Why I sell postcards

I've always loved postcards. I think of them as little portable pieces of art that I can enjoy on the go. 

Collecting postcards

I have a collection of postcards that began with my mother. She collected postcards of all the places that she travelled to. It was a dream of hers to travel the world, and she bought lots of postcards to remember these journeys and to mark the accomplishment of a childhood dream. 

My postcard collection is modest compared to hers and my postcards are more eclectic. I collect postcards that tickle my fancy or that are reproductions of pieces of art that I love. These little images are a delight, they make whimsy, creativity and genius tangible. And I can take them out every once in a while to enjoy Michaelangelo's Venus de Milo or Turner's Snowtorm; it's like having my own art collection! 

Writing postcards

I used to have a postcard-writing habit. I'd write postcards to friends and family while I was on holiday. In fact, my father has a stack of postcards from me nestled in a drawer somewhere in his house. I stumbled upon them one day while looking for batteries (my father has a thing about buying batteries - they roll around in several drawers and we can never tell if they are new or used. I think that's why he keeps buying new ones, he can't tell which ones are dead.) 

It was a touching moment - to discover that my unsentimental father had kept these little notes from me over the years.

Making postcards

So, given that I love postcards, it had long been a fancy of mine to make postcards. And the opportunity presented itself last year when I was asked by some neighbours at Chip Bee Gardens to make a book with the drawings I had done of the neighbourhood. I didn't have enough drawings for a book but I thought, "Hah! What about postcards?"

And Postcards from Chip Bee was born.

It delights me to think that my little drawings are slotted into books, blu-tacked to a wall or used as a note. That one day, their owner will stumble upon them and remember why they bought them or what it was like to live in Chip Bee. 

This is why I make postcards - they are little reminders of cherished dreams and beloved things.

If you would like your own set of Postcards from Chip Bee, you can get them from me or at Cat Socrates.

Postcards from Chip Bee are available at Cat Socrates, one of my favourite shops in Singapore

How about you? What do you collect and what joy does it bring you? Let me know in the comments below.

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