I Never Thought I Could. Not Me. Not Ever.
Hi, I’m ToyomiDubai. I just launched my very first crowdfunding campaign — and honestly, I was terrified.
The idea first came to me last summer, around the time I started Art Runway. But every time I got close, the same thought stopped me: “Who am I to do something like this?”
Instead of asking for help, I kept choosing to figure it out myself — cutting into my savings, grinding through it alone.
Asking people to give me money for my dream felt, simply, scary.
And yet — after four Art Runway events, I was hitting a wall. Not enough time. Not enough energy. Not enough budget to outsource what needed outsourcing. The feeling kept growing: “I don’t want to keep doing the same thing over and over. I want to take this further.”
That’s when “I want to try crowdfunding” stopped being a thought and started becoming a need.
To Let Go of Fear, I Had to Face Myself Completely.
Two things were true at the same time: I want to do this. And: I’m afraid to do this.
Both were real. Both were mine.
So I sat with myself and asked the hard questions.
“Why does crowdfunding scare you?”
Because I’m afraid of being exposed as not good enough. → But you were never “good enough” to begin with. You build the skill by doing it.
Because I don’t want people to think I’m greedy. I don’t want to be called an internet beggar. → But you want to take Art Runway to the world, don’t you? Anything you do will attract opinions. Isn’t the whole reason you make art to stop being ruled by what other people think?
Because I don’t want to make people feel obligated. I don’t want pity support. → You don’t have to DM anyone individually. You don’t even have to push it on social media. What if you just treated it as outreach — a way for people who’ve never heard of Art Runway to discover it?
After all that back-and-forth with myself, I landed somewhere softer: “This doesn’t have to be about raising money. If it just helps more people find Art Runway, that’s enough.”
A lighter goal. A lighter step forward.
Writing the Campaign Made My Heart Come Alive.
Once I gave myself permission to aim small, something shifted. I felt it: “Yes. I’m actually doing this.”
Rather than dragging myself forward under the weight of a massive goal, I chose a gentle hook — just enough to get moving.
The purpose of this campaign is to fund the groundwork for bringing Art Runway to Dubai: the research trip, the connections, the foundation.
Whether I reach the goal or not — I’m going to Dubai.
Writing it all out, putting my intention into words, something kept solidifying inside me. There’s something about declaring your commitment to the world — even when it’s terrifying, especially when it’s terrifying — that feels electric.
Scared. But alive.
The First Supporter. I Will Never Forget That Moment.
The moment I saw the notification, I cried.
I realized then what I had actually been afraid of all along. Not failure. Not embarrassment.
Being needed by no one.
That first supporter looked at my dream and said, in effect: “I want to see this exist.” Not because I had already achieved something. Simply because I was trying.
I felt, for a moment, like I was allowed to be here.
That might sound like too much. But it’s the truth.
So I will do this. Through this campaign, I will find my footing in Dubai and bring Art Runway to the world’s stage.
For everyone who reached out first — I’m going, and I’m taking you with me.
ToyomiDubai
