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Spirits in the Waves

Created by Arledge Comics

Enamel pin series exploring reconnection through Indigenous art.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Production Update + New Project Launching Soon!
24 days ago – Mon, May 11, 2026 at 07:17:53 AM

Hey backers!!


I just got an update from the factory 🎉

I don't have any completed photos yet, but these production photos are looking really promising! I'm stoked about that octopus. Look what a heckin chonker he is! 


This was a huge order, so I don't anticipate seeing pins in-hand for a couple months yet. I can spy some raw rays in the background of the owl photo, but we know this isn't all the designs. 😆 So there's still much work to be done. 

What's on the horizon?


I've already begun work sketching out designs for Pintopia 2027. If you're a Pokemon fan, you have an excellent chance at guessing what next year's theme will be. 👀

I'm also launching my first ita bag tomorrow!

It's an ita dice bag, inspired by a d4. And it comes with an ita portfolio (think: an elevated traperkeeper), that's great for work, school, or more tabletop shenanigans.



Pledge Manager Completion Update
2 months ago – Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 08:09:24 AM

Hey backers,

Pledge manager is currently sitting at 86% completed. If we can bump that to 90%, I can lock orders and get production started. 

Please remember that filling out your reward survey is how you get your stuff! This includes giving me a shipping address and paying for shipping :)

I will be over-ordering each pin - to varying degrees - so it's unlikely a pin won't be available if you fill out your reward survey late, but it's still a chance for in-stock or specialty items. (ie if you want a pin board, fill out your survey right now, I won't be over-ordering these)

My hope is to have pins in production next week, backers willing. 🙏

March Update
3 months ago – Tue, Mar 17, 2026 at 02:52:26 PM

Hey backers!


Just touching base to let y'all know that I've finished the pledge manager and just sent out smoke tests to 15 of ya. Assuming those come back clean, I'll be sending out the rest of the surveys later this week. 

The pledge manager will be live for about a month. Once I feel I can get accurate counts from responses, I'll send everything over to the manu to get things rolling. 

You'll see another update from me next month - giving y'all a warning that I'm locking surveys. Then you won't hear from me until ~June, and at that time I'll be updating with photos from the factory (hopefully). We're on track for fulfillment this summer. :)

Couple quick housekeeping notes


Failed Pledges - if your payment failed, you will have the opportunity to fix your payment in the pledge manager. I highly recommend doing so. That's how you get your stuff!

Pay Over Time Backers - you won't see your pledge manager survey until your pledge is paid in full. Please do not panic if you don't see a survey this week.

Reduced Shipping
- if you backed my friends' projects (Read the Rainbow and/or Picture Frame Pins), we promised combined fulfillment and therefore cheaper shipping. We don't know how much to credit until surveys are filled out, so you will see full shipping charges. Please rest assured that a credit will be applied to your account prior to cards actually being charged.

Local Pick Up Backers
- you know who you are. Shipping will be automatically applied to you, just ping me and I'll remove that before cards are charged. :P

I think that's everything!

I have a busy year ahead, here's a preview of what I've been working on!


Collaborating with my friends over at Theys & Gays on ghost emoji pins!


It's a folio and an ita bag! Display your pins at D&D - and on your dice bag with the pairing Ita Dice Bag.


Alex Priest is back, in an all-new short story collection!


Brand new anthology! Cute animals! Shenanigans!


Collaborating with friends again for a Legend of Dragoon fan project!


Project End + Projected Timeline + What's Next
4 months ago – Mon, Feb 16, 2026 at 02:17:05 PM

Hey backers!


I hope this update finds you well and that your inboxes have recovered from Pintopia! XD

I want to thank all of your for your support of this project. It means the world to me to be able to create art, my art, and have it so well received. <3 This update will outline next steps and a possible - but very loose - timeline for production and fulfillment. I'm also highlighting my next project that will be launching soon!

Project End


Stretch Goals: Funding ended over 13k! This means that the beaver pin will have pearlescent enamel added to his fur. These stretch goal upgrades will be the default in pins for retail, but backers will have the option to include these upgrades or not.

Failed pledges: Almost 1k of funds were unsuccessfully charged. If this includes your payment, please fix that as soon as you're able. If you cannot fix it now, please know there will be another opportunity to fix your payment in the pledge manager. (I'm not too worried about it. Banks hate events like Pintopia with all those charges coming out. Just fix things when you can. <3)

Pledge Manager:
If you're a returning backer, you know I like to take two weeks off after a crowdfunder. These campaigns are a lot of work! (It also takes a little time for things to port from the campaign to the pledge manager.) So we're going to vibe for two weeks while I recover from this sprint, and you should anticipate seeing your pledge manager in March. 

Timeline


As I said, you should see your pledge manager go live in March. There's no rush with this since Chinese factories are closed for the Lunar New year anyway. Haha. 

Once the pledge manager is live, it will be open for 30 days or until 80% completion - whichever is sooner. Once I have a solid accounting of how many pins I need, I'll place the order with my manu. Designs are complete and ready to go - the images on the campaign page are mock ups from my manu, so I just need funds in hand in order to pull the trigger on orders. 

Production and shipping to me is usually another 30 days. 

If you're following a long, I should have pins in-hand this May. Then we'll take some time to grade and pack and ship all the pins. I'm budgeting two months to have this done. It normally doesn't take that long, but this timeline puts us into Pride season, and we do a lot of in-person events for Pride. I ask for your patience as we take a little longer just to be kind to ourselves. 

Current estimated fulfillment date ~July 2026

What's Next


As a fulltime artist, my work is never done, and there is always another project on the horizon. XD

Next month I'm launching Not a Phase | Lunar Pride Pins
These pins are sold in sets and are completely customizable. They're available in solid colors, or the design can hold up to two pride flags distributed throughout the phases of the moon. I'm going to have an extremely limited supply available after the campaign, so if you're looking for some subtle pride options (or just really nifty moon pins), make sure you follow the prelaunch page below.



I think that's everything!

Until next time!

Stretch Goal Updates
4 months ago – Mon, Jan 26, 2026 at 09:00:52 AM

The polls are closed!

Taking your feedback into consideration, here's where our current stretch goals sit.



The Coral upgrade was the clear winner, so that was unlocked at 10k. At the time of my writing this, we've already passed 12k (crazy!), and the Owl and Salmon were tied. So I placed those at these already attained benchmarks. :) The Beaver upgrade will unlock at 13k. 

I also added a note to this section: The upgraded designs will be optional selections for folks. Even if these are my intended design choices from the start, I do understand that there are backers who may not favor the upgraded designs. So the owl, for instance, will be available with and without glow in the dark enamel. Some important notes concerning this: 
  • All-in backers - You will get an option of which variation of these pins you want included in your pledge. You will not receive one of each.
  • Existing pins with special effects - example: Glitter Raccoon - will be the only options for these pins. These are the base designs, and options without special effects will not be made available.
  • For ease, there will be no cost difference between base goal pins and the upgraded versions. 
  • If 15k is reached, the glitter magpie will be the default option. As this is a free reward, I will not be making a 'base' version of this pin. 

Phew! I think that's all the house keeping needed there. :D

Thank you for your continued support! There's still plenty of time to reach these goals, so please consider sharing the campaign with others. I was almost able to gift free pins last Pintopia, but we fell a little short. We're on track to do it this year, so let's keep the momentum going!