Though I limited my Facebook use a few days ago, I still find myself wanting to update my status when I am doing something vaguely noteworthy or see beauty in the world. I’ve been trained to share little moments of my day but I decided not to post personal status updates and I want to stick with that.
So instead of updating my status on FB, I am going to create postcards with status updates instead.
When I wrote out this first Stagaki (status hagaki*) above, I realised how strange it is for me to be telling my 785 Facebook friends that I am indecisive about painting my nails. My choice to keep my personal stuff off Facebook hit home. It makes sense. Who actually cares about this?
But the postcards make a clever art project because it is weird to do status updates outside the context of Facebook. What I’d do in a moment on FB without considering at all takes a few moments and a little effort to create as a postcard. Making something real from a trivial piece of personal insight shines a new light on the status update concept.
For the project I’m going to create 50 of them because that is how many postcards came in the pack. Some might have drawings, others all text. Some may be scrawled others calligraphed. It will depend on the moment and my mood. As they are written, I will mail them to friends, family and strangers. It might take a few weeks, or if the impulse to update my status wanes, it might take months. I can say that five days into it, I have nine postcards ready to send.
I will not photograph or archive the postcards. This is an ephemeral project for me and a lesson in letting go. What you do with one you might receive is another matter: stick it to your fridge, Instagram it, tweet about it, even post it on FB and tag me. I don’t mind if you share it and I don’t mind if you keep it to yourself. As soon as I drop it in the mail, it is yours to do with as you please.
Do you want a Stagaki for yourself or a friend? Send an e-mail to kristen@mediatinker.com with your name and postal address. The first fifty respondents get a signed, numbered original postcards. How delightfully pretentious. Hahahaha.
*Hagaki is the Japanese word for postcard. Stagaki is a portmanteau of status and hagaki; the name was Tod’s idea. Thanks, Tod.
