Postal Pals: postcards from everywhere to somewhere

Good times!

2012-01-22T15:19:00.000-05:00

Jessica had written about work on her first card from January (a favorite subject of hers...) and on this second card mentioned she forgot to tell me of her fabulous week in DC! She had visited and found a great new neighborhood (capitol hill) and a great yoga teacher (Noelle). Sometimes when the weather is grey and cold, I need to be reminded that fun, friends and other exciting things can still exist. Thanks for that pal :-)

A second chance

2012-01-15T03:40:00.007-05:00

An ironic, final victim of the rainy nights of July 2011. This postcard urged me to look on the bright side when I discovered, earlier this month, that Lynn's use of water color pencils had downsides as well as upsides. The cutout on its left side was a saving grace since at least it did not blur and run when it became wet. Lucky for Lynn, I have become good at throwing back my shoulders and moving forward when life gets muddled. With rose colored glasses on the bridge of my nose, I pulled out a black pen and a red colored pencil this week and gave the washed out postcard a touch up so that it was blog worthy enough for this post.

On the pink underbelly of this card, Lynn checked in to see how I was doing on my 2011 new year's resolutions. Had I made it through January successfully? Her resolution was to slow down and think more carefully. I laughed when she then wrote, "Do you think watching a lot of documentaries counts?" This year, my goals for 2012 are quite similar to Lynn's last year - Slow down - and no, I have not kept them even though we are only 1/26 of the way through the year. Can I hit restart sometime around June? I want a do-over.

Tangled/Untangled

2012-01-08T09:51:00.000-05:00

When I tried to think of what to write for a title, I guess I interpreted Jessica's card a bit. She wrote this to me last January saying she was feeling refreshed by time at home and then feeling like there was a lot to do to get ready for a new assistant director coming to Ghana (hence the tangled and untangled idea). Overall I think this is a good theme for January, we are starting fresh but often give ourselves tons to do as well begin the new year.
I hope the scan of this card shows all the little stick figures doing little activities among the colorful swirls well enough for you. I think my favorite might be the little guy to the right, just about her signature- what is he holding? I imagine he is juggling fire, what about you?

A shadow of fun

2012-01-02T03:54:00.005-05:00

When I saw Lynn last Christmas, she had just moved into a new house and was relieved to take pause from moving and renovations. After hearing what this involved, I remember thinking, as we ordered yet another cup of coffee, that she deserved a bit of a break.

Coincidentally, the postcard (also victim of my primal living conditions) I received a few weeks later confirmed this. Wishing for more than household chores, snow shoveling and slushy urban slop, Lynn daydreamed about the simplicity of summer. You can almost hear crickets when you think of backyard camping, which is not typically a winter activity (unless you are my brother who dug snow caves to sleep in behind our house when we were kids). Lying in the grass in your tent with your book and your flashlight, flashing an occasional shadow puppet on the wall next to you. Who doesn't miss these moments when it gets cold?

So here we are again. Its January. Lynn has been just finished putting in hardwood floors and has completed her holiday family tour. Winter and snow shoveling is here. Luckily flashes of summer fun are not completely elusive, and can be practiced. A flashlight and bare wall is all you need for shadow puppets, right? Perhaps it should obligatory to 'practice' having fun in January so that you are really good at it once summer arrives... maybe my brother was on to something.

Sweater fuzz

2012-01-01T11:34:00.005-05:00

This seagull's sweater is rather fuzzy, which may strike you as odd even if you are not used to seeing fully clothed, pipe smoking fowl. Unfortunately, this hearty bird, and his sweater, was inadvertently exposed to bad weather. You see, this card should have been posted in December 2011, but was not because it was lost. After searching in drawers, cupboards and folders in my office and home, I finally, after a month of searching, found Lynn's December postcards in a cupboard near where my roof leaks (I apparently did not know it leaked when I received the post card last year).

My leaking roof was the bane of my existence during the rainy season. Regular torrential downpours meant that it was wet both inside and outside my house. Not sure what else to do, I would place pots strategically so as to control the water and capture pinging drips as they fell. Along one cement wall, the flow was constant. After the rain subsided the first time this happened, I sprung to action and contacted a repairman. He promised to come immediately. Long story short, after many complications including wasps nets, tree limbs and long work trips, my roof was only fixed after the rainy season ended. Thus every time it rained, I would fear that either A. I would drown in my sleep or B. my roof would cave in. Luckily for me neither A nor B happened and Ghana's sky is now clear.

Thank goodness this bird was dressed appropriately for the weather, but I am sorry Pal for adding substantial fuzz to his sweater.

Winter Cardinal

2011-12-29T18:33:00.000-05:00

Around this time Jessica was visiting last year and we were able to meet for a day in Traverse City. We had plans to do a lot, but ended up eating good food and doing a lot of talking. It was great. She showed me some cut outs that she planned to turn into cards- this was one!

She writes that she mailed it before heading back to Ghana. She had a great time in DC for New Year's feeling nourished by time with friends and by the time with family in TC. Isn't that what the holidays are supposed to be for? Hope yours was!

Desert

2011-12-26T18:58:00.002-05:00

This card might technically be a savanna but what Jessica wrote about was living in a desert! She was getting ready to leave for a long break in the US and wrote "when I was plotting this card I was about as stressed as possible and in fire fighting/crisis mode" Sounds like a place devoid of life to me! Don't worry about our heroine though, she went on to reflect about having made a lot of progress in one year living in Ghana. She added that December often makes her nostalgic. I agree, being with family makes memories surface and winter makes us stay inside and slow down. Both add to the recipe for warm feelings of nostalgia.

Almost cool

2011-12-21T15:34:00.004-05:00

Bows are in and ruffles out claimed Lynn a year ago (I could not verify whether this was true from Ghana, but I am taking her word for it). She had just wrapped her 'head around wearing a whole feminine ruffly mess' and then, suddenly, it was so last season and she had to start all over.

Her students, however, were perfectly in sync. Apparently, sophomores wore jeans, while seniors (too cool for school or, in this instance, to get dressed) wore sweats, specifically PINK by Victoria's Secret only. I think we are both glad we missed this trend, although it may be that we were never great at keeping in step in the first place.

Surfin' USA

2011-12-19T19:19:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist the tile because I love the Beach Boys- but, that doesn't have much if anything to do with this post. Jessica drew this card while thinking about her soon to be brother in law and his surfing company in the Solomon Islands. Jessica has never been surfing (although recently she did go paragliding!) She also wrote about staying connected with family that is far away as well as dreams of starting a business. At the end of her note she asked me what kind of business I might start. I have often thought about a car wash or a bakery so that I could employ some of my students/or clients who are out of work, without a steady job where can people go in life? I have heard of these types of business being good models for this type of thing. I guess not as exciting as a surfing company, is it? What about you, what type of business would you start if money and risk were not factors? What is your dream?

Slowing the snail

2011-12-11T17:34:00.003-05:00

Snail mail just got slower. The New York Times reports that the U.S. Postal Service is closing 252 processing centers and laying off 28,000 employees. Its one day service is all but finished. It seems that our steadfast postal peoples' version of speedy was not quick enough to compete.

Sad news for those of us who love the taste of envelope glue.

Joint account

2011-12-10T07:27:00.004-05:00

Lynn is one of a few people (alive?) without a Facebook account. Having been a late joiner myself, I have tried to convince Lynn that it is nice to stay in touch with acquaintances, especially when I am far away. I also pointed out that I wanted her to see pictures I posted. But Lynn is private and was hard to budge so I gave up the nagging and instead found an alternative solution: I gave her my password. This means that every now and then Lynn checks in with the world and with me by logging onto my account (watch out!). And after doing so, she usually reports back on what she discovered. On the back of this card and she exclaims about babies and engagement announcements that friends had posted online that she had not known about. This never fails to make me laugh.

You see, the problem with our love affair with snail mail is that everyone else has moved on. They are blasting things to the world, while we are still sending targeted updates to each other. For us, this joint FB account/pen pal arrangement is the best of both worlds. Lynn gets my news and can spy on the world, while I am updated by Lynn (albeit more slowly). Unfortunately, the one hitch is that if Lynn has news the larger world may miss it. Yes, privacy prevails.

The card, by the way, is cut from a watercolor painting. It did not scan well, but I can vouch for the fact that it is way more beautiful in real life. Come to Ghana and you can see for yourself. :-)

Locked doors and blooming tea

2011-12-05T17:41:00.005-05:00

Although Lynn told me to not read into her lock and key theme, she did mention that sometimes she wishes she could lock her door and close her blinds at work to block distractions. I couldn't agree more, especially now that I am trying to catch up from my time in the States.

Her card also mentions a visit to a tea house serving 'flowering tea' - a dried flower that blooms as it steeps in boiling water. I have a feeling this is not an extreme rarity, but I have not seen it before so I immediately googled it and came up with this.

Seems like a perfect drink to have when you are locked your office catching up from a holiday - or preparing for one!

Home Sweet Home

2011-12-03T09:13:00.000-05:00

This card is fun, last year Jessica drew it right before coming home for Christmas. This year, she came home for Thanksgiving and spent time in NYC, DC, and TC (her many homes...). She drew last year's card after being in New York visiting friends. I laughed went I read she missed being cold! I love that this drawing captures her joy at being back in the States, I can see her favorite things tucked into this imagined scene. Where are you traveling this year?

A book club report

2011-11-23T11:56:00.003-05:00

Lynn wrote in spiral on the back of this card so that I had to spin it like an antique vinyl to decipher it. As I spun the card around, I learned that through drawing this card Lynn found that watercolor paper is not great for color pencils. It is hard to make the color even.

She also reported that she was a member of a book club at long last. They had just finished The Help by Katheryn Stockett, which just happens to be in the theater this month, and were about to read the The Elegance of a Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. A choice that Lynn was hesitant about because she had just read, and not particularly enjoyed, Muriel's earlier book, Gourmet Rhapsody.

It is funny to read this again now because The Elegance of a Hedgehog came up in discussion last week. A friend and I were chatting about recent/favorite reads and our reading addictions. I was lamenting that I was having a reading dry spell. For more than a year, I had been taking months to get through a single book, reading only a few pages a night. This is not at all like me at all, I had exclaimed, I am usually a binge reader. It was then that I remembered that The Elegance of a Hedgehog was the last book that I had read cover to cover in a single night. I had planned to read a couple chapters before bed but the sun was threatening to come up before I finished the last page. I only caught a few moments of sleep before work. Not particularly responsible, but perhaps not the worst pleasure to indulge. Lynn, I cannot remember your final review. Did you end up liking the book? What are you reading now?

(Note - I'm in Michigan and have yet to conquer the family scanner so this postcard is especially mini, sorry Pal!) .

Silly

2011-11-12T09:57:00.000-05:00

This outline drawing is fun because in Oct of 2010 Jessica was just learning about silly bandz! Having worked in an elementary school, I had known about the bandz craze for quite a while. They are really fun! Apparently someone came to Ghana and brought silly bandz in the shape of Sherlock Holmes and Micheal Jackson. I remember a lot of the time I needed the kids to tell me what their band was supposed to be as some don't jump out at you right away...I'm not sure I would have guessed those two. Jessica saw some kids on her walk one Sunday and decided to draw up some silly bandz of her own!

Mickey!

2011-11-05T04:53:00.009-04:00

Lynn's little dogs have been featured on a few postcards. This is a drawing of Mickey from a picture taken while visiting Lake Michigan. Apparently, he was so excited that he was flying around checking everything out. I totally relate with Mickey. When I hit the beach at home, I cannot help but jump around either. How could we not be thrilled? Who could resist this:

Tamale Tree

2011-10-29T17:20:00.000-04:00

This is a dot portrait from a photo Jessica took in Tamale. Sometimes she posts photos of her neighborhood and office which help me to imagine her daily life in Ghana. Still finding dot drawing therapeutic , Jessica wrote about making time to be creative helped her to add something more than just "de-stressing" to her life. It was a time for a whole other way of being and thinking. She sits down two times during a month to utilize postcards as a way of getting in touch with a different part of her life. My process is more doing batches of postcards at a time, sometimes 4 or more in a day. It's interesting to me to read about her process and compare it to mine because both of us use these postcards to make time to do art because art is an integral part of our lives.

Camels

2011-10-23T10:31:00.000-04:00

This card reminds me of one Jessica drew at the very beginning of this project, almost three years ago. Then she was visiting Cairo while living in DC. These camels were inspired by a airline magazine (again). Jessica was feeling inspired by the arrival of new staff people and had a wonderful group of summer interns who had just departed. It was nice to hear her upbeat about people and know she was getting some balance in her life in Ghana. She even noticed that her use of colored pencils showed how much better she was feeling of late!

Finding time to stitch

2011-10-08T07:13:00.004-04:00

Ghana has great fabric. Knowing Lynn was sewing, I remember asking Lynn if I should send her some so that she could keep stitching. She laughed at me. Apparently, fabric was not a constraint, but making time to sew was. About a month later I received this postcard from her. Proof that she had fabric and plans. Lynn, were you able to make these plans happen?

Postcards from hell, 2011

2011-09-29T18:52:00.002-04:00

Typically you get postcards from warm sunny places with palm trees, coconut drinks and umbrellas. The cards are signs of affection and an easy way for your faraway friends to show off. Very rarely do you get a postcard from the armpits of this world. Too much is brewing there; who has the time or inclination to write? And if they did, how would they fit all they had witnessed and felt on the back of a 3x5 card?

A recent Foreign Policy photo series by Elizabeth Dickerson Postcards from Hell, 2011 takes a stab at this. The combination of striking pictures with short narratives make the series seem postcard-like in an ironic way. Worth a glance, since it is unlikely you are going to find these in a mailbox near you.

Stockpiles and Seasons

2011-09-26T17:50:00.000-04:00

While I stock pile sketches for inspiration, Jessica sometimes stock piles her cards and sends 6-10 at a time. I get bunches at a time and then catch up with what she wrote on each one. Unlike me, she doesn't write them all at once!

This card has a summery image of a starfish but really Jessica drew it in the fall. She wrote about missing seasons in Ghana, and how the Indian summer and leaves changing color were some of her thoughts of autumn. Oddly enough with all her talk of the fall, Jessica spent hers in South Africa where it was actually spring. She wrote about feeling like a new beginning was happening with the blooms and the energy. It is fall now, again, and for me back to school always makes me feel a renewal. What about you, do you think of fall as starting again (new things like supplies and new faces, kind of like when you were a kid with back to school) or is it just spring that makes you feel energized and like starting fresh (maybe cleaning and waking up after a long winter)?

Doodles lost

2011-09-21T16:17:00.006-04:00

Lynn's discovery of an old sketchbook has been referenced a few times in the last few postings. It seems that the rediscovery of old doodles provided a real source of inspiration. This doodle is a piece cut out from that very same sketch book. I feel lucky to have gotten a corner, even if it means that next time the sketchbook is re-found it will be missing a piece. I like to think that perhaps its finder will come looking for the rest of the puzzle.

On the back, Lynn wrote, "And here is the only fun doodle I found in my sketch book. I like to think of phones like these. We had a rotary phone when I was in elementary school - and now kids have crickets/cellphones! Remember how cell phones exploded after Junior year? Sometimes it even amazes me that you can call me from Ghana. I guess I sound like an eighty year old with all this babble about 'the old days'."

Oh pal, you are my favorite Luddite. And, yes, I owe you a call.

Picnics

2011-09-11T17:20:00.007-04:00

Water color pencils. I had almost forgotten that they existed, and I never understood what to do with them until I received Lynn's card last summer. Lynn clearly knew that these nifty pencils can make clean lines easier. A great attribute, since successful clean lines are a headache for any new water-color student using a brush, or at least this has always been my experience (I know this may mean I need to learn to live in a world without lines; I am working on this. But as my post cards demonstrate, I have a hard time letting go of borders).

Lynn wrote on the card's belly that she had been thinking of picnics. Picnics she had decided were better thought of than to be had. Bugs, ants and heat, resident picnickers, make her prefer to enjoy her sandwich somewhere other than reclining on the lawn. Although I have had my share of lovely park picnics, living in the tropics, where we take all of aforementioned components up a notch, I must say that she may be on to something.

Cheers to the waning days of heat and bugs my pal.

2011-09-03T08:17:00.000-04:00

Running is a "Jessica" theme just like Africa. On this running postcard she announced she was running again! This was good news for me because I knew that meant she was attempting some work/life balance. She wrote about the gym where she runs, it was interesting for me because when living abroad I too was a hotel gym member!

Jessica was a big runner in college when we were roommates. (I may have written here about how I often was dragged on runs/went along willingly only to end up breathlessly in pain after a few minutes). Jessica had this wonderful running log. She would write about runs she took and after each date just jot something memorable about that day. I imagine she started writing in that again, and while running inside meant she wouldn't have to make notes about running past African scenery, she would have ways to remember non-work events.
Enjoy this colorful card!

Scratch off cootie catcher

2011-08-24T17:17:00.007-04:00

Now isn't that a catchy title?

Last year, Lynn sent me a fantastic birthday gift - a cootie catcher with a scratch off heart.

One pick at a time I got words of wisdom on how to start a new decade:

Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. | When planning for a year plant corn. When planning for a decade plant trees. When planning for life train and educate people. | Happy people plan actions, they don't plan results. | Success is often the result of taking a mis-step in the right direction.

A lot of sage advice to mull over, pal; good thing we have a decade to do so.

Kenya!

2011-08-22T15:08:00.001-04:00

(a.k.a to continue an African theme...)
The card is such a classic African image. I love the colored pencil, this one and her next card are just stunning!

Jessica drew this card after a trip to Kenya to see her former host family. She hadn't seen them in a decade, but found other than all being a bit older and further along in their careers it was an easy reconnection. I often wonder about visiting my old host families, but don't live or travel anywhere in their area of the world anymore. Its been 10 years for me too, and I like to image what my host siblings grew up to become. Any people you used to know that you wonder 'where are they now?' This postcard also is a continuation of our recent 'inspiration' theme. Jessica was inspired by an in flight magazine. She wrote to me these are a great resource. So, I think we have finally found the one purpose for this type of reading material- congrats on that Jess people were never sure what those were for until now :-)

Los Animales

2011-08-10T07:40:00.005-04:00

Jessica drew this little sketch of an animal as she was thinking of Northern Ghana. That area is quieter and full of nature, so maybe she was channeling its peace into hectic work life? Having just been on Safari myself I can identify him as a Thompson Gazelle or Impala!

She went on to write about turning 30- a transition we've both had lately. Apparently, Jessica read that the 20's are now emerging adulthood while 30 means you're truly an adult (this has something to do with the brain). Jessica jokingly says we are both slow to mature, but according to science we're just following normal human development!

Four seasons

2011-08-02T03:28:00.008-04:00

Lynn was playing around with common postal pal themes - seasons and trees - when she drew this card. This image does not do her creation justice. By the time she sent this, she was finding herself in the middle of the summer break feeling relatively unproductive except for regular work outs. Aspirations of creating art everyday had not been reached so she wrote that she had looked for inspiration in old drawing pads... which apparently led to little more than a reminder of the ceramics class she had taken with me in our senior year (not a bad thing to remember I must say). Perhaps in hopes of soliciting ideas, she spent the rest of the card asking me about my creative outlets... which in theory was a good strategy except for the fact that by this time I had morphed into a complete workaholic. Not an art inducing activity. Somehow though Lynn pulled through and kept up with her post cards.

Since this week I have been trying to make myself sit down to draw a card after a crazy month, reading this is a good reminder to me that I should not wait for a great source of inspiration. Taking a pause and letting ones mind wander - at last - is likely to be all I can manage and is luckily all that I should need.

Flying through time

2011-07-30T14:16:00.009-04:00

This blog is getting loopy in very fun ways. A year ago, I blogged about a cut paper postcard I made the year before, reflecting that I would have liked to do something similar but to then lay the cut paper on photo paper to create a cyanotype. A few weeks later, I got this card from Lynn showing me she had tried my idea out. It worked!

In other words this blog post was two years in the making in that it is about a card that was inspired by a blog post that was inspired by a postcard made two years ago...

Africa

2011-07-22T18:25:00.000-04:00

So this card is of an African image. Jessica drew it while talking with a friend on Skype, pretty impressive that she did this great drawing at half attention. Its so detailed the way she's layered the colors!

She wrote on the back, comparing her ideas of West Africa before getting there to the life she'd experienced since arriving. She had some different ideas than what she ended up seeing. It was so interesting to me that this was the card I am posting about having just come home from my own Africa experience. Having just come back from Tanzania I find myself thinking about the same thing. Tanzania is full of wonderful people, nature, and overall spirit but lacks infrastructure that makes life easier. People seem to spend so much time doing the basic tasks of survival even in big cities. I know Jessica has a lot of great work going on with her organization and its great to see how she's meeting a true need!

Rothko and Yoga

2011-07-06T12:42:00.001-04:00

Jessica was inspired by those two things to draw this illustration with a nice color combo! She asked me how things were wrapping up with school, remember she was hyper and giddy as a child and wishing me and the teachers luck as we corraled the kiddos for the last few weeks of June. She was just getting back from vacation, or maybe still thinking about one from a few weeks back, while I was starting out my summer break. I think the restorative theme of this card was good for both of us!

Book portraits

2011-07-03T18:44:00.008-04:00

Lynn was catching up on cards last June; just as I am now. There are some months that I just cannot keep up. Having read about doing bookshop portraits - a portrait showing only what someone likes to read - on Jane Mount's website, she used our postcard project to take up the challenge. Since Lynn goes to the library regularly, drawing only books she owned was a constraint. However, she made due, including bookends she owned as a child (she loved that they were blue) and 'escape' books that she had enjoyed. It is a fun window into my pal's far away life.

Since I haven't had enough time to do pleasure reading lately, I became a bit nostalgic about escape books re-reading this postcard. Sounds like such a luxury! I am afraid that a book portrait of my current state of being would be a bit too serious. Sigh. Somehow I think Lynn might agree.

School is out for the summer

2011-07-03T18:24:00.006-04:00

I missed a card Lynn did last may, so I am posting it now. This 'photo drawing meld' as Lynn called it turned out well. It reminds me of a drawing assignment I received in a high school photography class. We ripped one of the black and white photos we had developed into half and then drew the missing side. Since I had never taken a drawing class (and still haven't!) I remembered not being sure I was up for this. I surprised myself a bit to find that with a little effort I could make the other side of the house I had captured with my camera materialize in pencil form. Makes me want to do this exercise again.

On the underbelly of this card, Lynn wrote about wrapping up the school year for summer. In addition to saying farewell to some retiring teacher friends, she also hosted the school's girls' club End of the Year Party. Apparently, this meant containing 35 girls with a sugar high for a few hours. Wild from all of the pop they drank, they broke out into playing 'America's Got Talent' for an hour. (Somehow reading this, I assume they were drinking red Faygo... I have no idea why.) I have a feeling this made Lynn especially appreciative of the relative silence that came with summer.

Back to making her art

2011-06-19T07:26:00.001-04:00

This was an icebreaker card last year, Jessica had not drawn or been to the post office in a while. What do you see in this card? Its abstract and fun to imagine what it could be. Any ideas?

Sewn balloon

2011-06-12T15:30:00.010-04:00

Last year, Lynn was catching up on a month of card making as school wound down. Her inspiration was coming from all kinds of places, including a sewing site she uses for free patterns. Which makes me think now, have you been sewing lately, pal?

At the time, Lynn was also contemplating a new school and the possibility of purchasing a house. These are big topics for the back of a postcard, and I remember wishing I was closer to her so that we could have chatted about these decisions face-to-face. What fun it would have been to scope out potential houses and to contemplate neighborhoods, landscaping and layouts. Being a postal pal is nice but during formative periods, like last spring, the paper chain seems sadly inadequate.

Tech toys and more

2011-06-10T12:48:00.000-04:00

Jessica drew me this litte guy and then wrote about being busy at work. Who is he Jess?
Anyways, she was working a a record breaking speed and feeling recharged by vacation. She had gotten a cool gift from her dad, tiny speakers that plug into her iTouch. These fabulous little speakers came from Singapore, she was impressed by the quality from the small size. Hopefully her music or podcasts helped her to get through the summer where work was doing amazing and interesting projects but keeping her worn out!

Where oh where did April go?

2011-05-29T07:21:00.005-04:00

Lynn asked last spring. From the sounds of it, April passed with a flurry of Kentucky Derby and outdoor grilling parties. The weather was nice so Lynn made use of those special first warm days of the year.

This sketch was from a notebook Lynn used for her pottery class at K many years back. Makes sense to me that these seed pods and dragon flies were meant for the kiln since this design would be beautiful as a glaze. I can imagine that if you carved both designs into layers of glaze and wax before firing the end result could be stunning. Another mental note for a time when I am back at the wheel.

Speaking of long lost months and hobbies... Lynn, this card mentions you wanted to start climbing at the gym. Did you ever go?

New Links

2011-05-24T19:55:00.000-04:00

So sometimes things get us down (and by things, I mean the daily grind, work, getting up early, rainy weather) and we need a little something to pick us up. This link takes you to a page on a blog which describes all kinds of happy mail. This blog is about art, mail and friendship- two of which I think are hit right on with the concept of happy mail. Pictured here is a set of small drawing supplies packaged in a waterbottle and sent to a waiting postal pal. Sending a smile through the USPS is such a fun idea, I wish I had thought of it myself!

Life Upsidedown (that's good)

2011-05-17T20:44:00.000-04:00

This card was drawn by Jessica as she rejuvenated in South Africa with her friend last spring. But spring north of the equator looks like Fall south of it! Jessica had been living at the equator long enough to enjoy any change in season. She was also enjoying life's little normalcy's which were a bit easier in Jo-burg, a haircut, new shoes and a cup of coffee.

Do you think you could live in a place without changes in the seasons? I found it very hard. While I dislike gray and cold weather, I love the blooming of spring and the colors of fall. You?

Perspective

2011-05-07T04:58:00.007-04:00

Blogging a year ago reminded Lynn about 'perspective.' What she meant by this was that she had remembered that when she was eleven she loved watching the Commander Marc program on PBS. He would draw lots of streets along with interconnected pipes to teach roundness via shading. This card was a back to the roots activity not just in its style, but in that the street is loosely based on Lynn's neighborhood growing up (a postcard from the past I never thought I would receive). Since I know that Lynn's family now lives in a new area, I was at first impressed by her memory, but then I began to think about my own childhood street and I feel like I can remember every blade of grass.

Perspective. It is drawing term that makes you step back and think. Have you been practicing this lately, Lynn?

Walks in Ghana

2011-05-01T12:46:00.000-04:00

Jessica wrote on this postcard about her recent decompression by walking. She was working in Tamale on lots of new projects and living out of a hotel which was dizzying at the time. She found herself walking at night just to get some space. Along the way, some kids would try to work up the courage to talk with her or stand near here. She wrote about the kids calling out "salmiga, hello" and then running away again. (I'm hoping I read the greeting right, Jess correct me here if its not salmiga). She would try to ignore them, waving is too scary for them I guess. I'm also guessing this image is something she has also seen on her walks, or imagines she might. Can you tell us what Kayao is Jess? A woman carrying a load on her head is such an African image. Enjoy her beautiful postcard.

Photographer to the Tzar

2011-04-24T05:41:00.003-04:00

Winter is coming to an end and spring is in the air in the Midwest - or it should be. It sounds as if winter is reluctant to release its hold this year, since it is late April and I have been receiving pictures of my father's snow filled yard in my inbox. However, snow or no snow, spring break must go on and Lynn recently return from her 'spring' break pilgrimage to the Twin Cities just as she did last year.

While she visiting her parents a year ago, Lynn's mom shared a program with her on the work of Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii, the photographer to the Tzar who began producing color photographs in 1906. When you look at his images it seems impossible they are real. They feel staged, because we are so used to seeing that period in black and white. Lynn found inspiration in the photos he took while on the silk road and this postcard is from a picture titled, Fabric Merchant. When I look at the photo now, I again wish I could travel to Russia to see how it has developed in the last 100 years and to have a better understanding of the street view that this merchant may have been looking out on to that day. Thank you for the inspiration a year later my pal.

Fast and Furious

2011-04-16T08:44:00.000-04:00

Jessica sent me both these cards last April, after traveling for three weeks she was back to her work schedule. Jessica never has much free time with her job, but she was trying to find ways to enjoy what little she had. She wrote about meeting a friend for concert, trying to connect with a potter and spending time drawing in this park. Nkrumah Memorial Park is a typical developing world park from what she described, well maintained, fenced off, and full of interesting people watching. I like the way her sketches are loose and fast while still giving a lot of detail- hope that comes across in the scans of the drawings too.
What are you up to in your free time, making any time for being creative?

Podcasts

2011-04-03T14:49:00.006-04:00

In what seems like a former life, I used to go to SpeakeasyDC's monthly amateur night at any chance I could get. Brave souls would climb on stage to speak their minds, share memories and spill their secrets to the world - telling true stories on stage without notes. Lucky for me, SpeakeasyDC and its NYC sister The Moth have podcasts that scratch my itch from afar. My happy habit of podcast listening led me to Pen Pal, a story by Boris Timanovsky who relives a online pen pal relationship that he brokered and 'managed' for his son. Not only does the story have a good title, it is hilarious and well worth a listen... even if it does not end up being much of promo for pen pal setups.

Save the postcard

2011-03-31T17:40:00.006-04:00

I remembered recently, when I found a High Life Magazine in the back corner of my art drawer(smuggled from a trip last fall) that Lynn and I have an ally in British Airways. (Yes, I smuggle airplane magazines now and again. Is it possible to resist global photographic inspiration?) Their October 2010 edition was especially tempting since it contained an article on saving the lost art of postcard writing, which was written to launch an effort to save the post card sending. A corporate initiative I can get behind. In reflecting on postcards, they write:

It was a standard rite of being abroad: a trip to buy a bunch of cards. Stamps had to be bought in tobacconists. Or maybe that was just in France. Then settle into a café to perform two epistolary tasks: the gratification of anxious parents and the annoyance of jealous friends.

This is now nearly a thing of the past. A TripAdvisor survey showed that just 11 per cent of travellers still send postcards home while 60 per cent use text.

Like the ashtray, which faces extinction because of smoking laws, the postcard is a minor art form that struggles to survive. Facebook, email, texting and tweeting have deskilled communications and impoverished our visual culture. But no new medium has ever completely succeeded its predecessor and the easier it becomes to send electronic tosh, the better will be appreciated the charm of a well-written postcard. Generally speaking, the easier it is to communicate, the less art goes into the communication.

Oh no, how sad! Not if Lynn, British Airways or I have anything to do with it. Check out their celebrity postcard bid auction. The opportunity to buy is lost (thanks to my cluttered art drawer, which led me to forget to post this earlier), but the tiny art that was sold still is up and available for viewing. I have posted one by Alice Dellal for inspiration. Lovely.

In Tamale

2011-03-27T18:31:00.013-04:00

This is a room where Jessica stayed when she visited Tamale the first time for work. I don't know if she stays here still, but she was there when she drew herself in the room. Sometimes the daily stuff around you is what you start sketching (perhaps if you are out of ideas). While usually the ordinary is a bit uninspiring in this case its great because I can see what Jessica is around everyday. Now that she lives in Ghana its hard for me to imagine sometimes without a visual. On the back of her card she talked a little about her process, of getting an idea and playing around with a few versions of the drawing before getting something she wants to send me in the mail. I think it was about this time last year that I started a sketchbook for ideas, it let me practice with things I'd like to draw and keep track of ideas. Where do you keep your inspiration for your creative pursuits?

Bird a la Martha

2011-03-18T08:02:00.009-04:00

Yes, this was inspired by Martha herself. Seeking valentine card ideas, Lynn happened upon a MS posting on Victorian birds and viola a plan for a card to her pal. A slight change from her actual valentine card theme last year - 'mechanical pets.' Not really sure what this means, but some how I imagine cut puppies with hinges. No matter, these are perfect snow day activities, especially when combined with a few hours hunkered down with a book called The Swan Thieves.

I have been sorely out of touch my friend. Any recent snow days? What are you reading? Let's hope my month goes out with lamb so we can finally discuss these very important details.

Excuse me, where but can I send my mail?

2011-03-06T16:41:00.000-05:00

I had to laugh when I re-read the back of this post card. Jess told me she had been living in Ghana for a month and she hadn't found her post office yet! I laughed because of three things that I thought of back when I got the card, and immediately remember now.

First when you are in a new country, you tend at first to cling to small things you know how to do and can go months without bothering to learn anything new if it isn't essential to your daily life. (As in find out how to send a letter? Not today thanks, I'm good, I'll just keep talking the bus from this stop here and visiting the corner store that doesn't actually sell cereal which I really would like to eat.)

Second, because when I moved recently I felt oddly attached to my post office and library. I secretly went back the ones I no longer lived by because I was a bit sad about leaving them.

Third, I laughed hardest because when I first bought international stamps to start mailing postcards to Jessica in Ghana the post office clerk immediately said "Oh, I know why you want to send letters to Africa. I had a nice young girl in the other day for the same thing, you are sending letters and papers there so you can adopt a baby. You know, she got her baby and then boom! she was pregnant with a baby of her own. You hang in there sweetie!" Shucks, in a manner of minutes I was no longer a customer, but a hopeful adoptive mother with infertility problems. Its one of the reasons, perhaps, I should be glad I got to leave that post office behind. What will she thing when I never come in with an African child?

Quilted post

2011-02-26T08:42:00.005-05:00

A quilt inspired card by Lynn that could be a series. Exploring quilt designs, she ended up cutting rather than stitching. Lucky for me. The card mentions that she was just starting to tell that the days were getting longer - it was light until 5pm. A relief because last winter's dark days had felt particularly draining. Lynn, are you starting to see the sun now as well? I am living winter vicariously through you, remember.

As an aside, I went to a 'full service' copy shop to scan my postcard (one reason this post is a week late). It was my first visit, and the first thing I noticed was that the woman at the shop seemed down right mean. Scowls and sucking of teeth without prompting. It took only a few minutes to realize she had no idea how to use the computer or scanner. Poor lady hadn't been properly trained for her job, and there I was tapping my foot. She willingly gave up the mouse when I asked, and moments later I had my postcard scanned. Meanwhile, the other employee, sitting next to her, was clicking clicking clicking away at random on his desktop. No wonder they were cranky. Imagine if you sat at work all day hoping no one asked you for something because you didnt know how to do it. When I left she returned my smile, shyly, as I walked away. Next time we will skip the scowls I am sure.

Zen admist Chaos

2011-02-12T17:57:00.001-05:00

I know I wrote before the cliff jumping girl was Jessica's first card mailed from Ghana, but the back of this one says it was her first one drawn there. Who knows for sure, but both were from pretty early on in her new job there. She writes that she is into the little dots and that they help to provide moments of zen in the chaos of life there.

I have been thinking a lot about living abroad this week- not only will I host a Japanese teacher in a month- one of my old haunt Egypt has been on the news. Its odd to think of a place I lived being the site of something so real and meaningful. I also think of Jessica, stay safe pal!

Posting my secrets

2011-02-06T06:23:00.007-05:00

Last night I found myself telling someone about this blog. Considering that it is always on the back of mind, it is sort of amazing how rarely it comes up. It, in itself, can feel like the most public secret I have. Which is fitting because it started as a way to keep our thoughts underground. Lynn and I began bloging in part because after a year of mailing postcards we each had a pile. Pretty designs on one side and sometimes sordid confessions on the other. My artist mom was dying to take a peek, and I was not sure I wanted our friendship laid out on her kitchen table. So we started a blog. Quite a counter intuitive approach to keeping our friend club to ourselves.

Recently, I have been feeling a bit like our secret blog. Having gotten better at being strategic about keeping my mouth shut and certain thoughts to myself, I am reminded that we are all a bit like postcards. Aren't we? However, this pent up frustration comes out in my art and reinforces my desire to gush gory details to Lynn via snail mail. Now and then I love to draw a mean postcard. It makes me feel better and I know Lynn can take it with a grain of salt - misposted frustrations.

Thus the reason I love PostSecret. It has gotten quite a lot of press, but is worth a visit now and then. In this spirit and since I have neglected to scan Lynn's post card, I have uploaded a recent submission that I sort of adore.

Watch out Lynn. I am going to the post office soon.

First Week

2011-01-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

This card was written Jessica's first week in her new home and mailed to me from Ghana. She had lots of positive feelings about her new job and home, and she wrote "I predict I will be gald I made the plunge." Having moved to new countries before, I remember being impressed she was so positive. I often felt overwhemeled the first few weeks, so I was glad to hear my friend was doing great. She wrote, "I feel like I'm living on the edge and making room for opportunity" Sometimes our cards are snippets of daily life, and sometimes like this one, they are powerful words. Lets make room for opportunities in our lives!

Sewing Machine

2011-01-22T11:27:00.002-05:00

This is a drawing of Lynn's grandma's sewing machine. It was old and apparently made the 90 inch seams of her duvet cover feel like they took forever. Lynn wrote that she was glad to back in the modern age after a recent upgrade, which lets her zip along with ease.

Since I have been wanting some new skirts, sewing is something I have been thinking a lot about recently. I dont have time to sew at the moment, but one perk of living in the developing world is that it is easy to get clothes made. All I need to do is dream up a design and buy some fabric - no new machine needed.

'thank yous'

2011-01-16T13:42:00.001-05:00

With the holiday season over, I've been receiving a few lovely thank you notes. Its always fun to get mail, and while these may not be the most fun to write, they are nice to receive. Seeing the fun designs of cards made me file away several ideas in my inspiration sketchbook. I thought I would share two favorites in this photo.

sources Crane and Co., Laura Brown, and calligraphy via ISLY
What about you, are you still writing thank you notes? Also, on a semi-related note this Slate article talks about the trouble we all have coming up with intelligent things to say in such notes, give it a read so you can make a good excuse why you didn't thank anyone this year.

Beer Margaritas

2011-01-09T11:05:00.005-05:00

A fun recipe from Lynn, one year ago:

New Job, New County, New Year!

2011-01-05T20:21:00.000-05:00

It has been a few weeks since a postcard was posted on the blog, and to be honest a while since I posted (i.e. sent one) to Jessica. One reason for this was we were busy hanging out together spending time on another of our shared interests, eating! When I visited Jess for a too-short-24 hour-stint in Traverse City, we enjoyed Soul Hole, Amical, and Patiserie Amie for each of the three meals. Yummy! Now that your hungry, something for the eyes...

The title of this post is a quote from this card that Jessica had drawn at the beginning of 2010. She was days from moving to Ghana and was feeling both excited and nervous (who wouldn't?) The card feels like a good one to post at the beginning of this year because its a time when everyone is setting goals and making changes. One of Jessica's goals this year is more work-life balance which is good for me, because she promises more phone calls as a way to socialize and spend time not working! I am not sure if I have goals or resolutions yet, but balance is always a good one.

Holiday Spiral

2010-12-20T09:35:00.003-05:00

This card started as a telephone doodle. You know the ones that you draw while you chat and that some how mysteriously help you listen. She must have been discussing her holiday obligations because the card is all about being stuck in the holiday shopping spiral. She described it as an 'overwhelming tornado sweeping up fun and work and taking over.' Around and around she went only stopping to let her frustrations out on and into a postcard. A timely expression of a normal feeling this time of year I'd say. I hope that you are escaping the storm this year my friend!

Merry Christmas to all...

2010-12-13T22:35:00.000-05:00

Last year about this time, Jessica was still madly packing up her life before our big Michigan meetup. This year, I am frantically packing and luckily preparing to see Jess again while she is here for the holidays from Ghana. I have gotten the gift of two snow days to get all my work done! This card actually matches what I am seeing outside my window- lots of snowy textures. Jess will fly in Thursday- this weather will be a shock to her system!

Enjoy this beautiful winter scene that is reminiscent of last years holiday postcard!

Dirt roads in Detroit

2010-12-06T12:23:00.003-05:00

This this is another 'driving' postcard from Lynn. She wrote that she likes to take dirt roads in Detroit when she is seeking a scenic view. If this was not irony enough, she said that the way that the tree shadows fell starkly on the road made her think of store barcodes. Looks and sounds like December winter in Michigan to me.

Packing

2010-11-29T06:26:00.000-05:00

Last year around this time Jessica was moving to a new country for a new job. She didn't want to store anything for when she got back, so she was selling, sorting, and then packing up just a few things. Jess was having trouble both getting a sub-leaser and selling some furniture. She drew this card to capture her mood! I love the details in this card each time I look at it I see some other silly item like a birdcage or 1950's style TV.
Its funny that this year, around the same time, I am moving. Although its just across town I too feel like the girl on this card- suddenly surrounded by possessions coming out of the woodwork needing to be packed or tossed!

Harvest

2010-11-20T08:21:00.005-05:00

Lynn writes on the back of this card that she planned to visit my mom over the holiday weekend knowing that Thanksgivings had become a bit of a sad time for her, since the loss of the family Christmas tree farm. As a kid, Thanksgiving meant the start of the tree season. Car loads of people would come to my aunt and uncle's city tree lot and out to the farm to cut their own trees the day after Thanksgiving. We would all help to prepare for the crowds and spend the entire weekend in the cold selling trees. It made the meal my mom and grandmother made taste that much better. I distinctly remember sitting on the piano bench next to my cousin eating blueberry pie, my cheeks burning from the wind. Blissfully happy. A true harvest celebration.

Turkey for Lunch

2010-11-14T12:56:00.002-05:00

Jessica started out this card with visions of carving a Thanksgiving turkey. Instead, it turned out to be a brown bag lunch. I hope you can see a bit of the 3-D texture from this card, very cool.

First she wrote some fun facts about Jaime Oliver's school lunch project and a few other health and calorie factoids. Then, Jess wrote about her own penny pinching efforts- spending the weekend cooking things to bring to work for lunch. She then admitted it wasn't saving much, because "I love produce" And we all know that produce, tofu, tempeh and other healthier options are pricey.

What a fun accident that her turkey card turned into a lunch because I sure heard a lot about what she'd been up to based on her theme- stuff I'm not sure she would have emailed about or mentioned in a phone call.

A ray of hope for Detroit

2010-11-06T16:44:00.003-04:00

Lynn saw this image in her rear view mirror last fall and ran home to draw it. She found it ironic that this this beautiful image showed up in a reflection of downtown Detroit, especially since the city's decay is all that you see in the media.

For Lynn, this card also demonstrated that our card project had strengthened her creative muscle. She was getting stronger. She had an idea and she went home and drew it - just like that.

Perfect Pumpkin

2010-10-29T15:47:00.004-04:00

The great thing about this card project is that you dont have to even try to ignore the obvious seasonal themes. That is what cards are meant for! This is a pretty standard pumpkin, but what you cannot tell from the scan is that its toothy grin is cut out as every pumpkin grin should be. The polka dots come from a magazine picture that has been pasted behind the card. In real life it adds some depth and an extra level of fun.

Lynn wrote on its underbelly that daylight savings time was coming, which the end of the year was near. Last year's close though was highly anticipated, though since she was looking forward putting 2009 behind her. After having just received bad news about my Samoan host family last October, I remember nodding my head in agreement.

Sometimes we need bright smiles to arrive in the mail on holiday cards, dont we?

A picture of Meripa

2010-10-27T16:11:00.007-04:00

After calling the village mayor to check in on my Samoan host family after the tsunami last fall, I learned that not only had my family suffered physical damage to their oceanside fale, but that my host mother and three sisters had died since the last time I had called. Like so many poor people without access to proper healthcare in the developing world they went to the hospital and never returned - despite having treatable diseases like diabetes. I had called Falelatai expecting bad news, but I never expected that its cause would be from poverty rather than from mother nature. I also never could have imagined how it has felt to grieve four family members at one time.

Life from Above

2010-10-26T20:13:00.000-04:00

Jessica sketched this image out of the book Earth from Above, which was a gift. She re-received the gift when her Mom moved and a box of her things arrived in the mail. I really like the photographs in the book, so I really liked this postcard.

Unfortunately for Jessica, she had recently got bad news about the tsunami reaching the small island of Samoa. This was very sad because Jess lived there while in the Peace Corps for two years. Never one to sit back and mope, Jessica quickly got involved with RPCV's and organized a fundraiser for the survivors. I'm so proud she was able to turn her feelings into action and give back to her adopted country and family there.

On this card she wrote about hope for 2010 to be a more positive year, after several sad events in 2009 of my own I heartily agreed.

Vessels

2010-10-17T08:21:00.000-04:00

Jessica had been throwing pots for months by the time she wrote the card. And our blog had been up for a while too. She was in the throws of creativity and seeing her cards online reminded her of her other art, I guess she decided her cards were always drawn with little boxy borders. She wrote "I have been so stuck in a box!" and then decided to draw this lovely gathering of vases around a box to branch out!

She wrote about how art was helping her stay centered during her job search, something I know we both share and one of the reasons we like this project and blog! Jess also asked about Holiday plans for 2009, which was fun because we would get together! Its a bit earlier this year, but Jess has already started to make her holiday plans, and I'm thrilled they will include me again!

The open window

2010-10-09T05:27:00.003-04:00

I have decided not to paraphrase. A card from a good friend:

Jess-

My mom once gave me a card with a photo like this. She wrote "when a door closes sometimes a window opens." I was thinking of that phrase after some of our recent phone calls. The future is uncertain - all we can do is be flexible, be prepared and watch for our options." Anyways, I have carried that card around because of how I like the message. So I hope you like this drawing :) So the other day I looked back at my 2009 goals - I am not on track. My word for the year was "balance" and a few (non-accomplished) goals, which included hosing a party. 2 months to go?! Did you have goals? How is your progress?!?

Your pal, Lynn

Plan "B"

2010-10-01T18:01:00.000-04:00

From what Jessica wrote me on this card, her original idea was to cut out this same ceramic studio scene, she actually called that her brilliant plan a. Seems having to do it on a 4x6 canvas caused some difficulty so she settled with plan b drawing.

While I don't remember when she signed up for her ceramics class and studio time, I know that last fall I was often talking with her on her way there. Jessica likes to commute by walking, so she would make quite a hike there from work, and we could touch base about her life.

Speaking of plan b- she was hoping that some of her job opportunities outside of war zones would come through for her in the next few weeks. Relief for those of us who like Miss Jess in one, healthy piece.

Stitch by stitch

2010-09-23T13:34:00.006-04:00

Lynn was stitching up a storm last fall. She spent labor day weekend transforming her living room with pillowcases. As this drawing shows, sewing was on the brain. Most of the writing on the other side though is focused on asking me probing questions about boys, Afghanistan and crazy work hours. I cannot blame her since I vaguely remember calling her at random moments (when I was not writing proposals, which usually meant that I was walking somewhere) with a new plan and a new date. I would want to have serious discussions about whether moving to Afghanistan was worth risking my life and morals if it meant I could pay off my student loans. While at the same time I would go out on eharmony dates with quirky guys who wanted to settle down and had no idea I was planning to flee to a war zone. I was weighing extremes. Ditch it all and become housewife? Sell myself in order to find financial footing? Or, continue the exhausting search, which seemed endless, to find a job that I was passionate about? Thank goodness for Lynn, who wisely reminded me to have patience and stay the course - it paid dividends.

Two!

2010-09-18T10:44:00.000-04:00

Here are two cards Jess sent me to begin our second year of the "project."

The first is a test post-card. After a year, Jessica had to buy new post cards at papersource and ended up with these 'non traditional ones'. My memory is of Jess and I talking on the phone, and her relating a story about being told these scalloped edged cards would not be allowed in the mail without an envelope. Our plan was to have Jessica send something on a card, sans envelope, and see if it arrived. It wasn't a drawing in case it got lost. It didn't, and so in the mail I got this peaceful photo of Kerala, India from Jessica's time there in 2007. Go post office, you came through for us!!!

Knowing we could rely on USPS again, Jessica then sent this cut out tree. On the back she wrote about how we'd been at post cards for a year. She used grey paper, some fancy stuff from her dad's office, writing "I planned to cut a cityscape by found the flow of cutting organic lines what I needed." Then, she added a flower to make it feel less like fall/winter. I like it!

Pencil time

2010-09-08T04:12:00.004-04:00

School is starting again. Kids are back to doodling in the margins, and Lynn is starting at a new school this fall. Settling in alright my friend?

Around this last time my desperate quest (yes, it was at times desperate) for a change in employment was gaining momentum. Enough was enough. I needed something new. Lynn was filling in as my full time cheerleader and this is what most of the back of this card was devoted to. She dared to guess what I would take on (aiming suitably high for a motivational pep talk). And, perhaps also feeling restless, suggested that maybe one day our paths would lead us to live in the same city again. Can you guess where she suggested? Its not in Michigan.

Back to our regularly scheduled posting...

2010-09-03T10:29:00.002-04:00

Its been a few posts since I've put up a postcard drawn by Miss Jess, and its past time to get back to what this blog is all about. I actually found a card that I'd forgotten to share from early last June. Here is a young lady blowing on a dandelion puff, such a classic summer image. Jess wrote on the back about her drawing of this girl "looking like an alien" but I think she looks pretty well drawn! I'd like to think both Jess and I have used our project to improve our drawing, trying out some different subjects or methods of creating. Its fun to have a reason to experiment and try something new and an audience too! The last of summer is floating away just like those little dandelion seeds so enjoy a lovely, long holiday weekend.

Postal Paws

2010-08-27T18:27:00.002-04:00

So, the other day my mail carrier met my two dogs. They impressed her with their behavior, and if you know them you know this means they were having a really great 60-90 seconds, and so now she usually leaves them milkbones in the mail. At first I thought she just did it the next day, but now, its been nearly three weeks and the puppies get treat mail everyday!

While I always mean to take my camera to the mailbox and get a picture of the mail inside it, I have yet to remember to do that, so here is a typical view of our mail sitting around on the kitchen table.

Perfectly aligned

2010-08-21T11:33:00.006-04:00

So besides the fact that the post office, Lynn, and all of my other friends and family must think that I have disappeared off of the face of the earth and the fact that I hate being out of communication, I have been walking around feeling pretty happy recently. Feeling like there is a lot of awesomeness in this world despite what some may say. I was recently sent a link to a blog site, 1000 Awesome things, that reports on the many outstanding, amazing, satisfying, wonderful things in the world. Awesome thing 557 recognizes the glory of mail, specifically - when you fold a piece of paper and it fits perfectly in the envelope. Read it; I could not have expressed it better. Seriously, you don't get this feeling pushing send.

PS - Dont worry Lynn, my backlog of cards are on their way and this communication glut is ending.

Under the surface

2010-08-19T23:59:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed how much of your daily life is happening under the surface? Maybe its just me, but often the thoughts that I'm consumed with aren't what you'd guess. In this card, Jessica's drawing makes me think of that with the pattern and detail she's put underground. On the back she wrote about really wanting to move, but assured me she hadn't done anything yet. I'm really not sure the drawing was meant to be about the thinking or life beneath the exterior, or was connected to her desire to move. I like this little metaphor I created looking at it, but I also like the layers of the earths crust she drew. The simple black and white ink amazed me again!

Inspiration

2010-08-11T13:06:00.004-04:00

I just had to put up this photo which inspired my llama drawing! Hope you enjoy!

Onwards

2010-08-04T19:01:00.004-04:00

I like this card because the llama seems to be sticking its chin out at the world. Taking a stance as it stares out with confidence. On the flip side of the card, Lynn wrote that the solitude of Peru and fun in DC gave her this same certitude and pushed her to recover from months of bad news. Finally she felt as if she did not have to feel bad and was able to have moments were she was free of feeling lethargic and dazed.

Makes me wish you could come visit Ghana Lynn! I promise there will be adventures and fun in store!

She also referenced my plan of the moment which was to migrate to Afghanistan. Generously, she said that her recent travels helped her to understand why I might opt to do so. Since even now I think my plan to move to a war zone was, in hearts of hearts, not sane in the least, I have a feeling that it took more than a little empathy for her to support my wayward soul no matter what. Up and down and all around we go but there is nothing like a friend to make us feel like we have the strength to carry on. Llamas.

Resting Poses

2010-07-28T09:51:00.001-04:00

I love this card that Jessica sent me! I think the overall pattern and color are fun but also all the little details in the people on their yoga mats remind me of books like "Where's Waldo?" You can enjoy looking at the people and notice their pose, their clothes and they almost seem real- yet a quick glance is also enough to enjoy the illustration too. Given my recent obsession with fabric for sewing I'm thinking this would be fun printed up on some cotton?!

Jess wrote to me about my upcoming visit, when as I mentioned in the last post we did Birkram Yoga in Georgetown. This is a theme of our get-togethers, Jessica plans some very strenuous physical activities and sort of gives vague details about what I'm getting myself into. Before I realize that I can't breathe/am sweating like a pig/no longer can move/forgot adequate water its too late to back out! I'm mostly exaggerating, as in the end, I always appreciate doing it. But I do have to laugh when I look back at all the times this has happened since I met Jess in college.

Restore

2010-07-22T11:40:00.000-04:00

Jess drew and sent me this peaceful image last summer. A woman looking centered and calm. Odd that this was on her mind just as she was launching her world-wide job search...or maybe not odd at all! On the back she wrote the transition was making her feel topsy-turvy and our drawing project was grounding her. She also wrote, "Yes, let's blog!" and that she would consider some of the names for our blog that I'd brainstormed. A few weeks later I would visit Jessica in DC for the final time and we would do yoga. Talk about art imitating life!

Senseless

2010-07-12T09:41:00.006-04:00

These poor hounds lost their noses somewhere along the way. I like the card though and think the idea is good. Lynn, have you considered doing a few more of these? They would make a good set.

This card was drawn as Lynn was preparing for a hiking trip in Peru. She was in dire need of a break and I remember being glad that it was finally her turn to jump on a plane.

The postcard's underbelly probes me for news on my birthday and latest eharmony ventures. Which, if I remember correctly, included dates with a guy who said very non-PC things to perfect strangers. Lynn was living precariously through me and I certainly was enabling this by going out on second dates just for kicks. Perhaps, I too had lost my senses. This is especially humorous now that I find myself a workaholic on another continent - I seem to be chasing extremes.

Ink and Paper

2010-07-01T08:18:00.001-04:00

and water don't mix! Yikes, this card got a little water damaged. But hopefully you can see the lovely black and white textures and patterns (if you ignore the bottom right corner!)

In this card, Jessica wrote about our postal pals project which was almost a year old. She talked about moving from postcards to anything you can put in the mail. Also though, she articulated something that both of us feel about drawing- sitting down to create is meditative. When life is coming at you fast, or well, not fast at all and is a little stale, sitting down to do this little routine thing can leave you feeling restored on the other side. Well said!

TLC

2010-06-23T15:31:00.000-04:00

Last year around this time I received some very sad news. My postal pal Jess sent me plants right away, and today the memory came back to me of how thoughtful it was. Sometimes a letter, a call or an email don't say I'm thinking of you enough. I like to send and get plants and flowers on these occasions- just the right kind of TLC for a friend. Thanks pal! (I went onto flowers.com and found a picture of the little arrangment that made me smile. Enjoy!)

Handwritten

2010-06-23T09:33:00.002-04:00

When I saw Pilot Handwriting's new webpage that lets you turn your handwriting into a font to use in emails, I immediately thought of postal pals. (To be honest, I've always been a little obsessed with handwriting. I used to love a handwriting analysis kit I got as a child, and frequented this website about getting my own font.) Here's the thing that made me think of this project, Jess now lives further away and while writing letters or postcards is great it takes a while for the news to travel. The idea of an email is more appealing for staying in touch. I like that with this little program I could send her a message via email that looks worthy of blog post because its in my own handwriting. How would you feel about this combination of the new and old?

Lilypad pop

2010-06-16T18:27:00.003-04:00

At times, Lynn has been apologetic about not following the postcard 'rule,' but I love her pop up cards. I will admit they mystify me and it takes a lot of willpower to not dissemble them so I can figure out how they pop - especially when they are small. I love pocket size art. This one is as big as my hand when opened.

I may be posting this a week or so early because she was preparing to go to Canada for her mom's birthday right before this was mailed. A great break after a long spring. She was also quizzing me on what I had planned for my upcoming birthday, and preemptively reacting to birthday complaints by reassuring me that I had a lot under my belt to be proud of - be forewarned Lynn, I am going to need more reassuring soon! And vice versa?

Hawaiian Summer

2010-06-09T03:31:00.003-04:00

Lynn wrote that this card had been meant for spring but when she added colors it became Hawaiian summer. I like that especially since as someone who is from a temperate climate I cannot help but to measure my year by seasons even when the world around me maintains a constant state of being hot. Lynn was gearing up for summer when she sent this card, and was compiling a summer reading list (beefed up by a list of books found in a dentist office magazine). She began with 'Gang Leader for a Day,' which I have yet to read. Lynn, do you recommend it? She also was preparing for a trip north for the Fourth of July, worrying about housing two dogs in her in-laws house and quizzing me on what I had planned. Sounds like summer to me.

On a side note, I have been coming across news clips and articles proclaiming that doodling increases concentration and can help with memory. Last week, the Harvard Business Review sent out the following blurb as one of its daily stat emails: "People who doodle while listening to a monotonous message recalled 29% more than non-doodlers on a surprise memory test." This may explain why I remember Financial Management as well as I do! Check out this link to the original post if you are interested.

Crazy? Genius?

2010-06-04T16:03:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure whose face this is, but Jess wrote on this card "I'm drawing this while watching the movie How to Draw a Bunny, about Ray Johnson." I don't even know who that guy is, but I just looked it up now, and it could be him! Then again, it could just be something else...

Anyways, she went on to say she wasn't sure where to draw the line between genius and crazy. I remember thinking when I read this about artists especially who seem to fall into this "gray area" I had recently been reading about new analysis about letters from Van Gogh and his infamous ear incident at the time from the New Yorker, which is another example of this same theme. I truly cannot remember if Jess and I ever talked about it.

Now, hopefully, we don't ever get too close to this edge!

Pretty Packages

2010-05-27T20:10:00.001-04:00

When Jess and I agreed to do our correspondence and art project, we decided on sending a postcard every two weeks as our goal. A postcard wouldn't really need an envelope...but I don't think we thought we would get as fancy with our creations as we have! So once in a while, Jess needs to hold her cards in something to reach me intact. She makes the envelopes just as pretty as her art.

I've discovered there are MANY envelope templates available if you want to google. But the best thing to do is peel apart any greeting card envelope and trace it onto your paper. As you can see with these, old magazine pages make just as beautiful envelopes as patterned stationary paper you could buy.

Its fun for me to think I can post one of these "packages" as artwork itself! Enjoy!

Finding your way

2010-05-19T12:35:00.003-04:00

Lynn's card, inspired by the blog Swissmiss, beckoned me home after long work trips to Zambia, Pakistan, Egypt and Namibia. Only later did she learn how appropriate her maze reflected my heart in the spring of last year. Nothing like finding your way home to your friend. Sometime these journeys don't end as sweet as we hoped they might. Just a month after having re-found her friend, Nora Longley, Lynn lost her to cancer last May. Nora's story is documented in this article, and pushed us both to follow debates on health insurance and argue for universal coverage. What a difference a year can make.

Spring themes

2010-05-12T20:40:00.001-04:00

A simple hand grabbing for colorful radishes out of the ground makes this weeks spring themed card. (We really had spring on the brain last year from April through May. I don't think we'd focused so much on any one season until now.) I like the way this card is both detailed and simple in the same drawing. This combination makes it seem so energetic!

On her card, Jessica wrote about spending more than a month away from her art supplies and her art because of more work trips. She wrote about both wanting to do a drawing everyday and feeling like there wouldn't be enough hours in the day (until retirement) for that kind of thing.

A year later, I'm feeling swamped at work and also thinking there aren't enough hours in the day to do the things I need to and the things that keep me sane! Well said pal :)

Green- all the rage!

2010-05-09T20:06:00.009-04:00

I just read about this card company called Regreet. They make a greeting card you can use and then re-use. You may have thought re-using a card was tacky (if found out!) but actually its now hip! It makes you green...

Check it out. Regreet is a card that you send someone along with a packet of labels/stickers that let them cover up your signature and such. That way they can save (time and) the earth while still getting the points for mailing the card to someone else for their birthday. But actually I think the coolest part is that if you start the chain you can see where your original card travels. Somehow, being able to login and see where my card ventures in the world makes me smile.
I think this might be why I'd spend them money to buy one of their regreets rather than just re-use a nice looking card.

What do you think of this concept? My only complaint is, really we can only get frogs? I'd like to offer a little help in terms of variety in the design arena :) Also, this makes me wonder does everyone not love shopping in stationary stores? I love excuses to visit these places...why are we trying to avoid them?

Blue brilliance

2010-05-06T12:19:00.005-04:00

Lynn used a kit I gave to her the summer before to make this cyanotype. We both used to play with such kits when we were kids. It brings back a lot of memories and makes me want to experiment with this technique now. I certainly have enough sun. Lynn wrote in the card that it would be neat to expose cyanotype paper with the cut paper designs like the ones I like to make. Sounds like a great idea. Now if only I had the necessary supplies!

This card arrived as school was winding down. Lynn said said she was feeling full of creative ideas and ready for the summer so she would have time to do them all. First on her to-do list was to pick up a sewing machine at her pa's so that she start sewing as soon as the kids were released.

Mapping the unknown

2010-05-01T07:44:00.004-04:00

I have been thinking a lot about maps since I read this article in Slate a couple of days ago. Julie Turner uses maps submitted by Slate readers to illustrate commonalities between hand drawn maps and to point out why they are often superior to the 'accurate' maps printed for the masses. Definitely worth a read. Julie Turner points out that hand drawn maps only include information necessary for the reader and this simplicity makes them more user friendly and personal. They also become more detailed as we get further from home - we dont need a guide to what is known. Also check out the comments section where this great link is posted. Wonderful inspiration for a pair of artistic travelers.

Contrast of colors

2010-04-28T02:11:00.003-04:00

I think I was supposed to post this card earlier in April, because Lynn wrote on the back that it was getting warmer in Michigan although everything was still brown. The brightly colored leaves on the card seem to show that she is optimistic this will change. The blue spot emphasizes this point.

Like the brown of her outdoor world, the card's underbelly is sad. Lynn wrote that she had been excited to recently reconnect with a friend from home only to discover that her friend was terminally sick with cancer. She lamented this news and its timing, happy to catch up but longing for more time with her.

I remember receiving this card in the mail and instantly picking up the phone to call Lynn. Snail mail might be conducive to expressing some of these hard to share feelings but cannot compete with the telephone when immediate comforting is in order.

Color explosion

2010-04-23T06:37:00.004-04:00

Jessica branched out to color! And it looks good....

I love how she blended the colors on this vegetable (I think onions) and I hope it comes across digitally! When Jess lived in DC she had a farmer's market almost right behind her house on weekends. I wonder if the first spring market was her inspiration for this card?

On her postcard she wrote to me about enjoying being at home for a few weeks between business trips. She was savoring some normal activities like meeting friends for drinks and getting doctor's appointments out of the way.

Her card and message remind me of a time in the summer when I was in DC and we spend a morning at the farmer's market. We ended up chatting with the vendors about how to keep your herb plant from dying off so you could keep getting fresh basil. One thing about being with Jessica, you will have conversations with everyone you meet. Its fun!

Nocturnal inspiration

2010-04-17T10:15:00.005-04:00

When I am not working, I have been walking a lot at dusk and in the evening the past few weeks in Tamale. As night falls on the city, I find myself completely absorbed in the way that colors change. The coals of an iron stove light up a woman's green dress and the the bronze earth below. A red light silhouettes a woman carrying a silver pan on her head. Television light reflects on a crowd of faces gathered around an outdoor TV. They are flashes that I cannot seem to put on a postcard. For this reason, I had to share this link to a piece by the photo journalist, Lynn Saville, in the New York Times. I love these photographs as much as I love the city they capture.

Admitting guilty pleasures

2010-04-14T12:51:00.005-04:00

Spring has sprung and Lynn is on spring break. It has been too long since we chatted on the phone. For this reason, it was especially nice to look at her card from last year. She had just finished taking her certification exam. After spending a lot of time studying, she was trying to remember what she used to do for fun. She admitted guiltily that she had been reading a lot of trashy novels - ones that you would usually save for an airplane ride. This made me laugh because my sister and I had a similar text message conversation. She admitted a current addiction to a 900 page book our mother sent her. Trying to make her feel better, I said that at least it was the Sri Lankan new year and she was home alone. I also reminded her of how when we were kids we used to try to sneak away from chores to read. This resulted in a practice of hiding our books in the waist bands of our pants and under our shirts so that our father could not see. We would rake the leaves or pull weeds until he stepped around the corner and then whip out our books to soak up a few more pages before he returned. The joke today is that my sister would need some very loose fitting elastic pants to hide her current obsession - or perhaps a mumu.

I hope you are also reading something fun on your break this year Lynn!

Trendsetting

2010-04-02T06:45:00.006-04:00

We've inspired someone. My brother sent me a postcard from his trip to Delaware! On the back he wrote "your postal pals blog inspired me to write." Its fun that he took the time to send snail mail from here, although he also posted video from his polar bear so he's not too old-school.

Jess' card from last year is this nice drawing. She wrote, "I ended cutting paper because my glue stick dried up!" This little tidbit makes me laugh. Her drawing was inspired by a food magazine her dad left at her apartment- must have been old because card was from Spring. Jess also wrote about getting ready for a work trip to Pakistan, saying she spent time drawing to avoid packing.

Added Dimentions

2010-04-02T06:30:00.004-04:00

We have been posting things other than cards lately. I'm wondering...do you like the additional things we've shared? Or should we just stick to our art?

OK, enough posing questions to the void! Jess' March 15th card from last year fell in her 'cut paper' phase. She put a printed design underneath adding some depth. She wrote, "next time I think I will paint/draw and then do a cut out on top. I think using this print is sort of cheating." Well, she went on to say what she had been up to: sewing,throwing another dinner party, hosting her Dad and Sister, so you could see why she'd need to cut a few corners to get her card in the mail on time.

I think the concentric circles are another cool abstract art experiment, much like her pears! The only thing I thought, was using a darker color paper to make the top stand out...I'm all for experiments and we know those don't always work out.

Misery loves company

2010-03-26T13:15:00.003-04:00

This seriously does not reflect how I feel about my current locale, but I cannot help but post this link. Apparently Lynn and I live in #1 and #2 of a list of the worlds 10 worst cities (See link here). Lucky us.