Murano or Bust-Ed!

Greetings to my new crowdfunding opportunity!

I hope you all can join me on this financial quest, which in turn, feeds the eductaional quest, and ultimately, the printing and production costs associated with my new latest book projects on Venetian Glassblowing,

The History and Techniques of Murano Glass.

Book One: "The Introduction to Venetian Glassblowing: History and Techniques" textbook, (circa 300-400 pages), will hopefully be completed by the years end in 2023. The rough draft manuscript has recently gone through the peer review process with some of the finest glassblowers and studio glass artists in the world; and the reviews are outstanding!

I am proud of my work and dedication to this process, and ultimately the final product(s), the glassblowing books that I am already world famous for.

I have spent the past seven years doing my "homework", making the connections in Murano and learning from the best Venetian glass masters that I can find...

I am literally going broke, or deeper in debt as a result of this self-sacrifice as well as the fact that it is a full-time job in of itself. And, since nobody pays you to write books in the craft field, (and especially if you're old school and stubborn like me, who both writes and illustrates everything by hand in pen and ink-cover to cover, and then self-publishes the books in order to make the most money possible for all that labor of love!), I am forced to fianance everything I need out-of-pocket, or slapped onto an accepting credit card...

So here's the deal and where some of the money I raise in this crowd-funding enterprise will go to:

I'm trying to raise the funds for travel back to Murano (hence the old school name: "Murano or Bust"...), plus money for accomadations and food expenses...(this money goes directly to support the local economy in Murano and is money well-spent if you ask me!).

Plus, cover some of the expenses of documenting everything, including getting a new lap-top that can both record videos and audio interviews with the old masters...and have enough storage capacity to handle the massive files I will be uploading...

and also I am budgeting money for the actual printing costs of the books...done via off-set printing, (again old school, but the quality is far superior to the digital scanning methods and print quality that most books are pumped out on...). These books are as much works of art and they are user-friendly textnbooks. and they are good, and going to be great, (if I must say so myself!). That alone may eat up $20,000 of the target goal.

But its gonna be good, that much I know for sure...

but let me also add here what the maestro Lino Tagliapietra said about the books last month when I showed him my manuscript in a private showing in his gallery space on Murano: "This book is good. No, it is great, but also, she is beautiful." and he added: "I like it very much". Also he said something to the effect of: "You understand the Venetain Glassblowing process very well. It shows in your drawings and your attention to details, (that most of which would go unnoticed to the untrained eye). You also understand life of a glassblower on Murano, in Venice, as if you were Muranese, acutally born on the island. It is incredible". Thanks for the compliment Lino, and also, thanks for your willingness to help out with this project, as well as your son Silvano, who is also kind enough to aid with any requests for additional information that I might need.

(in case you're not familiar with Lino's name or reputation, allow me to repeat what is commonly known within American studio glass movement:

"Lino is the best glassblower in the word!". (and he likes Ed, and Ed likes him back too!).

The rather large sum of money I wish to raise isn't all that much in comparison to other things and other needs. For example, $50,000 a month is what a typical gas bill that Maestro Andrea Zilio is now stuck with in Murano as a result of the gas crisis in Italy and all throughout Europe!

$50,000 is also about what the typical base model Tesla electric car costs.

$50,000 is also what a typical American family (of four) pays every two years for health insurance...and that doesn't include any costs towards actual health care or out-of-pocket expenses!

$50,000 might also be what the average family of four spends on their food budget every two years...

or...

$66000 is what average Americans pay in Household expenses every year.

go figure...

or better yet...

Go Fund Me! and remember what my campaign title is called:

"Murano or Bust-Ed!"

and finally, for every $25 or $50 or even $100, $1,000 or $10K donation given, there are small incentives or rewards that you will receice when I hit my target goal (or at least the halfway point)! More info on those incentives will be made available soon!