A career of 22 years in the same gig is uncommon these days. And for that 22 years to be at the same place, online, doing what I do with the awesome people I get to work with, is ludicrous. But I’m no fool: I have had this honor because of the strength, love, and respect of our readership and our community.

That’s why, when we started to see Bad Things in our industry a couple of weeks ago, we knew that we needed to turn to our most important lifeline—you. We picked a big goal: something that would not only impress Condé Nast leadership but would be a meaningful bridge to better times.

I speak for everyone at Ars when I say we are truly humbled, thrilled, amazed, a little “I’m not crying you’re crying,” and extremely grateful. As I write this, we are at 187% of our goal. One hundred and eighty-seven percent! My left brain is soaking in happiness while my right brain is saying, “Dude, you should’ve known this was gonna happen.”