JL's Birthday ATC exchange
Thanks for being part of my birthday art exchange! I’m very excited to see your creations and hand-select the mini art pieces that will come back to you! Here is the info you need! And if you have a question not answered here? Reach out to me via email or text! I AM SO SO SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS! <3 Thanks for being a steady contributor of whimsy & wonder in my world. It's far less bland with you in it.
How many ATCs do I need to make?
Anywhere between 5 and 15. The number of ATCs you make will determine the number of new ATCs you receive in return.
What do I make them from?
As long as the art cards are 2.5 x 3.5 inches, and could technically fit into a card sleeve, you can make them from ANY material and use ANY medium.
Is there a theme?
Yes! Sort of :D I’m not about to make you adhere to a theme, but in the interest of my birthday? And making it ALL ABOUT ME? My favourite word of all time is curious. My favourite colour? Green but also all of them. My favourite state of being? Silly & playful.
SO the theme, should you choose to take it up, is Whimsy & Wonder!! (not required!)
Do they have to be a matched set?
Nope! You can use printmaking methods and make them all similar/the same. You can use larger pages as background and cut them up, giving continuity to the bunch you send. You can make them ‘match’ by style/idea/character, etc. OR you can make any number of entirely different, totally unique cards. Your call!
Can my kids/friend/dog/neighbour participate, too?
Yeah! Feel free to collaborate. Have your littles go to town on a large sheet of paper with some paint or markers that you can cut up to the correct size and add your own touches to. Or divide the cards by family members and everyone does a couple of their own if you’d like.
OR if the members of your family/household/street/township are folks who also know me and would like to do their own set between 5 & 15, and get their OWN art pieces in return, just let me know!
What if my art isn’t good enough?
Not possible, I say! Art that is delightful to make and from the heart wins every time. Think of those tiny cards as not only canvases for art, but a wee little page to put YOU on.
Want to write words all over it? Do it! Want to be political? Go for it! Experimental? LOVE that! Paste a rectangle from a colouring book, or design the next ceiling of an overpriced building, or glue weird bits of (clean) trash, or compose a symphony with tiny pen.
Use stickers. Or stamps. Or markers. Or paint. Or fabric. Or embellishments. Or torn bits of paper. Or pictures of your cat printed on vellum and coloured with alcohol ink. Or something not yet said. Or all of the above.
What if I’m stressing about this?
Probably that’s not the best approach, but it’s a real experience. So I give you permission to put down the tiny card and step away. For a moment or for a day or for good. No pressure from me. Honest.
(But your art really IS good enough, in case you need to hear it again.)
What do I put on the BACK of the cards?
Oh yes, this bit is important! I’ll want to forever remember WHO made each piece, and for any collectors of ATCs, we’ll also want to know details like the date, etc.
So I recommend at minimum your name (it can be an alias if you prefer), and the date. You can add to that the occasion, the theme, and whether or not it’s a numbered part of a set (e.g., 1 of 10). If you want to title your work, put that there, too!
When do I have to have them finished?
They need to be IN the mail by Sept 23rd along with a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope in case you’ve long forgotten).
If you aren’t certain how much postage should go on the SASE, it should be about the same postage as the initial package.
If you’re not in Canada, you can’t very well pre-apply postage, so just send an envelope ready to go with your address and I’ll take care of the postage part!
What address do I send them to?
Send to:
JL Seeley
40C Dominion St
Bridgewater, NS
B4V 1P2
Additionally? Send me an email or text to let me know that you’ve sent cards along with how many you’ve sent so that I can start to keep track.
What happens from there?
I’ll WAIT until I receive ALL of the expected cards (which makes the deadline so important) and only then will I open ALL OF THEM (there are almost 40 ppl who have said YES!) and I will hand-select which little art pieces get returned to you in your SASE!
One of the pieces you receive back will be from me, in exchange for whichever one of YOURS I choose to keep. (It’s my b’day after all!)
Can we see all of the art?
Of course! Not only will you receive the same number of ATCs back that you send my way, I also plan to scan/photograph EVERY ONE of the ATCs and will share them in a private digital album so you can see ALL the art!
I won’t share the link for the scanned art until everyone has received their cards.
Umm, what day is your actual birthday?
Because I have been asked multiple times: Sept 29th
Should I send you something additional for your birthday?
Gosh, no! This IS my birthday gift. But because folks have ASKED? If you really want to, you can decide for me which of your cards you'd like me to have! Just know that if you send any other cards, or something of a different size, etc, I'm still keeping one of your ATCs for myself in exchange for one I've made. So don't work harder than you have to. This is about fun, friendship, and art. The birthday is just my excuse ;)