You Guys Ever Mail Stuff You Don't Like?

[jon foster]

One of the fun things about sending out items you hate is they go away. This seems obvious, but it’s also a nice freedom about mailing everything you make. Currently I have a stockpile of about 12-15 larger items and that’s all I have of my work. At this point I’ve probably sent 500 or 600 smaller postcards. Sometimes I get images of that work back, and other times they just disappear. This is just part of the process. I’m sure many of the things I’ve received from far greater artists were hard to put in the mail.

In the case of these two larger cards, I’m completely happy to see them go. I don’t like them. I even wrote on the back that I didn’t like them. Don’t remember who I sent them to at this point…just the next in the list. I used a nice layer of ripped stickers to my usual routine, which felt like a good idea but ended up being a pretty bad one. From there I ripped a few more things and added to the top, but what’s made them terrible is the bright tape I put over the front. At first I was like, “Sure, why not…let’s add some tape…let’s be adventurous.” I did it and immediately regretted the decision. It was easy to drop these in the mailbox. I was happy to see them go. Maybe the two folks that receive these will enjoy them or at least find something like they about them. Oh well, next time!

Not sure who I mailed these items to. Let me know what you think!

[De Villo Sloan]

BF - geez, no need to apologize. I love what you've sent. With ma - you can have all these different points of view. No one is expected to adhere to a school or aesthetic. And the flow of ideas & inspiration is amazing because of the acceptance.

And folks like Cracker and Oh Boy - they are among the greats in my book.

I was sort of insinuating more the view of the Fluxus side of things or people doing DaDa or Neo-Punk. I think it's a vital presence. And anti-art - well it's a different approach so there's a different view of time and quality. But it is also sincere expression and communication, I think.

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Bless me for daring to wonder about a blessed member of the clergy, but it's kind of far out to judge the sending of anything as mail art, ain't it! Yep. The spirit of it and all that.

Last year Carina and I exchanged image-transfer works we considered utterly ugly failures. Turned out I really loved hers and she loved mine. Go Jon go ~~~   

[jon foster]

@De Villo---wow, thanks so much for the thoughts. I like your interpretation for sure.

 

@BF-Just because I didn't like how the work turned out, it dosen't mean that I didn't put a lot of work and thought into it, because I did. I just wasn't super happy about the results.

[The Blessed Father]

I started doing mail art in the early 1990's and got my inspiration from EZ Smith, Oh Boy, The Cracker Jack Kid 

and others. These artist put time and thought into what they mailed and it was always a joy to receive. I put a lot of time into developing an idea, artistamps, rubber stamps, and printing an envelope to complete the project. I

apologize to Mr Sloan for sending him such embarrassing non-mail art.  BF

[De Villo Sloan]

Or with found objects - I send you a button from my ex-girlfriend's shirt. You ask: "Why did this moron mail me a button?" But, you know, I sent you a piece of my life. I shared that with you, and now you're a part of it. And it's art & life mixed. True Realism. Not contrived or mediated. 

[De Villo Sloan]

& because Jon was a part of the Neo-Punk Mail-art Revival a few years back, you know that whole Punk wave thing was about insulting your "audience" and revealing art is just another big con. So there is the idea of challenging people to think outside their comfortable realities.

[De Villo Sloan]

Jon, I only send out the worst crap I do as mail-art, work I would be embarrassed to share in other venues. Anything I think is good I try to place in non-mail-art venues that are into "serious" art or writing. A lot of what I send as ma is junk I found in the street or crap from the floor where I was too lazy to get it to the dumpster and because I don't have enough stuff to mail.

That said - I think it is a real act of intimacy and friendship to share stuff you would not ordinarily show to anyone.

Another thing - usually what I consider "good" is exactly what gets no attention. Usually what I consider "bad" is what people tell me they like.

[jon foster]

@Momkat and VMH---thanks, thanks. I was just putting it out there to see what they did with cards they felt fell flat. And yes Mark, being in your exhibition is the highest compliment. However, the card I sent you (and I sent you another one yesterday) I really liked.

 

@BF-I don't know, I go to a lot of thrift stores and people will pretty much buy anything.  

[The Blessed Father]

All the the world is flower's and lollipops.  BF

[The Blessed Father]

"One person's trash is another person's treasure", true enough, however the odds are much greater that

one person's trash is going to be another person's trash"  For the love of God, call a spade a spade. On the positive side mailing crap does support the U.S.P.S., GOD BLESS YOU, where would we be without them. BF