...what you get is the first draft--mistakes and all. I could lie and tell you that I've been a huge fan forever, but part of the reason I'm doing this is to be more honest with myself and others. I heard part of your podcast... I was instantly hooked! I like to listen when I paint. Some days I need music and others I need the voices of strangers talking... What I love most about the show... your genuine interest... you are SO engaged in what they say... ...for that one hour,

Dear Jess, I've been pondering for weeks now the content of this letter. We've had so many shared moments-- defining moments, precious memories, shared laughter, shared wonder, shared successes, shared failures, shared tears. I'm proud of us both. ...you and I, we're part of one another. Do you remember when we met? So young and fresh? You're the sister that I've chosen. image credit: Donna Merkt; donnamerkt.wix.com/books #52LettersReplies #52Letters

Each week I am writing to a person who has left an imprint on my life. When was the last time you wrote a letter that wasn't part of a greeting card? Not typed or texted, but wrote. You are the only person from [...] that I am writing to. You were the only one that got me. I never would have guessed that we would have such an instant connection... I've always wondered why you just came by my house that day. I'm glad you did. I got along well in school, but never felt like I f

Dear Jessica, I love the 52 Weeks project! Thank you for the sweet letter... you ALMOST made me cry. I value our friendship so much... good luck with your project! I had planned to make a small, easily mailable thing but it got out of hand very quickly... image credit: Deanna Wood, www.deannawood.com #52LettersReplies #52Letters

This week I begin posting reply letters! It is so very exciting to receive responses to the letters I have written. Let's all be honest, it makes us a bit giddy to get mail that we know isn't an advert or a bill. It's something special, mailed to you, simply for the pleasure of it. To know that I am beginning to receive mail in response to what I have sent out makes it all the more exciting. I have to be honest. I have only received three so far, but I think that's pretty g

I've thought long and hard about what I would say to you. Apologies! ...please consider handwriting my letter. I'm interested in collecting the unique hand of as many people as possible, More thoughtful, temporal, and intimate. Your voice is constantly in my head. It has been for almost fifteen years. Your voice questions all the art I create, playing devil's advocate between the concept and the form. ...you made me think about the hard things...question the validity of my i

I have always been a clumsy artist. ...one of my rules in this project...I must send whatever I have made, including all the mistakes. I consider it a temporal record of the creation of the object itself. I do miss all of my first art professors. Your class was the first drawing class I had ever taken. It was so hard...at the age of twenty... I needed to learn how to draw, how to SEE, and I didn't need someone to coddle to my insecurities. I needed a professor who pushed me p

When I see shiny, lovely beetles, I always think of you. Not many people would take that as a compliment, but we both know I meant it as one. This letter is not an obligation, it's just for me to share how I feel about you and our friendship. I believe our friendship is built on those differences. ...we offered each other a new perspective... Thank you so much for having such strong convictions in my work... I know that your new adventure is going to take us both to amazing d

When I was compiling my list of recipients, your name was one of the first to be written. ...creating these small pieces so intuitively gives me joy. I suppose it's my compulsion to make them more than just letters. I wasn't sure when I would write your letter...my current mental and creative state determined that this week was yours. I need to share these thoughts with someone, and my pride won't let me share them with anyone I know. Maybe I feel safe that you won't even rea

I just committed myself to writing this letter to you! I stalled for ten minutes. I explain why I'm doing this, and I always give different reasons, because there are so many reasons. ...I decided to make myself vulnerable, and share my thoughts and feelings with people who I would never have the courage to contact. I'm a bit of a shy person, you see. I believe that all artists are plagued with feeling vulnerable. It's so easy to create work that we know others will "like" or

I'm sitting in my studio listening to Radiohead. Thinking of our empathic taste in music and how much I would love to go have a coffee with you right now. The way I've chosen the last two recipients was to make the art and let it tell me who it wanted to go to. As soon as I put the wing on there, I knew. I don't plan out these letters, so they tend to meander a bit. Do you realize that you were pivotal...I was close to quitting. I wasn't like you...I only came into art in c

...handwriting is so much more personal, isn't it? It's a unique marker of an individual's hand, it marks the time it takes to make each letter, the shapes and angles of each hand are so different. It's beautiful... I've already noticed how my voice has changed. The way you put words together is pure magic. You paint a picture...that is so poignant and honest, and yet so brutal. It's amazing for me to absorb the language. I've grown up all my life being asked "what" I am.

You, my friend, have had a profound impact, indeed. The friendship we have nurtured is unlike any other relationship I have ever, or WILL ever have. We've both said it before, and I'm saying it again. We are family. There are very few "safe" people in my life. People I TRUST to have strength when I have none. That is amazing, and I do not take it for granted. I so badly want you to be happy with as many aspects of your life as possible. I am working intuitively and honestly

You are the first for a few reasons. You understand my current state as an ARTIST better than anyone. I have gained a lot of strength, purpose, and validation. I think knowing that I'm not the only person who feels this way has helped me to be much more honest with myself. Thank you for pushing me to be productive. The work must be the first priority, even if it's bad work. The act of writing an actual letter...allows me to be more intimate; I can say things I would never ver

Evidently, this is the year of leaving my comfort zone! This "new year" began on my birthday. The big challenge was to begin a new project that I am calling "Fifty Two Letters". I am writing to one person each week for one full year, ending with the last letter on my next birthday. When I say writing, I mean WRITING...with a pen, my hand, and a sheet of paper. I know, I know. It's never done anymore. Writing letters? By hand?! Ain't nobody got time for that! I'm maki