The Art of Snail Mail

Joy comes in many forms, and for me this stems from interpreting and sifting through the many ideas inside of my mind to come up with a creative project that could take moments or months.

I am a maker through and through. Pre-sleep minutes are filled with thoughts of the next day's creative endeavors and early morning is used to maximize the hours ahead with as much creation as possible. As a freelance artist and designer, my days are a whirlwind of projects and the personal ones are lifted onto a pedestal inside of my heart.

Almost every day my hand reaches towards the glass beaker that holds my favorite creative tools and what I grab is a pair of scissors to snip or snip snip snip with. Low key I am not ashamed to admit that I am obsessed with scissors. A utilitarian person might stop at owning one pair, but that person is not me. Why own one pair when you could have five and use them all in the pursuit of projects that fill my life up with beauty.

The art of snail mail has been a hobby I have always leaned into. Special shoutout to the United States Postal Service for always delivering each of my creations, although I hope that the one time during adolescence I sent the cute boy at the bookstore a parcel with no return address had mysteriously disappeared. Each time I sit down to focus on a particular piece for a new friend or an old friend a mini world is born filled with textures, shapes and moments for pause. This age-old form of communication is slowly being weeded out in the digital realm but I see the beauty in letter writing and parcel sending, especially the playful kind. I have a big bag of odd & ends that get incorporated into each piece for that personal touch.

A kind piece of mail can alter a person's mood, so why not send something which will act as a pat on the back for the receiver. A star in my mail making kit is a pair of scissors. Without them how would I cut the paper into new shapes or the colorful tape I use to seal each piece off? The act of making is so therapeutic and necessary for me. Ideas are born for a reason and I am a full fledged believer that if more people trusted and listened to their creative instincts, the happier we will be as a society.

This past April I wanted to send friends pep talks and my vision included colorful paper with an illustration I had made on one side and a hand written uplifting note on the other side. The design style was long sheets of paper so after printing, each paper was hand cut twice to create a total of three pep talks from one letter sheet. Over 35 people, both friends and acquaintances, requested one via my Instagram and this really enforced my hypothesis that people are craving pieces of mail that make them smile and make them feel seen. One of my friends told me this was one of her favorite projects of mine and that made it all worth it. I sealed each bubblegum pink envelope off with a bright piece of tape making sure I snipped each end for that clean cut tape look.

I enjoy sending mail so much that I send myself pieces from time to time. Some are just howdy's from past Angelina for future Angelina to read while others are a way for me to experiment with the material I have at hand in the name of art. I highly recommend sending yourself a piece of mail that you pour your love into. Have fun with it, think outside of the box and use different materials to make an abstract paper playground that you will forget about and then be surprised to receive from the mail fairies!

Reasons why you should send more happy mail:

- You will have fun making something special

-The receiver will be surprised with the mail you created

-The deliver person will probably smile when they see it

-The world will become a happier place, tada!