Postcards from hell, 2011

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.

Save the postcard

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.

Posting my secrets

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.

Handwritten

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?

Misery loves company

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.