Gallery: Least Ambitious Kickstarters: Why People Run $1 Campaigns
01kickstarter-booth
*Illustration: Simon Lutrin/Wired*
02hobbit-accessories
David Spiesman has a hobbit fascination. He sees hobbit accessories — chairs, doors, tables — in the raw materials he finds behind his Texas home. He carved these "hobbit pipes" out of wood, and offered them as [one of his rewards](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1222770467/help-texas-hobbits) for backers. Kickstarter goal: $18. *Photo: Courtesy of David Spiesman*
03whale-songs
Mike Ambs became fascinated with the song of the hybrid blue whale, and started dubbing it onto old tapes. He has since run 11 Kickstarters devoted to sharing the song, saying whenever he has the time, he'll make a [small, limited run](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mikea/the-loneliest-mix-56), seeking just $5. This image, from Ambs' Tumblr devoted to the project, plots the whales' location. *Photo: Courtesy of Mike Ambs*
04kids-origami
It's not unusual to see tiny Kickstarters as hobby projects started by kids (with a little help from their parents). Xander's mom Erica Hampton and step-dad Mike Ambs helped him share his enthusiasm for origami with [Kusudama](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/EricaHampton/kusudama-decorative-origami-sphere), seeking $20 to make decorative spheres. *Photo: Courtesy of MIke Ambs*
051-podcast
Myq Kaplan, creator of podcast Hang Out With Me, started his other $1 Kickstarter, What Is Conceptual Art? as a joke. He promised to mail a letter to Kickstarter asking what qualifies for the "conceptual art" category. Though Kickstarter hasn't responded, Kaplan notes that they allowed him to run this project as conceptual art, implicitly acknowledging that it is, in fact, conceptual art. *Photo: Courtesy of Myq Kaplan*
06lovely-letters
For Janae Velasco, the price of her Kickstarter campaign wasn't an issue — every pledge covered the cost of the item the backer would receive. In the case of [Love(ly) Letters](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/731561058/lovely-letters), that meant a handwritten letter for $1, a watercolor for $5, or a collage for $10. Total funding sought: $5. *Photo: Courtesy of Janae Velasco*
07live-album
"I liked the humor and taste of irony in setting out an endeavor of that size, but only asking for such a small amount," says [John Barnett](http://johnbarnettmusic.net/index.html), whose [*Roots Worship*](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/743820534/roots-worship-live-from-the-trash-bar-nyc) live album project sought only $25. *Photo: Courtesy of John Barnett*
08cups-cups-cups
Charlotte Wheat will be turning 70 next year and finishing her bachelor's degree in ceramics at Texas A&M - Commerce in December. She's leveraging her experience to create [cups](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1076929704/just-cups-just-for-you?ref=small_projects), and used Kickstarter to request $50 to share her art. To figure out her goals, she estimates what it'll cost her to make five pieces. (Her current project, [bowls](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1076929704/bowls-bowls-and-more-bowls-the-2nd-edition?ref=users), seeks $250.) *Photo: Courtesy of Charlotte Wheat*
09creative-card-game
To win Adam Burczyk's $18-requested Kickstarter card game[Vortex](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1539717798/vortex-twisting-card-game-with-downloadable-print?ref=small_projects), players must match their cards, dominos-style, with cards on the table. But there's a twist — literally. Each card has a designated direction, and you must match them in order: north, south, east, and west. *Photo: Courtesy of Adam Burczyk*
