The Postcard Project

a special newsletter today about a community project you're a part of.

Hi everyone!

I hope this newsletter finds you well this Monday afternoon. I have a special and rather exciting newsletter for you today. About a month ago, I walked into the post office and purchased a set of international mail stamps. For a while now, I’ve been meaning to start a postcard project.

into the indoors began as a moodboard on Instagram earlier this year, where I posted what I liked on my feed. I envisioned this idea of creating a cozy, comfy corner of the web. Fast forward a few months, my ideas grew and I branched out into a new medium: writing. Substack became the platform and throughout this journey, into the indoors carried the same essence of creating a comfortable, intentional, and inspiring space to be. When I began doing conversation-interviews here, one question I ask all guests at the end is what message they would share with the world. And oftentimes, it’s in this one last question, that they share really good advice.

There are 8 billion people on this planet, and everyone has a story to tell. A message to share. One of the first (and of the few) essays I wrote on here was on the beauty of third spaces. Of my favorite third place—my neighborhood cafe—I spoke, “although I’m not socializing with anyone in particular, it feels fulfilling to be surrounded by a community.” Community is important to me, and I would argue that it’s important to many of us. Although technology has somewhat exacerbated our disconnect, maybe there’s a way to integrate that back. Plus, I think it’s fun and exciting to go analog and connect with people in the old-school way.

Some people on the Internet have been doing community-related projects well. One particular creator, Hunter Prosper, comes to my mind. He runs this series called “Stories from a Stranger,” where people—strangers—when asked a (deep) question, share their stories in a beautiful way. It’s unexpected, sometimes sad, but is told in such an intentional and present way.

All of that to say, here’s my idea. The postcard project is simple. Every week when my newsletter comes out, I send out a *free* postcard to anywhere in the world.

But to kick off this project, I’ll start off by sending cards today to the first 3 people who fill out this form! I’ll contact the mentioned people for mail addresses, and the card should arrive in 1-2 weeks. In return, you’d write a message based upon a given prompt, snap a picture of the postcard, and share them with me so I could share it here on the newsletter and on the Instagram!

The goal really is to build a collection of beautiful messages by the community, for the community.

scans of souvenir cards for The Postcard Project.

This week, I ran to a souvenir store and bought a few Montreal-themed postcards. Those tacky touristy ones. Are they the coolest postcards in the world? Probably not. I could’ve probably made one myself with Microsoft Word, 15 minutes, and a printer. But I’d argue that it’s for that exact reason too that they’re in a sentimental league of their own. Not the coolest postcard in the world, but you’d find them anywhere in the world. They rang $1.90 each.

As for the packaging, I chose Kraft-paper envelopes. Each is personalized with an into the indoors label and are uniquely numbered.

To sustain this project in the future, I’m thinking of charging just the basic expenses to keep it moving: postage stamps, the postcard, and envelopes. Since most of us are based in the US/Canada, total should be 4 bucks or less. But I also might just reduce the frequency at which I send them and make them free. I’ll think about it. The project is a work-in-progress.

For now, I just hope to create a collage of inspiring messages digitally with a keepsake physically that’s special to each person across different regions; to stick on your wall or pin to your fridge, while keeping you inspired everyday.

I’m excited to get this project off the ground and would love to hear your thoughts in the chat or comments below. Thank you for reading and being a part of this community! With that, I’ll start with postcard number 1.

-CS

Postcard 1. CS from Montreal, Canada.