I Designed A Few Postcards For Solange & I Hope They Make It To Her Safely.
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I often feel like a pandemic baby.
Obviously I wasn’t born in 2020, but it feels like my career was.
In this lifetime I don’t possess any memories where I don’t consider myself an artist. (I have moments where my self-esteem is in the pits of hell, and my imposter syndrome is at an all time high, but those moments don’t count. To my core, I truly do feel like an artist & I feel as though I fall short trying to be anything else.)
From my earliest days I have always gravitated towards artful storytelling and expression. But it wasn’t until we were alone together that people beyond my bubble began to notice me and my work.
It’s interesting because the validation I so desperately yearned for, came at a time in 2020 where I went months without physical interaction with anyone beyond my family at home. The white walls of the bedroom gave my mind a canvas to roam free. I was 19 years old getting ready to bid farewell to my teenhood and step into my young adulthood, while the world presented me with a reality I never could have imagined.
It was equally frightening, saddening, and intriguing to log on to the internet and see reports of my people being killed by police brutality and COVID-19, while thousands of people were supporting me, and rallying around my creations. (I’m still not sure if the love was genuine or pity. My goal isn’t to determine that.)
It was a time where the world urgently needed to be reminded of the beauty and importance of Black existence beyond our trauma, reflected in our art. We were hurting, fearful, angry, and thankful for each other. I felt a tight bond with my people and a certain obligation to them, all through my phone screen.
That time had its pros and its cons.
I wasn’t the same person when it was “all over” & we began reopening establishments and removing our mask.
Now 4 years [somewhat] removed, and it feels like I am still relearning how to interact with people offline.
This year I am making it a priority to produce more physical works and participate in more interactions beyond my screen. This resolution was birthed out of my concern for the state of print media, my sparse family photo archive & my pursuit to create new objects and relationships to guide me on my journey. I’m not abandoning my virtual presence, as it has afforded me spaces that my current pockets or occupancy could not do alone. If anything I want to increase my physical presence to extend those virtual opportunities into a new realm.
Graduating with a journalism degree & then almost a year later watching publications go through mass layoffs, file for bankruptcy and surrender to an algorithm that doesn’t consider the well-being & livelihood of the people it is affecting, has me shaken to my core. I am terrified of a world that exists without print media. Books, magazines, newspapers, and even my family photo album, has influenced me in a way that digital can’t. I get to linger with the work longer. Trips down memory lane loop like ferris wheels at the State Fair. At the top of the attraction I see myself, my home, my aspirations, and the potential of a community looking to release their worries, express themselves freely, and keep our legacies alive.
I think about the feeling of getting a letter in the mail. How it feels to take it out of the mailbox, rip the envelope open, and slide out paper painted in ink. I think about how the words and images don’t have to compete with impending notifications fighting for my attention.
I think about how it feels to buy a new book and bury myself in stories that transport me to places that I can’t currently travel to, because I still haven’t gotten my passport. (Soon though, very soon)
I think about how I have no photos of my mother pregnant with me, or my grandmother as a child. I think about the joy I experience sitting on my father’s couch flipping through the photo albums that are missing memories not captured. Memories that I assume could help me as I navigate being a Black woman from the south trying to make rent and good art in one of the fastest cities in the world.
I think about how I no longer walk the same streets that I did while in college. The people that loved me and those that hurt me the past 5 years have now dispersed, and I am in search of a new core community. I want to build a new home and fill it with new objects.
I think about how one day I will be a Mother.
I think about how all of these thoughts exist even if Instagram goes down for the umpteenth time this week. But no shade to Instagram though, because without it I wouldn’t have seen that one of my favorite artist, Solange, is currently accepting postcards.
On March 1st, Solange took to her Instagram to announce her “Cut and Shoot” postcard series, marking the the 5 year anniversary of her fourth studio album, “When I Get Home.” A release of 3 postcards designed by Sabla Stays plus an invitation to send in our own postcards, she described the series as one to continue her exploration of fostering tangible connection through physical matter and physical space.
As I read through the full caption, and gazed at the portrait shot by Renell Medrano, I felt so seen. This series aligned perfectly with my resolution. It felt a bit surreal to see an opportunity to connect with a woman whose artistry and journey I have admired for so long, but also felt so far away from, be accessible to me. I immediately knew that I wanted to participate.
In this essay I will detail how I brought my postcards to life & how you can too with 3 simple steps.
Step 1: Design [Conceive]
It started with a mood board & an examination of my current work stream.
Solange’s world building abilities have inspired me to craft this Soular Lab universe. So it only made sense for my postcard(s) to reflect this space.
I landed on crafting three 4x6 designs that could speak to concepts that I am currently exploring in relation to this platform. I wanted the designs to feel less like fan art & more like a “thank you” + an introduction.
The images I pulled for this mood board mirror themes that spotlight the mind, the body, the natural world and man made objects that have become essential to my exploration.
Designed with Canva, I utilized a combination of imported elements and their vast database of premium media.
Each of the finished designs reflect a larger project that I have recently released or will be releasing soon.
1. SOULAR ESSENTIALS
I just recently dropped my first merch capsule for this platform. I’ve had Soular Lab for 3 years, yet I have no items that speak to the branding I’ve worked so hard on.
With this design I wanted to focus on the physical objects that I consider to be essentials, but in the signature Soular orange color way.
I won’t go into detail about why these items, but if you ever want to have a conversation about them, I would love to speak to each object specifically.
You check out the capsule the design was inspired by HERE
2. A Mother’s Daughter
I am always exploring my Black womanhood through my work. I wanted this postcard to speak directly to that.
With this design I wanted to highlight my “Mama sun” symbol. I created the woman in the middle from an image that I seen in a black hair magazine and turned into a silhouette. I combined it with the Soular rays & starburst shape.
I chose to feature this symbol because it is one that I will be utilizing in quite a bit of my work, that is to be released.
It’s a bit of a teaser, if you will.
3. Explore, Document, Reflect
Lastly I wanted to highlight the three pillars of Soular Lab; Explore, Document, Reflect(EDR) Because I just gave my first public lecture style talk, where I go in depth about how these pillars inform the creative process that I employ. (The recap will be my next personal essay)
With this design I wanted to pay homage to the physical body and it’s connection to the physical world.
EDR is all about using the experiences we've made, to give back to the universe.
You have a ton of creative freedom with the direction of your designs. the only recommendation I would give, is to make sure that your From & To are 12pt size & capitalized, to ensure that the postal workers can read the information and send it to the correct location.
(As you can see my font size is correct, but I didn’t know to capitalize until Step 3. Don’t be like me)
Step 2: Print [Labor]
Once I finished designing, it was time to print.
I chose Office Depot because there was no quantity minimum.
I selected the 4x6 Invitation & Announcement template, but you can also choose 5x7 and it will still be accepted by USPS.
They gave me the option to import a finished design or design with Canva. I would recommend that even if you are going to create with Canva, to do it on your own account & import so that you have the saved project. Just in case you want to use your work in future designs, separate from the postcard format & Office Depot. (spoiler alert: I turned mine into posters, that I think you should buy :)
Their import software was super easy to use. I just uploaded my files, chose my print options (no envelope & 12pt matte), and reviewed my order to submit.
I spent a total of $16.42 for 2 copies of each design + shipping.
It took 4 days for the postcards to deliver. When they arrived they were everything that I imagined.
Step 3: Mail [Let Go]
Finally it was time to write my messages, get stamps, and send them off.
Each cards messages was different & somewhat pertained to the visual on the front. I encourage you to not only write directly to Solange, but also explore poems, list, thoughts, or any other writing form that you enjoy. I believe that this will help to speak further to your personality and how you use your voice.
I then took a nice walk to my post office & it is here that my emotions began to run high. (I think it’s because by sending these cards I open myself up to new opportunity, Solange potentially knowing I exist & wanting her to like what I’ve made.)
4 p.m. on a Friday, the post office was packed.
After waiting 30 minutes behind a crying frustrated woman (yes, she shed actual tears) who demanded better of our federal workers (she wasn’t entirely wrong, but also the Black man behind the counter more than likely didn’t deserve her breakdown on a Friday afternoon when he was probably doing the best he could) I got 3 stamps for $2.04 and the postcards were sent off.
I bring up the lady at the counter because the interaction is one that got me thinking. I thought about how we treat our essential workers. I also thought about how Black women often get the run around when we are trying to accomplish what may be deemed as simple tasks. Conflict is a theme that I need to keep exploring.
These observations are key to our human growth & I wouldn’t have them, if I stayed on my phone and wasn’t present.
Overall I really enjoyed this process.
It was pretty low maintenance & inexpensive to complete.
I spent a total of $18.46.
(I’m sure if I had a printer and paper cutter at home, I probably could’ve completed the project for almost free. But less than $20 isn’t bad.)
I hope that these postcards make it to Solo safely.
I hope that when she sees the designs and reads the messages that she feels something.
And if for some reason they never make it to her eyes, I still am happy that I was able to create a tangible item for my archive, that forced me to get out of my room and take advantage of our local post office.
I also got to share this process with you.(and that’s always a win for me)
I also hope that by me sharing my process that you feel inspired to support Solange or design and send your own postcards.
In these times, it is more than important that we harvest and foster physical connections. If we don’t preserve these connections and continue to give birth to new ones we will lose ourselves and each other.
I truly believe tangibility will outlive our current understanding of technology.
Massive thank you to Solange for creating this series!
You can find out more information about the series and purchase postcards from Solo herself at Solangemusic.com
If you like my designs and want to support my pursuit in completing more projects like this one
shop my current creations below: