A few weeks back, when I suggested in my seasonal post 25 Ways to Fill Up Your Summer Sketchbook, “idea number 13: use a sketchbook page to keep a log of summer postcards received by drawing them (this probably implies you sending a few postcards also)”, one of the responses was “I wish people still sent postcards.” This got me thinking…
Today, I’m sitting at my desk, here in Yorkshire. Before me is a very happy pile of postcards which I’ve recently received from friends around the world - old friends and new ones too. The visual journaling retreat I taught in Portugal a few weeks ago brought like-minded souls together and one of the best outcomes (which I could never have foretold) was that one of the participants set up a pen-pal plan for us. We’ve just received our first post and it was wonderful!
The tradition of corresponding by postcard began in the late 19th century as an informal alternative to the traditional letter.
In this article, the English Heritage notes:
Postcards were introduced to Britain in 1870 and became an instant success. For the first time, the nation could send informal, cheap and easy correspondence rather than a long time-consuming letter.
In 1871, around 75 million postcards were sent in Britain and by 1910 over 800 million were being sent each year. For a population of almost 45 million at that time, that’s an average of just under 18 postcards being sent per person annually. If you write a postcard today you might talk about what you’ve been up to, how the weather has been, a fun anecdote and 100 years ago it was no different. The traditional postcard served a lighter purpose too: letting friends and family know what they were missing while you enjoyed your holiday.
Read more on this: Postcards, The Postal Museum and Census 2021.
Truth be told, ever since I was a little girl, I have collected postcards everywhere I go. This is probably because throughout my childhood and teenage years, I used to send a summer postcard to all of my close friends. I would also receive some back and build a collection - I had a box in which I stored them and loved reading them from time to time. This tradition continued year after year. Being a romantic at heart, my hope is to keep the tradition going for a little longer (one small purchase always makes a difference).
My studio wall is covered with postcard art prints by Matisse and Van Gogh, as well as postcards with fun typography, photography, colourful book covers, the list goes on.
In coming days, I will find a new home for the new postcards I’ve recently received and this will probably be up on my studio wall. There is so much joy in receiving postcards and in curating my very own little gallery. But I could also get a box back out… more on this soon.
This has brought me to consider a way to facilitate something similar here in the Time Foragers’ Club. We are, after all, a club of friends who meet online to create together, why not send each other paper treats, such as postcards as well?
So to help kick off the fun, I’ll send the first 5 participants a handwritten postcard from Yorkshire in coming days. Here’s how to take part!
answer these personalised questions in the comments below (please copy&paste):
Your first name
The country you currently live in
Your current favourite type of ice cream
What you love most about summertime
find someone to contact and share postal details with (message them via private Substack messages)
contact as many pen pals as you’d like
send a postcard to your new pen pals in coming 3 weeks
if you are contacted by too many people, it’s fine to keep them as potential contacts for our Autumn postal forum (this will not be the last) or simply say ‘sorry, I’ve sent as many as I wanted to this summer’ - 100% ok! You can edit your comment to say this. Another option is to delete your comment altogether below so that no-one else contacts you this time!
Important NB: Of course we want this to be fun but please do not share personal information (your specific postal address) to anyone that you haven’t interacted with or seen around for long in the club, unless you feel comfortable doing this. Since I posted this forum, several people have joined. A good tip is to have a look at their past activity, likes, etc to check they are legit but also you may choose to ask a local friend or other alternative postal address to receive post on your behalf until you know a little more. I cannot take responsibility for this part of the penpal forum, so please always be vigilant! 💌
The Day the Crayon Came Home by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
On Holiday, Remembering Yesterday’s Holidays with Paul Atterbury
This is a small list of the type of postcards you could send, just to get us thinking!! But of course, feel free to add your own ideas.
a favourite spot you’ve recently visited
a print of a painting by a favourite artist
a seasonal illustrated recipe
a poem or a quote
the cheesiest 1980’s tourist destination
a book cover
a movie fan poster
an illustrated map
or you could create your very own…
If you’re feeling bold, all you need for this is some card (or a pack of watercolour postcards like shown below) and some materials, and you can fill up the card with your favourite colours!
We will explore more of this in the autumn but to keep to the summer theme, here are a few ideas:
colour swatches that remind you of a place you’ve recently visited
a sunset
the view from your window
summer wildflowers
coastal stripes on a t-shirt
a landscape
ice cream cones and different colours of scoops
palm trees
anything that you’ve seen during this season
I hope this will bring you great joy this summer and that you can find a pen pal or two to correspond with in coming weeks.
Remember, the first 5 to take part will get a postcard from me!! I can’t wait to get these in the post!!!
See you over in the comments below (please note that the comments for this post are exclusive to paying members but you can become a paying subscriber by clicking the button)!!
Thanks so much for reading! If you’re new around here, welcome!
🍋 Join us and carve out time to be creative with us in the club! The Time Foragers’ Club is an opportunity to meet together, celebrate the seasons and create.
📮 Find out what’s included in the Founding Members’ subscription (it includes even more snail mail!!)
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🌸 See you soon! xx
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