Tuesday, October 27, 2009

What is Mail Art, and Why is it The Best Kind of Art Ever?

Mail art is an amazing thing, it is art, that you get in the mail. Making mail art is as fun as receiving it! It is great to create new artwork and then to just set it free into the world. Sending mail art to strangers across the globe will help you make friends and get a better world experience. It is easy to find people to send mail art to on the internet. Just google "open mail art call."

A mail art call is where someone requests mail art to be sent to them. Sometimes people want mail art to follow a theme. Some request that the mail art must only be on a certain medium, such as compact discs. Others request mail art that is only on postcards.

The only thing that is not mail art is something that does not have a stamp on it, or that was not sent through the mail.

If you want to make mail art it is simple. The best way to start is to just make some postcards with drawings, paintings or collages on them. After that you can start making your own rubber stamps, sewing designs, or making your own paper.

It is a good idea to start your mail art adventure with postcards because they are cheap to ship all of the country and the world. The only thing that you are bound by in your art creation is your imagination.

Lots of people are happy to trade mail art all over the world. If you are one of these people, I recommend that you post an open mail art call. It is really easy to do, and people will send you all sorts of neat items. Catalog them like I have done below, and send them some mail art in return. This is the best kind of sharing.

Imagine opening your mailbox and finding a tiny portrait, or collage from Mongolia. How amazing would it be if you found an envelope stuffed with product wrappers from the Iberian Peninsula? Weird things like this are common in the world of Mail art. I recommend that you start mailing these things out today.

Mail art is the best kind of art ever because it is super accessible to all levels of artists. Creating new projects and sending them abroad will drastically improve your skills. Also, you will get a lot of inspiration from all of the art that you get to trade with. Mail art is the best type of art because the shared medium creates a place where artists of different calibers can meet on a level playing field.