From Painting to Postcards: Sending Tiny Art Around the World

Jennifer Jones
Jul 6
3 min read

Updated: Jul 18

I’ve always enjoyed writing. However, I wasn’t looking to keep up with the constant back-and-forth. There’s something about it that feels more like a task than a hobby. But when I discovered Postcrossing.com, I thought, this is it. No long letters, no commitments—just a one-and-done exchange of postcards with people all over the world. It sounded like the perfect fit for me.

The website is clever. You don’t exchange postcards with the same person, so you’re constantly sending and receiving cards from new people. I signed up, ready to get started. There was just one little thing I didn’t anticipate—postcards. I didn’t have any.

The Great Postcard Hunt: A Frustrating Quest

Stamps? Easy. A quick visit to the post office, and I was set.

(Public Service Announcement: the price of stamps increases July 13th, 2025. So, grab your forever stamps now!)

But postcards? That was a whole different challenge.

When you’re traveling, postcards are everywhere - tourist traps, convenience stores, gas stations. You can’t throw a rock without hitting a stand full of them. But when you're at home and looking to buy a postcard just because, it’s surprisingly difficult. My first stop was a small local store that did have postcards for sale. But, to my dismay, they were priced higher than I expected. Almost $3 for a single postcard? Not quite the price I had in mind.

Then, like a true adventurer, I thought, “Maybe the art museum will have postcards that are more affordable!” Surely, a museum shop wouldn’t overcharge... right? Spoiler: They did. Even worse. The price was higher than the local store. I was starting to question everything I thought I knew about postcards.

I remember the days when postcards cost just 50₵, and they were seen as a quirky, cheap way to share a snapshot of your travels. Now, I was paying near $3 for a small piece of paper with a picture on it. I felt like I was being charged extra just to mail less than half a sheet of paper!

The Epiphany: Turn My Art into Postcards for Postcrossing

At this point, the frustration turned into a spark of creativity. “Why not just make my own postcards?” I thought. After all, I already create notecards featuring my artwork, so why not take it a step further and turn them into postcards? It seemed like a perfect solution.

A few of my original paintings I have turned into postcards to send to my Postcrossing friends!

I started going through my paintings, trying to pick the ones that would make the best art postcards... but pretty quickly, I hit a snag. I felt like every painting would make a great postcard. Truly. Each one felt like a tiny masterpiece that deserved its own stamp and international spotlight. Suddenly I was the art director of a very small, very dramatic traveling gallery — and the curating got tricky fast.

Then came the next hurdle: what kind of messages would go with these cards? After all, postcards are like tiny conversations with strangers. I wanted to write something that felt personal, but still universal — a witty one-liner, a thoughtful quote, or a quiet moment in time.

But not every postcard needed words. Some of the images spoke for themselves — little works of art that stood strong on their own. Others practically begged for a message, a caption, a spark of connection. In the end, it was a mix: some cards with messages, some without — each one its own reflection of where I was creatively in that moment.

Conclusion: Sharing My Art with the World

Now, as I send off my postcards to people around the world, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride. Yes, it took more time and effort than just grabbing a few touristy postcards off the shelf (which let's be honest, would include being AT a touristy location), but the result was so much more rewarding.

Each postcard became a tiny piece of my creativity, making its way into the hands of strangers who, in turn, became part of my artistic journey.