm an artist and filmmaker from Gary, Indiana. My career spans more than 20 years, across as many mediums, with countless professional achievements. The work I'm most proud of includes writing and directing the award-winning short films "Ghost Town" and "Caught." Traveling has always been another joy of mine, and in February 2017, a road trip ended abruptly when my car was vandalized during a stop in Northern California. The discovery of my windows broken and my belongings strewn about like trash: shocking. The realization my camera, computer, and iPad missing: heartbreaking. The police investigation and tracking features faded and the items were never  recovered. For years, these tools served me to pleasing success. But I took them for granted, never taking the time to appreciate why I ever had the ability to acquire them. Did I value them enough to think about insuring them? Instead, I de-valued them as merely material things, easily replaceable. I failed to cherish them as gifts for my livelihood. Without them, I was unable to replace them. (Cue sad face in slow-motion) "Maybe you'll figure out a way to make new pictures," encouraged a sympathetic stranger, one of many I lamented to. He was right. After a decade distracted by the digital revolution, I began to remember my natural talents. Being the incurable creator, I shifted to freehand drawing, learned to take really good smartphone photos, and wrote into a journal using cursive. It hasn't been much fun, but at least I am still working on things. Fast-forward to the present, I remain without my tools. Despite my reinvention to simpler work methods, my freelance gigs have completely stopped coming in, and I rarely get to update by blog anymore. This has hurt not only professionally but personally, because I began to feel depressed recently. I'm ready to sell-out and get my equipment back. The dark night of the soul seeks a lamp. Professional artists use professional materials. Imagine my frustration from typing this story into a smartphone interface. Trying to edit a video on this thing is ergonomically-tragic. I require better equipment so I can make better work, be more efficient, and reach a larger audiences. Thank you so much for your time. I am inviting you to join my team by donating to my equipment replacement fund. The amount you contribute matters, large or small. Together we will see this through to the very end. I love you very much. God bless you. Goodbye.