nevers

I've been sending mail art for 15 years and am loving getting involved in it again after a few years' break. My favorite things about mail are making and receiving art and creating personal connections. I'm not much of a collector; I love the process and the intangible things most!

I love making envelopes, decorating postcards, hand-lettering addresses, and creating handmade things to go through the mail.

This is my aesthetic (pinterest board), but most of all I love receiving things in each person's unique style.

(And also, sometimes ya just don't have time to make a work of art when you're mailing out a swap. I totally get that and I don't always have time myself!)

• the ocean (sharks, deep-sea creatures, jellies)
• outer space (the moon, the planets, stars)
• circus (contemporary and vintage, especially trapeze and handstands)
• language, languages, words
• handwriting / hand-lettering / calligraphy
• ways of understanding the body (anatomy -- the sacrum is my favorite bone! -- and holistic health)
• peace and quiet (tea, letters, museums, walks in the woods, writing/journaling, solo train rides)
• dance (ballet, rhythm tap)
• tarot images, archetypes, and ideas
• black-and-white photography
• figure drawing
• images/postcards of the annunciation (though i'm not religious): this is one of the few things I collect!
• minimalist art, abstract expressionism, color fields (agnes martin, ellsworth kelly; pinterest board)
• lines and borders (string figures, watershed boundaries)
• math and science (topology, elementary particles)
• queer culture and community

Postcards

I love handmade, artsy, unique, and/or quirky postcards (feel free to send me a handmade one you are proud of, even if the swap says not to -- I will be delighted and won't rate you down for it! vintage is great too).

It makes me happy when the message side tells me something about the person's day, or asks me questions, or is thoughtful and/or interesting to read.

Tea

I like black tea (flavored and unflavored) and herbal tea. I don't drink green tea much, except for matcha.

Stickers

I have been collecting stickers to use on postcards and letters since I was a kid, and I especially love little ones that fit on the back of a postcard. Please don't send me reward stickers to fulfill a swap requirement, but feel free to send them as extra if you have them -- I do sometimes give them out to my adult circus students just for fun :)

Other Things

Flat(ish) items I like to receive: washi, blank postcards (not touristy), handmade envelopes, fabric scraps, ribbon, sticker sheets (not single cutouts), temporary tattoos (artsy ones for grown-ups, not kiddie ones), and tea. (anything else is fine too -- I can always pass it along!)

Bigger items I'd love to receive: See my Amazon wish list linked to at the top! Any ATC supplies, postcard-making supplies, colored pens and markers (especially brush pens for hand lettering), Instax film, books about drawing and hand lettering, art and photography magazines.

My favorite colors are magenta/raspberry and teal. I feel unreasonably happy any time I see these colors!

Things I'm Less Excited to Receive

I'm not so into tourist postcards, although I like them more if you tell me about YOUR experience with the thing that's pictured! (And sometimes I sign up for tourist PC swaps to give me a reason to send the ones I have... so of course I don't mind receiving them when that's the theme of the swap.)

I don't really use ephemera or die cuts, but I can always pass them along.

Single cut-out stickers are too hard for me to keep organized, so I usually pass those along too.

I love to make, send, and receive handmade postcards, stationery, and envelopes. I also love to make and admire other people's artist books, book art, and zines.

I crochet and sew, but I don't find time for either much lately.

Favorite writers include Anne Carson, Laynie Browne, Maggie Nelson, and Natalie Goldberg. I also love YA fiction, especially anything with dragons.

Female singer-songwriters, folk/acoustic music, classical, and experimental contemporary classical music.