Sunday Scarps: How to Get Mail That You're Excited to Open
Finding answers through the process
Hi, it's Amber- and welcome to Sunday Scraps! Every week, I send you creative ideas, book recommendations, and, hopefully, a kind nudge to turn what you love into positive action. I'm obsessed with the materials around us and finding ways to combat the negative impact of fast fashion and overconsumption.
Three ways that you can make an impact this week:
Sign up to get a postcard: It’s 100% FREE. I make the postcard, pay for the postage, and you enjoy the note.
Leave a comment and tell me about something that you want to learn or get better at in the next 90 days. [I want to continue to learn more about sewing my own clothes]
Commit to not buying any new clothes in July
While having dinner with a friend, I mentioned that I wanted to send a fabric postcard but couldn't figure out how to get the stamp to stick, and then, would I overcomplicate it, probably, and want to stitch the message?
I want people to get more fun mail. The kind of mail that made you excited as a kid to walk out to the mailbox, open the door, and see YOUR name on something inside. To hold an object, not scroll by a photo of one. To use it as a bookmark, hang it on your fridge, or stash it in a notebook to discover at random moments. The constraints for my postcard project are that it needs to connect to my substack, be repeatable, aka not take 100 hours to create one postcard, and must be made with materials I already have.
This week, I started experimenting because, at a certain point, the questions need to leave your mind and move through your hands. You need to make mistakes and begin to solve problems.
You need to make many things to learn and iron out the kinks; many artists would create thumbnails or sketches. Years ago, I knew that was not how many creative practices worked, so I just went for it instead of fighting it. 50 test postcards over 50 days, and hopefully, somewhere in those 50 tests, I'll find the final design. If you want to receive one of the test postcards, fill out this form with your name and mailing list, and I'll send them out as I create them.
Problems to Solve:
Create a postcard with materials that I have that connect to either or both Sunday Scraps and the Over_Under Project. There are bits of fabric in drawers, bags, baskets, and of course, a few scattered on the floor. Many of the scraps are from the Over_Under project, so one thing is for sure: the postcard design will use fabric.
What I Learned:
While working on the first few, I was reminded of how much I love to sew paper. There is something about the way that it feels moving through the machine as the needle punches holes through the surface.
Remember to leave room for the stamp. This may seem obvious, but
While sewing the paper together, it creates a line that frames and begins to interact with the fabric sketch. I didn't consider this the first time around.
What I'll Try Next:
White space. I want to explore allowing for more white space. I liked the fabric sketches more before they were added to the paper. I think they either need to be smaller, or the fabric needs to cover the entire front of the piece; I'll explore both as I create 50 postcards.
On Going List of Things to do:
Develop a process/design style that I like
Create a stamp or some information that tells about Sunday Scraps
Continue to collect addresses so that I can send fun mail
Read:
The Book of Alchemy is a series of essays, each end with a creative prompt. I enjoyed that it was easy to skip over an essay if it wasn’t something that grabbed my interest, and was an easy book to pick and up and read, while working my way through a few others.
The Shape of Goodbye: LaTonya Yvette
“Goodbyes are evolution and transition, Serena said- words that I, too, have said. What remains true for all of us is the importance of how we say goodbye. The words we use to say goodbye. How we take care of others when we do.
Maybe most important, how goodbyes make room for something new.”
Day In The Life Of My Dreams: Hollye Jacobs
“You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.”
What I Learned From The Astronauts: Oliver Jeffers
“And as an artist, it was perhaps my biggest epiphany- that the most powerful thing we can do as civilized human beings is change the story. We can always, always, change the story.”
The To-Feel List: Sky Banyes
“Even in everyday responsibilities such as work and family, I realized that the upstream of every “to-do” was actually a “to-feel”: useful, financially secure, loving, loved.”
Watch:
Wrote:
We finished the last 5 days of Creative Push: 10 Days to Publish. Creative Push members can access this course and Portfolio Push at any time in the archives.
Day 5 : Your job as the writer
Day 6 : Your job as the illustrator
Day 7 : Your job as the editor
Day 8 : Your job as the marketer
Day 10 : Publish Your Book
I offer at least 4 Creative Push courses throughout the year. The courses are short and include daily instruction and actionable prompts. Leave a comment and let me know what you would like to learn next.