Just Saying ‘Hi’ — Connection, Creativity and Correspondence – Millennials wanting to connect…the Old Fashioned Way!
In August of this year, I was randomly contacted Veronica An, a staff writer at the online magazine, The Hub in Los Angeles. She was writing a story about whether or not I thought sending out greeting cards was experiencing a resurgence — and, specifically, with Millennials.
She asked if I had noticed any patterns in the stationery industry in general for sending greeting cards. As I have been a greeting card designer for 18 years with my own line, CURMUDGEON CARDS (https://curmudgeoncards.com/) — I enthusiastically answered, “Yes.”
For years I have been expressing my concern that the next big area for skilled therapists will be in the area of Grief Therapy for the younger generation who live and die by their phones. Proper interaction and regular old-fashioned contact with people will be necessary for their mental health in years to come (if not immediately). Connection is crucial. How will they process emotions and connect if they don’t actually have emotional contact? Sending cards is an act of generosity — saying that you took time out of your day to think of someone besides yourself and just say, “Hi — I’m so happy I have you in my life….That’s what I was thinking about you today!” *See my popular card, “Frannie & Zach” – https://curmudgeoncards.com/?s=frannie++%26+zach.
While my messages are typically geared for a 45-75 yr crowd in some kind of transition/re-imagination/reinvention: job, relationship, spiritually crisis of meaning, revaluation of what’s true and real, creativity and self-expression — I’m always happy when younger people stop by my booth and “get” my art. I tell them if you can learn some of these life lessons now, you can save yourself a mid-life crisis and shave off years of therapy by choosing joy and connection — less obligation and feeling it’s because I should do that/stay with that person/wait until…. because you didn’t follow your curiosity/heart/joy and realize life is short and you better get on with it – hence my popular memoir, “Life’s Too Short to Spend with Assholes – a “Skewed” LOOK into the Art of Daily Living.” https://curmudgeoncards.com/product/lifes-too-short-to-spend-with-assholes-book/
While many beautiful stationery stores I used to have as clients have disappeared (Frances Orr (BH & Corona del Mar), Embrey Papers, Pulp, The Card Factory, Soolip to name a few) — luckily, Joan Flax of Flax: Pen to Paper (Westwood) and Linda Oppenheim of Arts & Letters (Santa Monica) are still creatively thriving as wonderful outlets for unique greeting cards and thankfully, still carry some of my handmade designs.
Here’s the article from The Hub. If you are one of those people who do send greeting cards — I will take the liberty of saying Thank You on behalf of all greeting card designers.