|
|
Post by artofhiddenmessages on Jul 30, 2018 14:54:14 GMT -5
WOW! THREE PUZZLES ARE ALREADY SOLVED!
1st is poem 4 with illustration D = Clio Statue at Bayou Bend, Houston, Texas
2nd is poem 3 with illustration B = the Bird Girl Statue in Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia (I also would have accepted the location of Telfair Museum, also in Savannah, as that is where the statue was moved to.) The winner gave both locations!
3rd puzzle solved poem 5 with illustration C = Eternal Silence Statue at Dexter Graves' grave, in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
|
|
|
|
Post by artofhiddenmessages on Jul 30, 2018 15:42:56 GMT -5
A fourth puzzle was solved! Poem 1 goes with illustration G = the statue of Lewis Merriweather's dog, "Seaman", located at Sacagawea Circle, Portage Road, Cascade Locks, Oregon. This is also the cover illustration.
I guess it pays to have had your order in early. I knew there were 2, maybe 3 easy puzzles, but to have 4 solved this quickly is suprising.
|
|
|
|
Post by artofhiddenmessages on Jul 30, 2018 16:51:18 GMT -5
A fifth puzzle has been solved. Poem 6 goes with illustration A = The Lion and the Mouse Statue at Silver Spring Library, Silver Spring, Maryland
|
|
|
|
Post by razorback on Jul 30, 2018 18:11:48 GMT -5
Well, shoot! I don’t have mine yet, and I ordered two. That will be the last time I do one of these. What a let down!
|
|
|
|
Post by artofhiddenmessages on Jul 30, 2018 18:19:29 GMT -5
A 6th correct solution has been sent in. Poem 2 is a match with illustration H = The albino buffalo at the National Buffalo Museum, Jamestown, North Dakota
|
|
|
|
Post by artofhiddenmessages on Jul 30, 2018 21:16:48 GMT -5
The 7th solution has been sent in. Poem 8 goes with illustration F = Airborne and Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville, North Carolina (the "Constant Vigilance" Statue)
|
|
|
|
Post by artofhiddenmessages on Jul 30, 2018 22:25:39 GMT -5
Well, shoot! I don’t have mine yet, and I ordered two. That will be the last time I do one of these. What a let down! Well that's funny! I had only two customers that ordered two books. And the one that went to Bob W. was delivered. Also, Bob W. has been submitting answers. How can that be if Bob W. doesn't have a book? |
|
|
|
Post by Jenny on Jul 31, 2018 10:36:18 GMT -5
Congrats to all the winners, and on the hunt.
So what is left?
Poem 7 or 9 to go with E?
|
|
|
|
Post by artofhiddenmessages on Jul 31, 2018 14:57:33 GMT -5
Yes, Jenny, you are correct. There is one illustration left, which is E. And there are two poems to choose from, 7 and 9.
Also, I have posted all of the solutions to those that have been solved on the facebook page, The Art of Hidden Messages. Both the poems and the illustrations are pictured there with an explanation.
I apologize to everyone, as I did not think the puzzles would be solved this quickly. I know many people were disappointed because they didn't have time to participate in the hunt. But believe me, no one can be more disappointed than I am right now! I thought the hunt would last much longer.
I knew there were two, and maybe three easy puzzles, but I never thought that practically the entire booklet would be solved in one day.
Doing the art and writing the poems was fun. I enjoy doing this. And I am learing more about putting hunts together each time I do this. I tried making a pdf the first time I designed a hunt. And this time I wanted to make a book. Making a book was a challenge, and I learned a lot of what I can do, and what I can not, and should not do for the printing process to be a success (and affordable). But most of my challenges came with two things that were totally out of my control. The postal service, and how fast someone can solve a puzzle. The postal service gave me a date that the booklet would be delivered. Some people did not receive their booklet on that date. Tracking indicated up to the minute, that it was going to be delivered on time. But then it was not delivered. I have no control over this. One person received their booklet early on Monday, and they were home to devote time to work on it. That one person solved five puzzles. That person asked to remain anonymous. I can certainly understand why after I was getting so many negative comments on facebook, and even more negative ones through email. But I can say that the person that won, did so fair and square. They received their book, and solved the puzzles. The rules stated that a person can win as many times as they want. This particular person does have experience with armchair treasure hunts. So they were great competition. Again, I had no control over that, nor did I ever think that would happen!
I am open to suggestions on how things can be improved. For one, I know I will have to make this a bit more difficult. People complain that hunts are too hard, and no one can solve them. I made mine solvable, obviously a bit too solvable! I paid out $650. But we can see that making them solvable wasn't the answer. They have to be made more difficult. Would people want only one prize per person? I also need a way so that everyone can get their books on time. Someone made the suggestion that I mail out the art, then wait, and send the poems as a pdf. I like this idea, but it has potential issues too. Please, let me know what might make this better, if there is a next time...
And most of all, please, let's be nice to one another. I had people that I talk to online all the time, people that I consider friends, post mean and rude things. All because of a $14 booklet.
I also had people send in answers and then tell me that they didn't receive a book. I had people tell me they didn't receive a book, when I had postal tracking that said they did. Why lie? Because someone solved something before you did?
But I also had people tell me that it didn't matter if they didn't get the book on time. They would enjoy it for the artwork. I had people who did get the book and couldn't solve anything tell me how much they were enjoying it. People said even if it was short-lived, they were having fun. William Wigley, who won one of the prizes, told me to keep the money. He said to let others know, "It is all about the journey and not the destination". That is the attitude we should all take.
|
|
|
|
Post by catherwood on Jul 31, 2018 15:00:56 GMT -5
My package just arrived in today's mail. I was going to take my time and savor the puzzles -- I am avoiding the content of the posts above me, which will spoil my own attempts to sort out the pairings. Congrats to winners, congrats to our hosts, and congrats to the author/artist for creating a thing. I can appreciate the work involved, and am happy to add this one to my collection.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jenny on Jul 31, 2018 16:21:46 GMT -5
My package just arrived in today's mail. I was going to take my time and savor the puzzles -- I am avoiding the content of the posts above me, which will spoil my own attempts to sort out the pairings. Congrats to winners, congrats to our hosts, and congrats to the author/artist for creating a thing. I can appreciate the work involved, and am happy to add this one to my collection. I feel the same way, it is another unique and wonderful treasure hunt book to add to my collection of books! And when time allows, ponder over the last Illustration and Poem (s).... Thanks for the opportunity for having some fun while working the mind! |
|
|
|
Post by bellosthemighty on Jul 31, 2018 16:59:40 GMT -5
I apologize to everyone, as I did not think the puzzles would be solved this quickly. I know many people were disappointed because they didn't have time to participate in the hunt. But believe me, no one can be more disappointed than I am right now! I thought the hunt would last much longer. I knew there were two, and maybe three easy puzzles, but I never thought that practically the entire booklet would be solved in one day. I imagine this is a recurring problem with hunts. Pretty much every hunt is designed to be hard but solvable. But since no two people's minds work exactly the same, what the author thinks is hard could be a snap for someone else. More commonly, it's the other way around; what the author thinks is solvable is, in actuality, impenetrable if you don't have the same interests, education, or life experience as the author. This is why The Secret was mostly-unsolved in its time, and why the author of The Oracle continues to be mystified by how hunters are "overthinking" the puzzle. I think the particular problem of too-easy hunts can be solved by the inclusion of a "safety valve" provision where if the hunt is solved before a certain time- say a month or so after release- all players submitting correct solutions are entered into a drawing for the prize. That would ensure the winner isn't decided by who gets the book first, while still encouraging competition between hunters. |
|
|
|
Post by artofhiddenmessages on Jul 31, 2018 18:23:59 GMT -5
I have had a couple of people suggest that method, thanks.
The last hunt I made had people stumped. Everyone was stuck at the same place!
But with this hunt, there are people who even with the answers, can't understand how it was solved. So I still don't know if it was too easy, or if the one winner who knocked out 5 puzzles at once was super-smart. Once 5 puzzles were gone, it was easier to pair the poems with the illustrations.
This last puzzle has everyone stumped. So it might last a little longer...let's hope!
But keep on bringing the suggestions!
|
|
|
|
Post by cowlazars on Aug 1, 2018 16:24:55 GMT -5
My 2 cents are DO NOT use the US Post Office. I have had 55 coins lost in the mail by them and then they deny the insurance claim.
Pay the extra money for UPS or FedEx.
|
|
|
|
Post by GeneticBlend on Aug 1, 2018 17:16:11 GMT -5
Thanks Mike! I agree. All of the US mail was supposed to arrive on Monday---as promised by the US Post office. I have one person, who has tracking, and on that Monday, it said the package was on its way, and would arrive THAT DAY, but never arrived. Now the tracking just generically states, "out for delivery". The package still has not arrived. The post office will not do a search until the package is seven days late! Even if it is lost forever, then what? The post office does nothing.
Everything was mailed at the same time, but once it left my hands, I had no control over how that mail was handled. Yes, I made a mistake in using the US Postal service, expecting them to deliver when they said they would. One of the reasons I used them, was to keep costs low. If I use a more expensive service, then the price of the booklet will have to be raised too.
If I ever do this again, I definitely will change the way the delivery method was set up.
I will quote what someone wrote in a private email to me, that I feel is very fitting:
"I think people really underestimate the difficulties of actually producing a hunt. I mean, it's not like there's some magic formula or a manual, or a bunch of 'top 10 best practices' lists that you can google to figure this stuff out. It's all trial and error, right? You've gone from being a consumer to being a producer for a community that you clearly love, and I hope you are proud of that. It takes guts to put your 'baby' out there for the world to have its way with."
This person is 100% correct. I am not trying to make excuses. The hunt did not go as planned. And I am learning from it. I think if you look at the book, it is evident that I put a lot of time and effort and money into designing this. The distribution turned out to be an issue. The person who solved five of the eight hunts did so fairly. Anyone else would have done the same if they could. In trying to make the hunt "solvable", like most people wanted, it perhaps was too easy, at least for one person! I certainly didn't expect that to happen, but it did.
Again, thanks for the input. Keep the suggestions coming. I would like to make another hunt someday. But it might be a while.
|
|
