The Postcard Club
The Postcard Club Story
I had two goals: print my photos and send more mail.
After a five-month check-in with myself I realized I’ve done none of one and very little of the other. Clayton, on the other hand, is a pro at handwritten letters. His cursive may be hard to read, but he gets the intention executed (gets the letter out the door). I’m the wannabe. I have good intentions but never have a stamp to complete the process.
Lately, I’ve been able to re-group on my yearly goals and take advantage of long-walk chats and brainstorms.
We realized that a highlight while being home is the mid-day minute we get to walk down the driveway to the mailbox. With no expectation of what’s inside, each day is a treat to pull out the contents. Of course, sometimes it’s nothing but bills, but other times, we’ve hit the jackpot; a letter, a card, or a note from a friend!
Each time we received a note, it was motivation to write back and brighten these darker days with some joy.
From there, mixed with Clayton’s motivation, brainpower and weekend work ethic, The Postcard Club was born.
The purpose behind this project is to encourage people of all ages to put pen to paper and send a quick note to family and friends.
I realized how connected mail can make us feel. It’s a deeper ‘I'm thinking about you’ then a text message, email or DM on Instagram can provide.
We created a brand that felt classic but modern. Snail mail is a familiar art we can all experience in the current times.
So with ideas in mind and no weekend travels, we got to work. We spent time choosing what photos to print (more on that below) and how to make a package fit together. It felt good to finally fulfill my goal of printing some photos. I’m so used to seeing my photos digitally and scrolling through them it was such a thrill to hold a stack of printed postcards with my very own photographs on them!
The concept for The Postcard Club is simple.
To join The Postcard Club you subscribe to receive a package of four beautiful postcards and four stamps each quarter. From there, it’s up to you. You decide who to send them to and when they should go out! Each quarter we will be releasing new postcard designs, illustrations, paintings, or photography. Our hope is to showcase various artists across the country (globe?!) on the postcards. A fun way to keep on connecting through the art of mail.
We also wanted to include a ‘kids pack.’ The Young Creator’s Kit is designed to interest kids (big or small) who favor graphics or illustrations over photography. Both Clayton and I have young nieces and nephews in our lives and we hope they too get to experience the delight of receiving handwritten correspondence (other than Amazon packages) in their mailbox. Or better yet, are eager to receive a pack to write and send themselves.
Connection in any manner is essential and The Postcard Club is our way of providing that outlet.
The Photo Selection: Scenes from Santa Fe
The hardest part of postcard printing was determining which photos to print first. Having hardly printed ANY photos I’ve taken, I was nervous to commit to choosing only three images, (one postcard is designated to the logo)!
I dug through my hard drives and kept coming back to the spring of 2017 which was spent during our time in Santa Fe. We loved it there. New Mexico is a majestic place with beautiful scenery almost foreign to us 'Midwesterners.’ My photos consisted of wild landscapes and interesting street finds, but collectively each photo hosted vibrant colors. There were bold red chili peppers, indigo doors and an array of bright turquoise.
Noticing how prominent the turquoise coloring was, it became obvious to look for images that included this memorable color. I began sorting. After a lot of back and forth, I chose the mailbox, the western truck and my favorite, the door frame scene.
I can remember the day I took these. I packed up a backpack and headed out of our little apartment while Clayton was at work. My photography journey was just beginning. I was unsure of what settings to use and went back and forth taking multiple exposures of each photo. It’s encouraging thinking back to how much I’ve learned since then.
Narrowing down the options, the three I choose told a story. Lay them next to each other and you too can get a taste of a sunny afternoon in Santa Fe.
I was excited to see my photos in print and of course Clayton and I love them because they remind us of our little adventure of living out west. I hope you can feel a part of that experience too.
Keep creating, and now of course, writing.
-Emma
