Weekword: Mail

A list of all this week’s participants is given at the end of this post

I decided to be selfish and choose a word that I knew I could write about this week.  No shame in that!   I think everyone loves to receive things in the mail (barring bills and parking tickets…), and I’m certainly no exception.  Regular readers will know that I’m fascinated by mail (or post, which is what we normally call it here in the UK) of all sorts.  Mail-based art projects are a particular love of mine.

PostSecret is probably the most well known mail project around these days.  If you’re not familiar with it then the basic premise is that people mail in their secrets, anonymously, on a homemade postcard.  It’s part art project, and part something else I can’t define.  The secrets range from the humorous to the poignant to the downright shocking.  It’s all human life, on one little postcard at a time.

These are the three books I’ve got on mail art at the moment (no doubt my collection will grow!).  Envelopes is a great read, and I thought Harriet had some great ideas.  I’m still only halfway through The Englishman Who Posted Himself, although I’ve found that inspirational too, and Mail Me Art is still on my ‘to read’ pile.

My last mail-based project is still ongoing, although it’s been shelved for a while.  Inspiration by Post was conceived last March, and if you’d like to read more about it then click here.  I’ve got quite a few submissions still to deal with, and hopefully I’ll get a chance to pick this project up again in the new year.

Thanks for reading, and please visit the other Weekword participants to see what they’ve posted this week

 

• Jennifer at Architette
• Sally at Diario
• Emily at Ready for an Adventure
• Katy at Creating Misericordia
• Helen at Autistic Inner Space