The Magic of Mail Art

"Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people." -Leo Burnett

Taking the time to "be creative" everyday is something I think is extremely important. Creating, and not just consuming, makes us more content, fulfilled, interesting individuals!  My postal hobby is a perfect outlet for these creative urges and it's a wonderful way to connect with another human being...hopefully sharing the joy of creativity with someone else!

I try, of course, to write interesting, engaging letters to all of my pen friends. I also have been know to liven these letters up with a little mail art. According to Wikipedia, "Mail art (also known as Postal art and Correspondence art is a populist artistic movement centered on sending small scale works through the postal service." There are all kinds of mail art projects and exhibits that one can be a part of.  It's really quite thrilling. Who knows? You may create some mail art, send it through the post and faster than you can lick an envelope, it's displayed at some museum somewhere! Neato! Creating and sending mail art is a great way to get over your fear of failure and break those bonds of perfectionism. You simply create something and send it through the mail. There's always a chance that your recipient could hate your mail art, but in my experience, even the really "weird" pieces of mail I've created are received in a most generous spirit. Pen pals are nice like that.

I recently created a small art journal. It's a simple collection of collage and quotes and doodles. Nothing amazing, just a fun way for me to express myself with color and images and text. Making it was very relaxing. I'm not sure yet if I will mail the whole journal to one recipient or send individual pages to my pen pals. That's the fun of mail art...you get to be creative!!

Join me in making some mail art! It truly is mailbox magic!

Go postal, people!

XOXO Mrs. Murphy