So, I stumbled upon this artist, Franck de Las Mercedes, a while back. Wasn’t actively looking for new artists or anything, just how things go on the internet, you know? Click here, click there, and boom.
His name popped up, and I got a bit curious. I started digging around, looking at his work. A lot of it is abstract, colorful, got this raw energy to it. But the thing that really grabbed me, the thing I actually decided to sort of, well, “practice” with, was his “Peace Boxes” project. The whole idea just stuck with me.
These are, like, actual cardboard boxes he paints on, writes “Fragile, Contains Peace” or similar stuff, and then sends them out through the mail. For free, initially. To random people, to galleries, wherever. The concept of sending art, a message, through such an ordinary channel, and the message itself being about peace, felt powerful. And kinda bold.
My Little Experiment Kicks Off
So, I thought, I’m gonna try something inspired by that. Not copying, mind you, but taking that spirit. I didn’t have a ton of boxes, and shipping actual boxes everywhere sounded like a bit much for me, to be honest. My “practice” had to be simpler.
Here’s what I decided to do:
- Gathered basic stuff: Some old postcards I had lying around, cheap acrylic paints, a few brushes. Nothing fancy.
- Started painting: I’d just make these small, quick abstract paintings on the postcards. Sometimes just colors, sometimes a few lines. The key was to do it fast and not overthink it.
- Added a message: On the back, I’d write a short, positive note. Sometimes a quote, sometimes just a “thinking of you” or “hope you have a good day.”
- Mailed them out: I sent them to friends, family, even a couple of old colleagues I hadn’t talked to in ages. Just popped them in the mail with a stamp.
Sounds easy, right? Just a bit of paint and a stamp. But man, it was an interesting ride.
First off, just the act of creating something, however small, every day or every few days, with the intention of giving it away. That was a shift. I wasn’t trying to make a masterpiece. The “practice” was in the doing and the sending.
Then, there was the vulnerability. Sending out these little pieces of, well, me, without knowing how they’d be received. Some people got back to me, really touched. Said it made their day. That felt amazing, not gonna lie. Others? Silence. Which is fine too, I guess. Maybe it went in the bin, maybe it sat on a fridge for a day. Who knows?
The tricky part wasn’t even the painting. It was keeping it up. Some days I just didn’t feel like it. Or I’d run out of stamps. Or I’d second-guess myself, like, “Is this just silly?” Pushing past that was part of the “practice” too, I think. It was less about the art itself and more about the gesture, kinda like what I took from Franck de Las Mercedes’ idea.
I didn’t do it for super long, maybe a few months on and off. Life gets busy. But it was a cool little project. It made me think about how we connect, or don’t. And how a small, unexpected thing can sometimes make a tiny ripple. It wasn’t about changing the world, just my little corner of it, and maybe someone else’s day, for a moment. All sparked by learning about those Peace Boxes. Pretty neat when art makes you do something, you know?
