The rules of this project
There are two rules in this One Million Giraffes project:
- You have to tell your friends about this project (otherwise it won't work)
- Your giraffe(s) can be created in any way and form, but not on a computer
The short version
A rule is a rule. You wouldn't ask why you can't show off your cooking skills in a singing contest, would you? It's just a rule in this project. If you break the rule, you can't play. It's really not that difficult.
The long version
Why is it so hard to put your computer away for just a few minutes? The giraffe(s) cannot be drawn on a computer since the whole point of this project is to give the digital world a break and let humans be humans for just a little while. People spend too much time in front of their TVs and computers. It's time to create something with your hands! Something you can feel, touch and hold! I don't care how you make you giraffe(s) as long as it's not on a computer. Try being old-fashioned for once, it actually is a lot of fun. Find some paper and a pen and take a look at the 935 531 giraffes I have in my collection right now. There has to be something that inspires in you in there. People are actually doing this, so I don't understand why you can't! Come on! Give it a shot! You might be part of Internet history if I actually make it to a million!! You would make me a very happy man if you tried it out!
Frequently asked questions
Is my tablet a computer?
Yes. A tablet is a computer and therefore you can't use it to create your giraffe(s).
What if I use a drawing pad connected to my computer?
A drawing pad connected to your computer would be a violation of the no computer rule. It's weird, isn't it?
But how come I can scan my giraffe? That's a computer!
Well, first of all; you don't necessarily need a scanner. You can take a picture of your giraffe with your digital camera or even the camera on your phone! Anything goes! It's important not to confuse the creative process with logistics. I live in a town in Norway with a population of 121 610 people. It's impossible for me to make it to a million and not use the Internet as a resource. The rule in this project is that you cannot use a computer in the creative process, but of course you need a computer to get it in to the collection, but that's logistics, not a part of the creative process... So please snap a picture of your giraffe and send it in!
Does it count as two giraffes if I draw two of them next to each other?
Yes! I will tag your picture with how many giraffes there are in it. So please feel free to draw as many giraffes so you want in a single picture! The project is "One Million Giraffes", not "One Million Giraffe Pictures".
Can I make more than one giraffe?
Yes! I don't care who makes the giraffes, I just need one million of them. The project is "One Million Giraffes", not "One Million Giraffes From One Million People".
Why didn't my giraffe sculpture/toy/construction count when I see several other similar giraffes on the site?
You can't submit a photo of something you've bought in a store. You have to create the giraffe yourself. The ones that you see on the website have been asked to provide some kind of proof that they've made it themselves. Once they gave it to me I've published the giraffe. If you can't show me that you've made it, I can't approve it because of copyright laws and it's just not as fun. You have to give me the publishing rights to the giraffe, but if you don't own it, you can't give it to me.
Why doesn't several photos of one giraffe from different angles count?
If it was okay to do that, then I could just take a million photos of the same giraffe myself (but from slightly different angles) and I would make to a million in no time. I'm collecting giraffes, not photos of a giraffe but from different angles.
I went to the zoo and photographed giraffes! Why don't they count?
Well, answer me this: Did you make the giraffes yourself? Unless you yourself are a giraffe, you couldn't possibly make a real giraffe and then it violates the you-have-to-create-the-giraffe-with-your-own-hands rule.
I can't find my giraffe!
There are several possible answers to this:
If you made your giraffe on a computer, you won't find it on the website. You broke the only rule there is to break. Good for you.
If you sent it in by any other means than the "upload" option, it might take a while for me to be able to upload it for you. The fastest way to get your giraffe out there is to upload it on the website. I hope you understand that this project takes a lot of my time, and that I can't work on it 24/7. Please be patient. If you gave me your email address when you submitted it, I will email you when your giraffe is online.
Some of you are really impatient and don't understand that your giraffe won't appear on the site immediately, so you upload the same giraffe several times. I might not notice at first, but sooner or later someone will email me saying there's a duplicate (people actually do this and I love it!) I will then remove one of them. If that's the one you've bookmarked it will no longer be visible. I'm really sorry about that, but again: I get a lot of giraffes. If you upload the same giraffe several times, it's not really my fault.
Why this won't work and why it doesn't matter.
That's not really a question, but this is something that four people have pointed out to me so far. So I figured I could write this here and maybe not get another email about it. Getting one million giraffes in such a short timeframe is impossible. Or is it? That's what I'm trying to find out. Yes, I know it means that I need about one giraffe a minute and that pace seems impossible to keep up for such a long time. But at this point it really doesn't matter if I make it to a million. It would be mindblowingly cool if I did, but consider this for a second: There are people all over the world drawing giraffes right now. Isn't that cool? I think it's really, really cool. I think it's very interesting to see how many giraffes I will get, but it's even more interesting and fun to just sit back and look at all the amazing giraffes that are pouring in. Have you looked in the gallery? There's some really amazing stuff in there. So, if you think this is only about reaching a million you've kind of missed the point of the project. It doesn't matter if I make to a million. I really, really want to, and I'm still working hard towards that goal, but at this point it's just fun to see people all over the world turning off their TVs, putting their computers away and sitting down to creating giraffes. Old school style. People spend too much time being digital. They should try be analog, being human and creating something real for a change. Most people love it when they try it. I get emails from people all over the world saying that they've rediscovered drawing! Families are sitting down in the living room and acting like families. I have hundred of emails from mums and dads saying that they sat down with their kids and had a blast drawing giraffes. People are actually having giraffe parties! Do you realize how cool that is? Please join in on the fun.
It's just a silly giraffe drawing, not a big deal at all!
Yes. A tablet is a computer and therefore you can't use it to create your giraffe(s).
What if I use a drawing pad connected to my computer?
A drawing pad connected to your computer would be a violation of the no computer rule. It's weird, isn't it?
But how come I can scan my giraffe? That's a computer!
Well, first of all; you don't necessarily need a scanner. You can take a picture of your giraffe with your digital camera or even the camera on your phone! Anything goes! It's important not to confuse the creative process with logistics. I live in a town in Norway with a population of 121 610 people. It's impossible for me to make it to a million and not use the Internet as a resource. The rule in this project is that you cannot use a computer in the creative process, but of course you need a computer to get it in to the collection, but that's logistics, not a part of the creative process... So please snap a picture of your giraffe and send it in!
Does it count as two giraffes if I draw two of them next to each other?
Yes! I will tag your picture with how many giraffes there are in it. So please feel free to draw as many giraffes so you want in a single picture! The project is "One Million Giraffes", not "One Million Giraffe Pictures".
Can I make more than one giraffe?
Yes! I don't care who makes the giraffes, I just need one million of them. The project is "One Million Giraffes", not "One Million Giraffes From One Million People".
Why didn't my giraffe sculpture/toy/construction count when I see several other similar giraffes on the site?
You can't submit a photo of something you've bought in a store. You have to create the giraffe yourself. The ones that you see on the website have been asked to provide some kind of proof that they've made it themselves. Once they gave it to me I've published the giraffe. If you can't show me that you've made it, I can't approve it because of copyright laws and it's just not as fun. You have to give me the publishing rights to the giraffe, but if you don't own it, you can't give it to me.
Why doesn't several photos of one giraffe from different angles count?
If it was okay to do that, then I could just take a million photos of the same giraffe myself (but from slightly different angles) and I would make to a million in no time. I'm collecting giraffes, not photos of a giraffe but from different angles.
I went to the zoo and photographed giraffes! Why don't they count?
Well, answer me this: Did you make the giraffes yourself? Unless you yourself are a giraffe, you couldn't possibly make a real giraffe and then it violates the you-have-to-create-the-giraffe-with-your-own-hands rule.
I can't find my giraffe!
There are several possible answers to this:
If you made your giraffe on a computer, you won't find it on the website. You broke the only rule there is to break. Good for you.
If you sent it in by any other means than the "upload" option, it might take a while for me to be able to upload it for you. The fastest way to get your giraffe out there is to upload it on the website. I hope you understand that this project takes a lot of my time, and that I can't work on it 24/7. Please be patient. If you gave me your email address when you submitted it, I will email you when your giraffe is online.
Some of you are really impatient and don't understand that your giraffe won't appear on the site immediately, so you upload the same giraffe several times. I might not notice at first, but sooner or later someone will email me saying there's a duplicate (people actually do this and I love it!) I will then remove one of them. If that's the one you've bookmarked it will no longer be visible. I'm really sorry about that, but again: I get a lot of giraffes. If you upload the same giraffe several times, it's not really my fault.
Why this won't work and why it doesn't matter.
That's not really a question, but this is something that four people have pointed out to me so far. So I figured I could write this here and maybe not get another email about it. Getting one million giraffes in such a short timeframe is impossible. Or is it? That's what I'm trying to find out. Yes, I know it means that I need about one giraffe a minute and that pace seems impossible to keep up for such a long time. But at this point it really doesn't matter if I make it to a million. It would be mindblowingly cool if I did, but consider this for a second: There are people all over the world drawing giraffes right now. Isn't that cool? I think it's really, really cool. I think it's very interesting to see how many giraffes I will get, but it's even more interesting and fun to just sit back and look at all the amazing giraffes that are pouring in. Have you looked in the gallery? There's some really amazing stuff in there. So, if you think this is only about reaching a million you've kind of missed the point of the project. It doesn't matter if I make to a million. I really, really want to, and I'm still working hard towards that goal, but at this point it's just fun to see people all over the world turning off their TVs, putting their computers away and sitting down to creating giraffes. Old school style. People spend too much time being digital. They should try be analog, being human and creating something real for a change. Most people love it when they try it. I get emails from people all over the world saying that they've rediscovered drawing! Families are sitting down in the living room and acting like families. I have hundred of emails from mums and dads saying that they sat down with their kids and had a blast drawing giraffes. People are actually having giraffe parties! Do you realize how cool that is? Please join in on the fun.
It's just a silly giraffe drawing, not a big deal at all!
