National Letter Writing week has come to an end, and this picture represents a large part of my participation. I gathered as many addresses as I could find, some bloggers, some real life friends, and even the European Paper Company (in thanks for linking to my blog), and I wrote letters. Lots and lots of letters. I forget the final count, but there were many.
On the receiving side, I got a couple of things from random people who visited SendSomething. I didn't expect to get many letters or cards this week, as I have come to live by the motto "Send some to get some." I hope that my letters sent out this week spark conversation with interesting people from all over the country. If not? I hope the recipients enjoyed them, at least.
I also learned a valuable lesson. Yes, I might receive mail, but I don't have to respond right away. I wrote myself out of ideas and topics to talk about. By the last letter I mailed out yesterday, I had nothing left to say, and was scraping the bottom of the barrel for topics to discuss. So, my letters to respond to pile has grown, but in the end, my replies to them will be much more meaningful and interesting.
On the mail art front, I'm sort of conflicted. I read a forum post somewhere that collages don't count as mail art. But, I have to ponder the definition of art. To me, art is a creative expression of an idea, thought, emotion, or event. Be it text, painting, knitting, videos on youtube, whatever. I would venture to say that anything that an individual thinks is art is actually art. Would I call myself an artist? No, at least not in the terms of mail art. I have a long way to go before I create something that I view as art. But the fun is all in the journey!