Round the world the postcards go. Where they stopped, we all now know!

The Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap has wrapped up for 2014, and the fourth year was just as much fun as the previous three. Just when I think I have everything in this swap figured out, there are new things for me to learn about. This year, it was the US Postal Service changing the postcard rate and not yet having stamps available, right before the swap deadline. It keeps things interesting! I didn’t quite meet my goal of 250 participants this year, but that means I’ll just have to keep the swap going another year. 😉

Here are the final stats for 2014:

1254 pieces of art liberated
209 participating artists
10 countries represented

Every year as I open the envelopes, see your art and read your notes, a message seems to emerge for me. This year’s message:

When you liberate your art, you liberate your heart.
Your heart goes into what you create, so when it’s liberated, a little piece of who you are is sent into the world. Because of that, it can be incredibly hard to liberate your art. Exposing your self in this way is difficult, but it’s the first step on a journey that will take you to amazing places. You can’t help but grow and expand your heart as you send your art out into the world.

How do I know this? The first art I ever liberated to others was in the form of postcards. From that small beginning, I’ve continued to evolve the way I share my art, from postcards to cards to individual prints to collections to exhibitions. I have found my voice artistically and I have a confidence in myself around my art I could never have dreamed when I liberated those first few postcards into the world. That’s a very big reason why I run this swap, to encourage others to take this small step too.

Whether you are at the very start of your journey or somewhere further down the road, this postcard swap gives you the chance to go back to the basics. You liberated your art and your heart into the world, where it can do the greatest good. Thank you so much for your participation. I hope you’ll join in again next year!

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Now, it’s time to HOP! I have a special bonus for the blog hop participants in the form of a giveaway drawing! At the end of the blog hop, by random drawing from all blog hop participants, I will be giving away:

• One copy of the book Good Mail Day: A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art. I found this gorgeous book in the gift shop at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, DC, and couldn’t resist.
• One 6×9″ fine art print, matted to 11×14″, of this year’s Blog Hop image, shown above. I love how this image came out, and thought the message could be inspiring on your wall. It’s already up on mine!

If you’d like to purchase your own 6×9″ fine art print of today’s image and help me defray the extra expenses I incur on behalf of the swap, I am making it available for purchase during the time of the blog hop. To order, click here if you are within the US and here if you are outside of the US. Postage is included in the purchase price. (Don’t worry, if you purchase the print and then win the giveaway, I’ll refund your money.)

Enough words from me… Let’s hop!

The postcards have been mailed, received, swapped, mailed and received. The Liberate Your Art postcard swap is complete for 2013. It’s time to party a little bit, and celebrate what a fabulous swap we’ve had for 2013!

The Liberate Your Art 2013 stats:
1290 pieces of art
216 artists
11 countries

But there is so much more to the swap than the numbers. Every year a phrase or theme comes to me as I look at all of the art that passes through my hands. This year, it was “connection.” You are all doing an amazing thing, connecting through art. Each piece of art that was liberated represents a connection, or two. I saw these connections sharing love, joy, nostalgia, encouragement, acceptance, color, creativity, beauty, peace, emotion, inspiration, light, laughter, memories, words, and life. You are influencing the world in a positive way when you connect through art.

Of course I had my own moments of connection, too. All of your notes and extra postcards and of course, your art, touched my heart. As I opened the envelopes, I found the art of old friends I’ve been in contact with online since I lived in Italy. I saw the art of local friends, people I see often in my real life, going out to make new connections. And one of the most special things was seeing a couple of postcards from artists where I was with them when they took the photograph they shared, both in the US and in England. Wow. I got chills, from the way these connections reverberate and spiral back.

Who knows how this year’s connections will spiral back to you?

Enjoy this year’s video, which includes one piece of art from every participant. The collection is an amazing tribute to the individuality and expression that comes through art. (Be sure to watch it in HD if you can, it looks awesome! Also note that there is a pause partway through, as the songs change, so don’t stop watching too early.)

And now, there’s one last opportunity to connect through the 2013 Liberate Your Art swap. Let’s hop!