Topics of interest that I will write about here
I have been dreaming up lots of creative projects for the past year. These projects sit at the nexus of four topics that are dear to me and that I see as interconnected:
- Handmade cards, handwritten letters, or likewise tactile expressive written things
- Raising donations for outstanding nonprofits
- Building connection with self and others
- Cultivating gratitude
Here's a few examples of ideas I have that are at the nexus of the above:
- A series of handmade cards, each with a unique serial number. All or a portion of the card's net proceeds get donated to a nonprofit. The person who gives the card and/or the person who receives the card can look up the serial number on a simple website. The website would be inspired by Against Malaria Foundation's donation tracking, where you can see your donation amount and what it funded.
- A series of exploratory blog posts that look into how to make meaningful messages that sit in our digital home (email archive, messaging apps etc) more salient. I like seeing examples of people framing their favourite emails on the wall, or turning their one-star amazon reviews into frame poetry, for that matter.
- Posts or products that help people reduce the various frictions they may feel between themselves and sending the cards and letters that they want to send.
- Making a gift for a friend, and the gift is a set of readymade cards and a sheath of stamps so that it's that much easier to send cards to people.
- Collaborating with nonprofits to incorporate customized cards into their relationship management with donors and other special stakeholders in their success.
- Personal posts that detail my journey to send the people in my life the things I want to send them -- I'm inspired to work on the above in part because there's a huge gap between how much I want to make and send cards/things to people, and how much I actually do it!
- I'm obsessed with (but don't currently do) all sorts of printmaking techniques, as well as shibori. I'd love to incorporate things like printing, stamps, and dye into handmade card projects.
- A community project where I hold office hours and people can drop by and have an accountability buddy to do things including (a) sending that person you've been meaning to thank a thank-you message or email or card, (b) doing a 5-minute favour for someone, © writing a card to someone in the community. I would provide cards and stamps and an easy way to mail for folks that didn't have these things on hand.
- A project in my professional community that encourages people to share more positive feedback, gratitude, sincere compliments, and paper mail (postcards, thank-you cards, etc.). The aim would be to help people wring more meaning and warm fuzzies out of the meaningful interactions that mostly take place online on Slack, email etc.
- A project that collects up all the card sets that get donated to thrift stores or thrown in the recycling when supermarkets get rid of them...and upcycles them somehow into something else that can then be used.
- Examples of people's cherished thank you card on their wall, fridge, etc., people who frame letters etc.
- One-sided cards where the message and the art is on the same side so that you can put it on your fridge or up somewhere and you're more likely to actually reengage with the sentiment on the card rather than only ever seeing the front page.