The war in Ukraine continues, causing terrible grief and suffering.
My great friends at Terrabytes Inc. have been providing multi-media services for over 25 years. After they heard about my fundraiser for the UNHRC (through sales of my books and paintings, details here), they spontaneously offered to provide some of their graphic work FOR FREE for this cause!
You can download their image here as a desktop wallpaper or share it on social media to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people who are being unjustly terrorized by the Russian president and army, and forced to flee their homes.
If you are an artist and would like to join this cause, please reach out!
The War in Ukraine is horrible, with a dictator set on destroying an entire country… we have seen this terrible man’s activities since he came to power. Poisonings, censorship, terror, and combat, he must have had a terrible upbringing. And now, people in Ukraine are getting wounded, killed. Families are destroyed. In the end, it is innocent children, women, and men that suffer. Thousands, if not millions are fleeing the warzone. The order of the world will change beyond recognition. Even the Russian population is suffering: thousands of conscripts have already died, Russian families will lose their jobs, their sons.
I refuse to watch this happen without taking action, we must change this negative karma into something positive. Like so many of you, I have made donations and am looking at other ways to help. But I am also an author and a painter and I want to make these talents available for this terrible humanitarian crisis.
Starting immediately, I have the following offer for you. Please join me.
I am impressed by the work of the United Nations Refugee Agency UN-HCR, and have already donated to them.
“In light of the rapidly evolving humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, UNHCR is working with authorities, UN agencies, internally displaced community groups and partners to provide humanitarian assistance wherever we can.”
I have selected the UN-HCR as the recipient of this fundraiser.
HOW DOES THIS WORK? Two ways you can help.
I have just released my new novel Rebound. If you buy this book, anywhere on the planet, either as paperback or eBook, I will triple the profit that I make and donate that sum to the UN-HCR. You just have to buy the book, no need to warn me. I can track the sales of this book anywhere in the world, and based on that, I will simply triple the profits, and send that amount to the UN-HCR. It’s that simple.
As many of you know, I am also a painter. Here’s an offer you can’t refuse. Step 1: Donate the prize of any of my paintings to the UN-HCR. Step 2: Show me proof of your donation. Step 3: I will provide the painting to you free of charge. So: I receive NO money, neither for the materials, nor the effort.
Answers to your questions:
Does this work? Yes! I have done such fundraisers regularly, e.g. for the World Health Organization’s Corona Fund and for Hellabeem. In this way, in 2021, more than 3000€ were donated to these charities.
Where can I see the paintings? First of all, the paintings can be viewed on this website. You can also find many paintings on Instagram @clemenspsuter. Most people will want to see the works before buying, so you can also contact me, and we can set up a visit. You can then look at the paintings in my studio. Just drop me a message and we can fix a date for your private visit. at your convenience. A hot cup of coffee is included. If you want, a conversation about my work and its background is also included. Feel free to bring your friends.
Where are you located? My studio is located in Germany, near Heidelberg. Special offer: I ship FOR FREE anywhere within the EU. I will also carry that cost! Outside of the EU, we should discuss how I can best get the picture to your home.
I am an artist too. Can we work together on this initiative? Sure! Please contact me, at the earliest opportunity.
How about tax? You will need to pay standard tax if you buy the book in your favorite eBook- or bookstore. If you donate money to the UN-HCR to receive one of my paintings, you can deduct that donation from your taxes (country rules apply).
What is the book REBOUND about? REBOUND is a book about hope, resilience, and perseverance, in a world that has changed irreversibly. It combines science fiction with a road story, it has post-apocalyptic and hard science elements. Most of all it is a fun read about a loveable hero Alan, and his side-kick Imani.
I don’t like the book or the paintings. Please forward this information to your friends and families. These books make great presents. The paintings too: who doesn’t want to get an original, high-quality piece of art for Christmas? Many of the participants in my past fundraisers bought these works for families and friends.
More information will follow within this blogpost, and through all my other social channels.
RAVEN #4. Gold, Ocker, Sand, Acrylic, on CANVAS. 80x70cm. 395€
Originally I had planned an art exhibit of my work for June, and the organization of this live event was already initiated back in January, together with three other artists. But then the pandemic struck, and it became quite obvious that a live, on-site event was out of the question.
Luckily, through my previous job in business, I have experience in organizing remote events, so the decision to turn this “viral disaster” into a “virtual exhibit” was a relatively easy step to take. In the end, I managed to hand over a surprisingly high number of paintings and books through this approach. Perhaps you are interested in doing something similar, so let me share some tips and tricks on how to make this work.
Set the theme. I called my virtual event “the fundraiser against Corona” as my objective was to donate any proceeds to the WHO corona fund. This was the red tread through all communication.
Choose the timeframe. I took the month of May as the running time for the event.
Connect to your audience, I have a e-mail list with many subscribers, and emailing was centerpiece to the campaign. You can’t overwhelm people with continuous emails, so I designed just three emails: one for April with the general announcement, one for half of May, and a final closing email announcing that the event was almost over, with a final call to action.
Use a website as the central information resource. The link to that website should be simple so that it can be typed in by hand or communicated during a conversation, e.g. over the phone. Here’s mine: www.clemenssuter.com/papa.
Use all channels available. Not all people receive information through the same channel, as it turned out some customers heard about this campaign through Instagram, others through LinkedIn, and others through email. I pushed out the campaign through my website, email, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, tumblr, two sites on Facebook, YouTube… and a few others that I have in the meantime forgotten about ;-) Naturally you can also use any other way: even written letters or postcards.
Use a single, simple and unique hashtag across all social media. Check out my tag #cps_d2c. That hashtag allows all participants to find your work in their personal favorite channel, and it connects all channels.
Post and communicate continuously. Make sure to provide some piece of news every day, across many of the channels. Indicate which day it is: “today is the tenth day of the fundraiser” or “only five more days left for the fundraiser”. As an example, I shared details of a painting each day, or posted about one of my books every couple of days.
Use video. I made short movies that I posted on YouTube, telling why I was running the campaign. Even three weeks in, not all of the people that I had addressed understood what this was about, so you must keep on reiterating your goal. Vlogs are a great way to supplement blogs.
Talk about successes. If you sell your work, tell the audience about this right away. Also mention if you have successfully shipped a painting, or when it has arrived at the buyer. People will want to know that you can deliver. Also provide some guarantee that you will take the picture back if the buyer doesn’t like it. Naturally some buyers will want to look at the art too; so I organized live visits (in line with corona limitations).
Join forces with other artists. Actually, this is a call to action for YOU, if you create high quality art and literature. Imagine such a campaign with a number of artists, each with their own channels! That would lead to an impressive multiplication. If this approach interests you, contact me.
Goldfish. Painting offered during the fundraising campaign and delivered to the UK.
Find more info about my adventure books, which in 2010, predicted the corona pandemic: www.clemenssuter.com/books
The count is in! I am very grateful to the people that donated money to Hellabeem and got one of my paintings for free in exchange! In addition, dozens of paperbacks and eBooks were bought between the start on November 1 and the end on December 31st – and these book revenues have also been donated to Hellabeem.
Hellabeem is an organization that is doing fantastic work in Sri Lanka: it champions the disabled and disadvantaged by offering them a chance to participate fully in society. The years these young people spend on the Hellabeem campus prepare them in many positive ways for an independent existence. More on the Hellabeem website.
Dear readers of my books, as you recall, I organized a fundraiser, promising to donate triple the royalties of all my book sales! Many thanks to all of you that used the opportunity to buy a book, and in doing so to sponsor UNICEF.
I have chosen to donate the total sum to UNICEF’s fight against the humanitarian crisis in Africa, and have just… sent over for 200€.
Didn’t have a chance to buy one of my books in February? The crisis in Somalia and bordering countries doesn’t stop today. Please donate to UNICEF today to help our fellow humans.
Here a short fragment from my novel Two Journeys, illustrating how important we humans are for one another:
One night, the truck stood parked in the middle of the road, a mile past a small hamlet. I had a bonfire going, and the dogs were warming themselves and dozing. It was very quiet, the crackle of the fire the dominant sound.
The sky cleared and stars started to appear. Bats gave chase through the heavens, hunting for the insects that were attracted by the light of the flames.
When the fire finally started to go out and turn into a hot red glow, more and more stars became visible. The Milky Way came out like a highway through the heavens. Far off, a lonely bird called woop-woooop. The moon rose, throwing its metallic light first on the hills and then on the truck and our resting place.
As the fire died out, the cold crept up from the ground. I stood up and for several minutes looked at the deserted landscape and the sky. I recalled a joke that my sons once played on me.
“Dad, where is the Yogurt Puddle?”
“The Yogurt Puddle? What could that be? No idea.”
“It’s the galaxy next to the Milky Way!”
Even now, I chuckled, probably in the same way I had when I’d first heard it.
Again, I looked up at the stars. The world was quiet now, the fire soundless.
There was nobody to hear my laughter. Tears started to fill my eyes, and I had difficulty fighting them back.
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