One of our favourite things is binge-watching K-dramas (Korean tv-series). I know, you probably heard about Squid Game, recently, but /hipster mod: on/ we started to watch them way before they became a global trend /hipster mod: off/.
Itaewon Class, Mad for each other, All mine, VINCENZO (a K-drama with an Italian theme inside? That's pure perfection!), Hometown Cha-cha-cha, Romance is a bonus book...I confess: I'm totally in love with this genre!
However, this post is not about how heart-warming, funny and unexpectedly deep k-dramas are, but it's about an idea that suddenly came out to my mind while watching an episode of Romance is a bonus book. If you don't want spoilers, please stop here and skip the next lines.
/SPOILER ON/ during a business meeting, everybody was asked to imagine a way to promote an upcoming book -the story of the series is set in a publishing company-. The editors thought that the book was really promising, but the author wasn't a big name so they were concerned that people wouldn't buy it as it deserves. To overcome people's bias, Kang-Dan-i (the main character) suggested promoting the book in an unconventional way: put the books on the library shelves, packed as a gift, with only a suggestion of the content, a very short and suggestive description, written on the wrapping paper. This way, she believed, people would have been intrigued about the book, and saw it as a kind of gift that they could make for themselves!
/SPOILER OFF/ as I said above, this idea has really struck me and I immediately started to think about a way to adapt it to my needs (you know, real artists don't copy, they steal).
So I came out with this weird idea that will be my craziest 2022 bet: this year I want to release a miniature that you can't see (well, I will share only a little hint of it!) before deciding to buy it!
This miniature will be released in a one of a kind limited edition, and you will be able to preorder it (preorders from March to April) and, if for some reason you miss the preorder, on my birthday (August 30th). They will be shipped on August 31st.
Once my birthday is over...poof! Les joeux sont faits! Chi c'è, c'è!
This miniature, in fact, will never be sold again: there won't be other special days or limited offers: if you, for legitimate reasons, decide to skip this bet, you won't be able to buy it (well, not from us or any other seller, maybe you will be able to find it on ebay!).
The code-name of this project is まかせて! Edition, and I hope to make it a tradition, establishing a bond of trust with you, my beloved community.
まかせて! (makasete!) roughly means "leave it to me!", and is often used in some fancy restaurants, when you can order food "à la carte" or you can simply leave the choice to the cook.
I was grown up in a restaurant, my grandparents had a restaurant and I spent there my childhood, my little brother is a cook too, a very good one (at the moment, he works at a 3michelin stars restaurant in Bergamo, "Da Vittorio"): I deeply understand and care about the bond of trust between a customer and a chef, and despite I don't prepare food, but resin miniatures, I would like to manage this crazy project the same way my grandfather did when he offered a special "blind-menu" to selected customers: trust me, leave it to me!
To give you an idea about how badass my grandfather was (unfortunately I can't use the present), he used to serve, 1 or 2 evenings per year in the hottest Summer of Liguria, a typical Abruzzo dish: "capra e fagioli" (goat&beans stew). He was so skilled that I remember that I had to help as a waiter -I was 10 years old- because there were too many people to serve that came specifically for that dish. 'Till midnight, people waited to eat the famous capra e fagioli of my grandfather, a typical winter food, in a seafood restaurant placed in front of the sea. In Summer.
God bless him.
All these lines to say what? That I'm extremely serious with this project, despite it starting as a crazy idea that might seem like a joke, and I want to design an amazing character that shall make you bless those 12/15€ you will eventually decide to bet on me.
I know: asking you to buy a product of mine without being able to actually see it may sound like an arrogant move, but consider that this project isn't meant simply to grab some money: by its nature (a very limited amount of copies available -200-) it means that if I hit 100% of the goal, I will earn about 1500-1800€ excl. taxes, not a game-changing scenario.
Instead, I would like to make a new customer and creator experience, a way to interact with you, my community, in a different way than usual.
I think it's motivating, or at least I'm so excited to start!
Valerio will begin to sculpt this new character in a couple of days, of course I will update you about this project as soon as I have something in my hands.
Of course, you won't see it, but I'll do all my best to tease you.
Try to guess what I've in mind, the closest to the actual mini win a painted version of it!