Our fabulous Samitomoto supporters!

'A woolly silver mouse climbing a mountain'- by Sam

Woot- we made it!

I'd love to thank you all for your support with our Pozible crowd funding project- to put the next print run of the Samitomoto drawing game into production!! We successfully reached our target and that's because of your vision and generosity!! Thank you!

Currently we have 21 hours to go, so we could still double our pledged amount- click here to pledge and please pass the link to your networks!

I designed Samitomoto to help children, families and adults to draw with delight! I am absolutely passionate about designing products that help you to create and have a lot of fun with drawing and the creative process, to bring you back to that creative eight year old inside all of us - I trust that Samitomoto is bringing that joy to you and your family!

Here is the list of the fabulous Samitomoto supporters!







Leanne Casarotto
Helen Mitchell
Kylie Johnson
Brian Miller- Luxgraphicus
Natasha Vanzetti
Joanne Hughes
Sara Passer
Rachael West
Suzanne Ed
Larissa Zimmerman
Claire Connelly- Papercut
Ruth Ellison
Catherine Prosser
Richard Everson
Zoe Routh- Inner Compass
Joan Westaway
Beata English- Beata English Photography
Barbara Baikie- Wick Consulting
Elizabeth Karpiel
Karen Armstrong
Benay Wettle
Steve Alexander
Elke Durbanov

Please feel very proud of your part in supporting the Samitomoto journey!

Presenting Samitomoto's cool corporate supporters!

Hi friends,

Our Pozible crowd funding project has 33 days to go to reach our $4500 target to grow the Samitomoto drawing game. You can help us to reach our target and and also receive rewards from pledging as little as $25. Corporate pledges start at $100 to see your business logo featured here and to receive other cool things!

Remember, the Samitomoto drawing game helps children, families and creatives to draw with delight, it's an innovative totally Australian designed product and we would love your help to grow!

Below are our fabulous corporate pledgers so far- my gratitude to you for your support and generosity is immense! To see your business logo featured here too as a Samitomoto corporate supporter and to find out more- click here.

Why we'd love you to support our crowd funding project!

Hi everyone,

I'm very pleased and proud to announce the Samitomoto 'crowd funding' Pozible project!

Our goal is to raise $4500 by September 7th 2011, so we can put the next run of the Samitomoto drawing game into production and grow as we move towards the end of 2011!

You can help us achieve this, as you are the crowd!

Why would you help us?

Well, firstly because you would get the warm and fuzzy feeling of helping a creative entrepreneur (that's me) live her dream and grow her innovative drawing game- Samitomoto, so that together we can help more creative kids and families across Australia (and beyond) to 'draw with delight'.

Secondly, for each amount you pledge above $25, you receive a tangible reward and product. To see the list of rewards visit here. If you want your business and logo linked to this fun project, we'd love you on board!

Thirdly, because it's safe, no money is taken unless the full total target amount is reached. Oh and it's also innovative and fun!

Fourthly, because in a post GFC world where we've seen so many businesses sadly crumble- community support for local, innovative business is more important than ever!

I won't go on with the numbers, instead I invite you to come along on this journey with me, as I live my dream to grow the Samitomoto drawing game and to help bring a lot of creative joy to others! For the full story of why I created Samitomoto please read here and for what others are saying about Samitomoto read here.

Please pass this link to your networks and help us to spread the joy and magic of drawing with Samitomoto! Please also follow the Samitomoto facebook page for all updates and events associated with this Pozible project.

Many thanks,
Sam Simpson-Morgan

Having drawing fun with Samitomoto!

A pretty cream dragon knitting by Dominic - 8 yrs.

A pretty cream dragon knitting by Cassie - 6yrs

I've been having so much fun playing Samitomoto with kids at the Old Bus Depot Markets, most Sundays!

Children have so much to teach us about creativity, as they are so creatively free, their imaginations seem unlimited and they take such joy in drawing. I love the way they embrace the Samitomoto drawing game.

I wonder at what age this sense of creative freedom starts to decline and we get limited by messages about how 'good' we are at drawing, or that it's 'silly' or 'a waste of time' to draw. Having gone through that creative unblocking journey myself- to the point that I now draw most days, it's wonderful to see children pick up the pen with no hesitation to start drawing! And it's especially good to find that rare adult that will suspend their inner judgement long enough to sit and draw with us too! (They get extra brownie points).

Here above, we have two fabulous drawings from last Sunday playing Samitomoto; 'a pretty cream dragon knitting'. What I love about these two drawings are how different they both are, despite them essentially drawing the same thing.

I love how they've both added things from their imaginations; Dominic has added a knight (of course) who is wearing knee and elbow pads- (a safety conscious knight). Cassie has added a picture of a volcano (unfortunately prompted by me, as I got a bit carried away with the spirit of the game) and she decided dragons would naturally eat lava rocks and therefore, there is a packet of lava rocks with a smiley face on the right side and also, she added chain-saw wings to her dragon. (Of course). :)

So with Samitomoto, a simple phrase and a bunch of textas, we totally opened up our imaginations, laughed a lot and had a wonderfully fun creative time! That's got to be good for everyone.

If you'd love to experience this for you and your kids, follow us on facebook here to find out where we'll be at the markets, or purchase Samitomoto here or from our retailers here!

Playing Samitomoto at the Handmade Winter Warmer Markets

'An enormous aqua blue snake skate boarding' by Sara.

'An excited lime green dinosaur fishing' by Isaac.

'An excited floral patterned mouse playing chess' by Emma.

'An enormous yellow mermaid drinking coffee' by Maya.

'An enormous floral patterned pony drinking tea'.

'An enormous floral patterned pony drinking tea'.

'An enormous aqua blue snake skateboarding' by Emma.

'A scared orange chicken flying a space ship' by Kristi.

'A determined sky blue cat making pancakes' by Emma.

'A curly haired hot pink spider roller skating' by Sara.

What a fantastic day we had with Samitomoto at Handmade's Winter Warmer Market at the Convention Centre Canberra!

There was a fabulous vibe with lots of happy shoppers snapping up the gorgeous wares! Thanks to everyone who bought Samitomoto games, I trust they'll bring you much creative joy! Plus a special thanks to everyone who sat and drew with Samitomoto, it was a lot of fun! See a selection of wonderful drawings above.

If you missed buying Samitomoto products on the day, they are also available to buy here.

And finally, see a wrap up of the Handmade Market's wonderful day here.

May 2011 - Samitomoto mermaid fun!

'An excited orange spotted mermaid driving a sports car' by; Sara, Dimity and Sam playing Samitomoto.

Isn't it wonderful how different they all are?

Fun and total absorption in the process of drawing. How would you draw this? Don't forget to join in the creative drawing fun on the Samitomoto facebook page, we'd love you to post your drawings there!

You can buy Samitomoto here and draw mermaids (and other cool things) too!

April Samitomoto Drawing Competition!

'A calm violet dog wearing cowboy boots', by Samantha.

Hello every one,

I'm so pleased to announce that three months from launching, the first run of the Samitomoto drawing game has sold out and we have gone into the second production run!

That means there are thousands of Samitomoto drawings out there and hundreds of people having lots of creative fun and embracing the game, that's fabulous!

The list of fantastic shops stocking the game is growing, you can see it here. We really do want to see bundles of Samitomoto creative magical fun spreading out across Australia and the world, so if you have any retailer suggestions, we'd love to hear them!

Now on to serious news...

Announcing the first Samitomoto Drawing Game Competition!

Play the Samitomoto drawing game and post your drawings on the Samitomoto facebook page, or email them to info@samitomoto.com. Please make sure any emailed images are under 2MG.

The competition opens April 1st 2011 and closes 30th April 2011.

There are four prize categories;

Most creative Samitomoto drawing- under eighteen years old
Most creative Samitomoto drawing- over eighteen years old
Most humorous Samitomoto drawing- under eighteen years old
Most humorous Samitomoto drawing- over eighteen years old

Each winner will receive a Samitomoto pack comprising a Samitomoto (edition one) game, edition two of the game (due for April/May release) and a 20 pack of blank Samitomoto postcards! Plus, we will do a story on you and your drawing for our blog!

Also- the first twenty entries posted/received will receive a gift copy of the Second Edition of the Samitomoto drawing game due for April/May 2011 release.

Please make sure all images are high quality and accompanied by your name, phone number and address. Please do not post this personal information on the facebook page, email it to info@samitomoto.com. Entries by under eighteen years old will need to be accompanied by a parent/gardian's contact details.

You must own copyright of your images and any offensive images will be removed at Samitomoto's discretion.

The winners will be determined by an independent panel and the decision will be at Samitomoto's discretion. Winners will be notified by phone and email by 7th April 2011.

Employees and direct family members of Samitomoto are not eligible to enter.

Entries may be used by Samitomoto for future promotions.

Remember- you can buy the game from our retailers here and from the Samitomoto online shop here.

So, grab your pens and pencils and paper, your Samitomoto drawing game and your imagination and connect to your fun side!

Happy drawing,

Samantha Simpson-Morgan

March Samitomoto- Drawing Night.

A shy brightly striped owl roller-skating by Sara.
A shy brightly striped owl roller-skating by Chris.
A shy brightly striped owl roller-skating by Marc.
A shy brightly striped owl roller-skating by Sam.

Mid week drawing group is a chance to get together with other creatives, cook together, drink wine and have a lot of fun drawing, eating and laughing! Last week at our mid week drawing group we also played the Samitomoto drawing game. So big kids can play it too!

We drew 'a shy brightly striped owl roller-skating.'

What I love about Samitomoto is how a simple word phrase gets transformed by each person's imagination into such wildly different drawings. It's such great fun to play in a group and it is as much fun to draw, as it is to see what everyone in the group creates. What would you draw?

It takes me back to being a creative kid again and it makes me feel happy.

In the past month I've heard such great feedback about how different people of all ages are having fun playing the Samitomoto drawing game. I'd love to hear your stories about playing Samitomoto too! Please email me at info@samitomoto.com.

Please also support our growing and exciting list of retailers, as the game goes into its second production run.

Don't forget to join our email list or follow us on facebook as we continue the fun Samitomoto journey.

Happy drawing!

Samantha Simpson-Morgan

Why play the Samitomoto Drawing Game?

Because I carried the idea for the Samitomoto Drawing Game around for a year before I put it into production, teased the idea out, tested it on my sister and her guinea pig family, teased it some more, workshopped it with designers, attracted funding and finally produced it- I know why I made it and why I play it!

For those of you who aren't inside my head (and it's probably for the best that you are not), here are the reasons why you might like to play the drawing game;

Why?

To stimulate the imagination

To have fun with drawing

To help break through a creative block

To shift a negative mood

To help with opening creative channels

To enjoy drawing in a non competitive, joyful way

To help with healing and creative healing

To give yourself permission to be silly and playful

To make drawing less serious and more fun

To move past the fear of the blank page

To have fun

To develop your drawing

As a meditation and focus tool to bring you fully into the present

To tap into your inner child artist

To learn language in a fun and creative way

To be part of a creative community

To have quality time with friends and loved ones away from a glowing screen!

Now it's your turn, why do you like to play the Samitomoto Drawing Game? Who do you know who would like more of the above in their life? Please send them here

Thanks again to everyone who has helped this me in this journey!

Cheers,

Sam Simpson-Morgan

Playing the Samitomoto Drawing Game at the Old Bus Depot Markets

An awestruck pin-striped elephant roller skating by Elizabeth.

An awestruck pin-striped elephant roller skating by Samantha.

An awestruck pin-striped elephant roller skating by Barbara.

A noisy polka dotted fairy wearing flared trousers.

A noisy dark green spider sitting in a hammock.

A fluffy golden brown snail wearing flared trousers by Barbara.

A fluffy golden brown snail wearing flared trousers by Samantha.

A cheerful grey duck walking the tight rope.

A cheerful golden moose walking the tight rope.

As a picture tells a thousand words, here are the drawings from playing the Samitomoto Drawing Game last Sunday at the Kingston Old Bus Depot Markets. Enjoy!

We all had a ball!! I would like to add that a couple of the adults had not drawn for over ten years, so it was wonderful to see them embracing the game and their creativity!

If you would like to experience this fun, you can buy the game here

Copyright Rarified pty ltd 2011.

Happy New Year from Samitomoto

Happy New Year from Samitomoto!

Well what a December it was! The Samitomoto Drawing Game launched, as did the Samitomoto website and online shop. It was a wildly exciting ride for me!

I am thrilled at how the game has been received in the short time period since it's release. Thank you to everyone involved in the development of the Samitomoto Drawing Game and an extra big thanks to everyone who has bought the game, taken it to heart and who love playing it!!

I personally love to play it, with friends or alone. I find it a great tool to use to break that dreaded scary thing, the artists block of the blank page. I'll happily take up an opportunity to exercise my silly creative side and to give the eight year old inside me a chance to play. I'm then free to work on my more serious personal art work.

But that's just one use for the drawing game.

What I'm loving also is the feedback on how you are developing your owns rules and ways of playing, I think that's wonderful too!

If my game helps to spread the magic and joy or drawing to you and makes you smile, then that's everything to me!

Now I want to hear your stories and feedback. Please email me at info@samitomoto.com and let me know your stories and images from playing the Samitomoto Drawing Game. Please keep files under 2 Mg.

Here is one of my drawings from playing the game (see above) - 'A quiet orange spotted parrot wearing flared trousers'. I hope it makes you smile!

Happy new year,

Cheers,

Sam Simpson-Morgan

Image copyright Samantha Simpson-Morgan 2011.
Content copyright Rarified pty ltd 2011.