In this new life I have created since I retired form education, I have gotten involved in many artsy adventures. I take many classes at Art More Place here in town. I also participate in Lifebook and The Documented Life Project. I have done many art card swaps through Facebook.
One of my most recent adventures was participating in the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap. To participate you create postcards of your art and then swap with people around the world. First I had to think-what is “my art”? Well…the host of the swap assured us it could be a photograph we took or a photograph of something we created. You could also create postcards by painting them.
I decided to use some photographs of favorite pieces I had created and use photographs I loved. I figured while I was ordering postcards I’d order a few extra.
I created a pinterest board to make it easy to remember this swap.
This was very exciting for me-postcards, with my stuff on them! I’d been saying lately how I would like to get back to sending real mail instead of all this internet stuff-now I could!
Choosing my postcards and mailing them to the organizer was exciting enough. It gets more exciting when you start getting postcards from all over the world. Then I had several people on the Liberate Your Art site do side swaps with me as well. Not only did I get beautiful postcards, learn to liberate my art, but I got to share stamps with a young stamp collector-I got her one from the United Kingdom and one from Australia.
Sadly, it appears this swap is only once a year. This little adventure has changed how I see my art and has given me ideas! I have beautiful shots of the beach and my grandson and other nature shots-now I can do something within them instead of them sitting on my computer. I am about to order more postcards of my work and maybe I will start my own swap or see if others would like to continue. I must say of all the things I have done, this was one of the least intensive yet greatly rewarding. Can’t wait to do it again! The painting at the beginning of this post is a new one I made at Art More Place and will be included in my next swap!
Thank you Kat for helping me liberate my art!
Your turn! Think of something you have created (could be a photo)-it could be a cake, something you grew, something you created. Post a picture of it in comments (copy/paste should work). Also, entertain the thought of making postcards of pictures/things you love!
Wasn’t is fun?!!! I’m already thinking about next year!
I know! It has changed the way I see things. Now I have a folder in photos where I am already putting photos I have taken to make into postcards. I have taken some awesome shots of grandson at the beach and his “artwork” at the beach I want to include too!
Hi Debra, I look forward to LYA every year. Like you, I have been wanting to get back to snail mail more and lya is perfect for that. Glad you joined and wonderful painting!
Hi Debra,
So glad you got involved with LYA this year, it really is fun getting art in the mail instead of just bills! Would love to swap with you next year, see you in 2016.
Thanks Janice…you never know…when I get a batch of postcards printed I may contact you for a swap!
Thanks Juana-like I said to Janice, I am going to order some postcards soon. I may just have a postcard party and mail a bunch out! Funny how such a small thing can make life so interesting!
So fun. I loved it.
Great idea to create a LYA Pinterest Board! So smart you are. Wonderful works of art!
Thanks for thinking I am smart! My friend Mychele helped me get my blog going and honestly I was afraid I would have an issue getting all the pictures on…but pinterest I know how to do! Now that I have seen others I can see there are other ways to do it. Thanks for commenting!
Me too! Thanks for the comment.
This post card swap was fun 🙂
So glad you took part – hope to swap with you next year 🙂
So glad you took the leap and enjoyed the swap, Debra! Mail art is a beautiful world, much of my own art is created solely for that purpose. I highly recommend that you look into it and try it on for size if you enjoyed this experience so much, you’ll truly love extending it…. To start you off, you can send a piece to me, at the address on my blog and I will return one to you. The network I belong to is vast… I don’t think I go more than a few days without a piece of mail art landing in my mail box. 😀
Yes, this postcard swap was so fun and heart-filling! Perhaps we’ll meet via postcard in 2016! In the meantime, visit me at: http://www.kathrynvwhite.com/blog/2015-liberate-your-art-postcard-swap-so-much-fun Cheers!
Hello! I’m doing the blog hop thing–fun to see what others received, and trying to discover where some of mine have landed. I so enjoy getting “real” mail! This was my 1st year, and I definitely want to do it again! Thank you for sharing–have an inspired and art-full year!
My first year too! See you next time. I have only seen one of my cards once…One nice person sent me a card because she got mine!
I will visit you Kathryn-thank you!
Ok I will do as you asked. Please tell me more! I am involved with artsy people here. One person saves all postcard mail, paints over it and re mails. I have started to do that as well as love mail within groups I belong too. would love to do more so if there is somewhere I should go…please let me know!
What a lovely idea…to be getting mail art almost every day. And you never know how much that person may need that sunshine…
So happy to have participated in the Swap this year and so wonderful to see what you received. See you text time!
I have yet to visited all the blogs-have been traveling a bit. Need to sit with my coffee and do the blog trip this week when I am home…
Gorgeous work!!! Like the Pinterest board, that was a great idea!
Thank you. Maintaining and building a site for art is tricky-pinterest is easy!!!