Postcrossing Blog

Louise Neumann (and LouPaper) need no introduction to the Postcrossing community. Her U.S. state, seasonal garden, and other themed postcards are collected by thousands of us.

She made time for an email interview with Clarisse (aka Cstar9) last summer, and we’re so grateful!

What music should people listen to as they read this interview?

Something cheerful and whimsical! Whatever puts you in a good mood. I think that would reflect my approach to my work, and the way I want it to make people feel.

How did LouPaper get started?

When I first started LouPaper, I was trying to see if I could make a career of drawing. I have a degree in illustration, but I didn’t know how to turn my passion into something that could earn a living. After college, I did some editorial commissions and other odd art jobs, but I was still trying to find fluency in my technique and confidence in myself.

I had this idea of practicing my craft by simply choosing themes that I loved and drawing them. I thought maybe I could sell them as prints, notebooks, etc.

Obvious question: Why postcards?

The day I dipped my toe into the world of postcards was the biggest fluke of my career. I had been selling art prints for a while, and I was working on a collection of U.S. state prints.

I hadn’t particularly considered postcards, but in 2019, a lady contacted me on Etsy asking if I could turn one of my state designs into a postcard for her wedding in North Carolina. I agreed and created 100 cards, and the funny thing is that she never actually purchased them. I never heard from her again.

With nothing to lose, I made them available in my shop, assuming I’d spend the next five years trying to sell 100 postcards. Who buys postcards? To say that I have since been educated on the prolific and magnificent Postcrossing community is an understatement. The speed with which I was embraced and swept up by this community still astounds me.

Even though I don’t have the time to send a lot of snail-mail myself, I feel fully immersed in the snail-mail world from a creative standpoint. I also receive a lot of postcards from the fabulous snail-mail community (truly the kindest people in the world) and I think that informs my work a lot as LouPaper continues to grow and evolve.

Garden plants are omni-present characters in your postcards. How is your garden connected to your work?

When I was first starting LouPaper, my husband Forrest and I had moved to Tennessee and were also starting our first garden. There was so much to learn and it was on my mind all the time. I was learning what grew best in each season – identifying seeds, different plants, garden zones, and so on. One of the first things I ever published in my Etsy shop was a set of four seasonal garden prints, which so encapsulate that period of my life, it’s like stepping into a time machine every time I see those designs.

Fast forward ten years and the garden still plays a role in my process as my favorite thinking spot and mood enhancer. It is also very “me”, as I love to be creating and producing things all the time.

Whether it’s drawing, growing a garden, or cooking a meal, I am definitely my happiest when I’m creating something.

What are some of the elements that define LouPaper for you? What do you hope people take away from your work?

I think one thing that sets my art apart is my traditional pen and ink approach. More and more art is digital these days – which I think actually opens up a whole world of amazing techniques and design elements – but working on the computer is my least favorite thing to do, so I don’t!

I have distinct themes (food, seasons, holidays, states). I also like round numbers and neat things and things that “fit”, which I think is reflected in my work.

Occasionally I will create a postcard that doesn’t really fit the rest of my collection of work, and I will release those designs as limited-edition postcards, so that I can explore and enjoy the theme, send it out into the world, and then let it go.

Maybe this goes without saying, but I LOVE what I do. I literally could not enjoy it more. I hope the people who enjoy my cards can feel that positive energy coming out through the designs, really embodying the spirit of “happy mail.”

I love the thought that my cards connect people around the world and bring a little happiness to the mailbox. What could be more rewarding than that?

What’s the first step to getting an idea from your head to the page? Do you tend to sketch components one at a time and then eventually group them into a piece, or do you get ideas for whole cards?

I always want my work to be consistent and recognizable as a cohesive “brand.” With that always at the back of my mind, I’ve developed almost a formula for the way I create for LouPaper.

I am always nervous when I begin any new theme, feeling unsure with my drawings and ideas – maybe like the theme is missing the mark somehow. But I have learned to trust my process and push through my nerves.

I’m the biggest list-maker you’ll ever meet. I have notebooks and little sheets of paper and post-it notes everywhere. To organize future projects, I have to-do lists that are as long as each arm, and I’m constantly thinking of new ideas. I also receive a lot of suggestions from people who would like to see a certain design, so I never feel that I am without inspiration.

Starting with lists, I hone in on a theme, then sketch out a whole slew of different elements for that subject. I don’t have a particular composition in mind, I just create all the little pieces that I want to include, then put them together and keep shuffling the parts around until I finally land upon the puzzle that fits.

Over time, I have learned to trust my instincts about whether a finished piece is actually complete or needs to be adjusted. Sometimes I’ll sleep on it and come back in the morning with fresh eyes, just to make sure.

You mentioned that LouPaper began with a commission. Do you still take those?

I used to take a lot of commissions, which was quite a different process for me. I have worked with many companies in the food and beverage industry—often a challenging process, and typically very time-consuming. Companies / art directors tend to expect a series of ideas, followed by some sketches, and an ongoing conversation until we reach the final artwork. It’s a fairly defined process.

I’ll say I have worked with some incredibly kind and supportive people through that work, and it’s probably where I have grown most as an artist. It has given me some validation for feeling that I could step out on my own more with LouPaper.

Since having my two children, I have needed a more flexible schedule, and during this season of life, I put all my work-time into my LouPaper business.

What does research look like for you? (Do you travel to ALL the states? Eat ALL the pastries?)

Ha! Well I have definitely eaten all the pastries and all of the donuts (and my veggies too, so don’t worry Mom!). I like to be as authentic as possible in my work, which is why I typically choose themes that I am interested in or have some knowledge of.

It isn’t always possible, though, and there are plenty of themes in my work that I’m not an expert on. The state series is a good example of that. I have traveled a lot, and since moving to the U.S. in 2010, I have lived in California, Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon, and Idaho. Because I grew up in England, I think I have always looked at America with fascination and wonder. It’s such a big country and very different from where I grew up. I see it with the eyes of a curious visitor, even though it feels completely like home to me here now.

But there are states I haven’t visited – or where I’ve barely scratched the surface. For those states, I do as much research as possible and also solicit input from people who live there.

This is where Instagram comes in handy— I can throw out questions to my community and they’ve always got me covered.

By the way, it’s Friday today so my cocktail research will resume this evening. That one is a work in progress!

Tell us about your studio – what are some of the inspirational elements there? Is there anything about it that might surprise us?

My studio space is what should have been the “formal dining” room in our house. We are not formal people, though, so I claimed this room for LouPaper the moment we moved in. I sit at my desk in front of a big, beautiful window that looks out onto our garden. It is my happy place, for sure.

The only downside is that when people walk in the front door, they basically step straight into my workspace, which is absolute mayhem. My studio is in a constant state of functional chaos, though I do have lots of things here to keep me inspired.

I think artists are often divided into two groups: those who display their own work in their home, and those who don’t. I am 100% in the second category. I adore the work of other artists and have it all over my studio.

I accumulate cups of coffee, water, and tea on my desk all day long and basically need a removal truck at the end of the day to take them all back to the kitchen.

I am also infamous to all my friends and family for leaving a trail of tiny little paper snippets wherever I go. I trim the corners off hundreds of postcards throughout the week and they end up on my socks, in my pockets, all over our house, and basically everywhere you could imagine. But I really like round corners, so I guess it’s a price we’ll pay.

Looking at my office floor right now… I really ought to sweep.

Do you ever get creator’s block, and if so, what do you do about it?

I think I used to get creator’s block more when I was starting out and I didn’t have a sense of who I was as an artist or how to channel my creative energy. I was always looking for a specific result, without enough experience to have confidence in the process. I could often see what I wanted to achieve but not quite how to get there.

For me, creator’s block has become less of an issue. Time, patience, and oh so much practice has gotten me more into my groove over the years.

Occasionally I do struggle to start a new project. If I realize I don’t have enough passion for it, I try to side-step to something completely different. Often, I will still be thinking about that project further down the line and come back to it at a time when I am in the right mood to tackle it.

What’s your earliest memory of defining yourself as an artist?

It all started with me winning an art competition at school, where I drew a really mediocre sheep at the pivotal age of 8. It was the taste of success that got the ball rolling, and a lifetime or so later, I found myself in the idyllic coastal town of Falmouth, as a shy and clueless 20-year-old Illustration student doing the whole university thing and also my own laundry.

It has been a steady road of failures, triumphs, self-doubt, and determination from that moment on. My first professional commission (an illustration about dim sum for The San Francisco Chronicle) and my first Etsy sale were pretty big moments. There are plenty of disappointments and frustrations, but I’m definitely somebody who tries to celebrate the little successes along the way. That’s true about my approach to life in general.

The road to becoming an artist isn’t always easy. There have been times when I have done completely different things – like painting houses and creating a gourmet popsicle business (!) – to make ends meet. I’ve learned lessons from everything I’ve done, and gradually I’ve been able to make the art dream work.

Resilience has been key! I have a little post-it note stuck on my desk reminding me, “success is dependent on effort.” It can take time, but continued effort combined with passion and a positive attitude will eventually pay off.

What are you working on right now?

I am currently drawing a conch shell. Nature creates some weird and wonderful things, I tell you.

On the broader spectrum, I am working on a few different postcard themes (beach, coastal, wedding, and my seemingly never-ending state collection).

I am also looking at adding a few different sorts of products, so stay tuned for those later this year!

What do you look back on most proudly?

Overall, I think the LouPaper brand itself is something that I’m the most proud of. It’s been a work in progress for the past decade, not just in the creation of content but in marketing my own work, being punctual when shipping orders, and trying to give my customers the best possible experience. I feel their support on a very personal level, and I want my customers and community to know how much I appreciate them.

What is the biggest challenge in your work right now?

The biggest challenge in my work is time management. I love my work, and I love being a wife and mom. I have to manage my days to try and find as much balance as I can and divide my time and energy accordingly. It’s a busy season of my life, and I’m so grateful for all of it!

What’s next for you?

As a mom of a 2-year-old and 6-year-old, I’m living in the moment! But generally speaking, I will be continuing to work on LouPaper, growing my garden, enjoying my family, and trying to cook all of the recipes I’ve saved on Instagram (about 5000 of them, so wish me luck!).

And that’s it! :) You can learn more about Lou on Instagram, or visit her shop on Etsy.

And now, for the small giveaway! Clarisse is going to send 4 LouPaper’s postcards to 4 randomly picked postcrossers. For a chance to win, you should reply to this prompt: “If Louise were to feature your city, state or region on a postcard, which things do you think she should include?” Leave a comment below, and come back this time next week to check out the winners!

We found Màiri (aka mairigold) through a charming owl-themed postcard exhibition she prepared for a museum in Scotland — and couldn’t wait to learn more! A lifelong postcard enthusiast, she finds joy in sharing postcards, decorating them… and even building tiny snowpeople on her red postbox! 😍

How did you get started sending postcards? What is your earliest memory of them?

This postcard was one of my most precious treasures as a child. I still like it now! Those 3D fairytale postcards seemed magical to me and I think that must have been what got me interested in postcards.

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I heard about Postcrossing quite by chance in 2011 when it was mentioned in passing in an online interview. I signed up immediately! Until then I had never met anyone else that liked postcards as much as I did… suddenly a whole world of fellow postcard afficionados opened up to me!

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

Impossible to choose!

However, 18 August 2012 was a good Postcrossing day for me! These two beautiful postcards arrived together from China – one was drawn by Scarelt as a thank you for GB-339961 and the other (CN-627070) was sent by DogDadRory.

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

I am lucky to have this red postbox just outside my door. This is where I post my postcards. When it snows I build a wee snowperson on the top!

I keep some of my postcards in these mango boxes!

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

What I love is choosing the postcards to send. It is great when I have one that appears in someone’s favourites wishlist! I like choosing the stamps to use and writing and decorating the postcard too. I have a LOT of stickers and washi tapes as well as postcards.

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

I received a postcard from Fiji which has only 17 postcrossers – quite an unusual postcard entitled “evoking spirits with a shaman’s drum”. And I sent a postcard – a map of Scotland – to a “country” I had never heard of: Saint Pierre & Miquelon, which is a French archipelago located near Canada.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or collections?

I have a small collection of knitted or crocheted toys, which includes a wee crochet tea set and a vase of flowers, a wee knitted doll, two owls and a stripy cat.

I also have growing collection of fancy matchboxes too.

Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?

I work in an art gallery and recently had a wee exhibition of (some of) my owl postcard collection in its sister museum: The Auld Kirk Museum in Kirkintilloch, Scotland.

Several of my colleagues share an enthusiasm for postcards and have now become Postcrossers too!

We have some amazing news to share: 2024’s Cards for Literacy campaign broke all records!!! 🎉 It’s an impressive result and one we couldn’t be more proud of. Here are the details:

That’s a lot of postcards and a lot support for literacy — thanks to all of you!

Every single postcard sent during the campaign didn’t just spread joy to its recipients, but also helped make reading more accessible to kids, teens, and even adults learning German. Stiftung Lesen does amazing work, and we’re so happy that this donation will help them continue their mission. Here’s a short statement they sent us:

"Greater focus must be placed on early childhood education and reading promotion to enhance educational equity and equal opportunities in Germany in the long run. Reading is not just a hobby – it is the foundation for academic achievement and a thriving professional career. To achieve this, daycare centers must also be strengthened as key educational institutions. Daycares are far more than just childcare facilities; they lay the foundation for children´s educational journeys.

Moreover, we need more volunteers to support reading promotion efforts. We need dedicated individuals willing to volunteer in daycares, schools, and local initiatives to introduce children to reading at an early age and ignite their enthusiasm for it. With increased financial resources for reading promotion, strong projects can be implemented long-term and thus have a lasting impact. This applies not only to daycares and schools but also to the work of Stiftung Lesen.

The Postcrossing charity campaign #CardsforLiteracy raised an impressive €14,221.30 to support reading promotion and, ultimately, the future of our children. This campaign is a powerful example of how small gestures can have a big impact. Every postcard counts – not only as a personal message but also as a valuable contribution to fostering literacy skills. We sincerely thank everyone who takes part in this initiative and helps make a difference!"

A huge shoutout to Deutsche Post as well, for making this possible year after year! And as an extra thank you, they’ve randomly selected some lucky participants to receive vouchers for their online shop — so if you joined in, keep an eye on your inbox!

To everyone in Germany who sent postcards this past December and also those worldwide who registered them in the past three months: thank you! This campaign wouldn’t be the same without you. Keep spreading the postcard love and helping make the world a more literate place!

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

This is the writing prompt for March, so it seems only appropriate to pick a prompt suggested by Dax (alter3ch0) in the forum, suggesting members could talk about their country’s flag. I’ve been under no pains to hide where I come from in these posts, so if you’ve read a few you probably know that I’m Welsh… and 1st March is St David’s Day, usually observed in Wales by a celebration of all things Welsh: wearing daffodils and leeks, eating traditional Welsh food like cawl and bara brith, and donning traditional Welsh dress. I must confess that the most I usually do is wear a daffodil!

In any case, it seems like an excellent time to tell you about the Welsh flag—and talking about flags is our writing prompt for this month for everyone.

The Welsh flag is, of course, “Y Ddraig Goch” (the Red Dragon). In the terms of heraldry, it’s a red dragon passant on a green and white field. The green and white are technically the colours of the Tudor family, who were descended from a Welshman, Owen Tudor. The dragon is a symbol of Wales because of a story that’s linked to Arthurian legends (which are also Welsh in origin), in which a king called Vortigern (Gwrtheyrn, in Welsh) is trying to build a fort in a place called Dinas Emrys, but every night, every stone is shaken down and every day the building has to begin again. He’s told by a boy called Emrys (who would grow up to be Myrddin/Merlin) that the building is being toppled by two dragons trapped beneath the ground, who fight during the night and rest during the day. One is white and the other red—and the red one symbolises Wales.

The dragons come from an older story again, recorded now in a collection of old Welsh stories called The Mabinogion, in which the dragons are one of three “plagues” disrupting Britain. They get trapped and then buried in a stone chest by a king called Lludd… in Dinas Emrys! So that’s how they got there…

I always think the Welsh flag is one of the coolest, since we literally have a dragon, but I’m ready to be wrong! Do you have good stories about your own regional or country flag to share? You can post them in the comments here, or write about them if you’re not sure what to write on your postcards in March!

Last year, we ran our biennial census, and an incredible 21,186* of you took some time to answer the many questions. Thank you! 🙏 The census is an important event for Postcrossing, because it offers lots of valuable insights into the project. Although most of the data does not change very much from year to year, there are always interesting shifts and trends to uncover. Ready to look at some charts? Let’s go!

First off, here’s a chart of how happy people are with their postal service. We asked the same question some years ago… so what has changed in the last few years?

While overall happiness levels remain similar, there’s been a dip in the strongest positive ratings. In other words, fewer people think their postal service is “fantastic”, and more believe there’s room for improvement. This isn’t exactly surprising, given the financial and logistical challenges postal services have faced in recent years… but still, it’s a bit disheartening to see. 😕

Of course, this sentiment varies wildly from country to country. If you’d like to see a breakdown by country from some years ago, check out this blog post.

One of the interesting trends from the census is a shift in where people buy their postcards. Take a look:

Back in 2020, local postcard shops were still a popular source, slightly ahead of online shops. But in just a few years, that’s changed dramatically. Online shops have now taken the lead by a significant margin, while local postcard shops have dropped in popularity, currently being overtaken by online shops, museums, and other local stores.

Is this shift due to the convenience of online shopping? A decline in physical postcard shops? Rising postage costs influencing bulk online purchases? Probably a mix of all these factors… but whatever the case, it’s clear that postcrossers are adapting to new ways of stocking up on postcards!

In 2024's census, we introduced a couple of new questions, one of which asked: are you sending more postcards now than two years ago?

At first glance, the results were a pleasant surprise—most people reported sending more postcards than before! 🎉 But then, we took a closer look…

A large portion of respondents (around 20%) joined Postcrossing within the past year. That means their “increase” in sending might simply be because they weren’t sending many postcards before discovering Postcrossing. So, we decided to refine the data and look only at members who had been with Postcrossing for over two years:

And… there it is. When excluding newer members, the trend flips: most long-time members are actually sending fewer postcards. There are probably multiple reasons for this — rising postage costs, shifting personal priorities, or maybe just life getting in the way. It’s a sad trend, but also an expected one.

What about meetups? Have postcrossers been to meetings before?

Looks like only a small percentage has ever been to a meetup, which is a bit of a pity, really! Meetups are a great way to connect with fellow postcrossers, exchange postcards, and share stories. If you haven’t attended one yet, we really encourage you to give it a try — whether by finding a local meetup or even organizing your own. Who knows? You might make some new friends along the way!

One of the parts of the census that we pay especially attention to is the disabilities question, where we ask members how impairments affect their Postcrossing experience. Unlike other questions, this one isn’t easily represented visually, as replies come in the form of text. But after reading through the responses, we noticed that most of them fall into these main categories:

• Mental health conditions (like ADHD, anxiety, depression, etc.)
• Mobility and chronic pain issues (mostly arthritis, chronic back pain, wheelchair use, fatigue)
• Vision impairments
• Other physical or neurological conditions (including Parkinson’s, post-stroke effects, hand tremors, cancer treatments and dyslexia or dysgraphia)

For many of these issues, there is little that Postcrossing can do… but still, this kind of feedback is super valuable to us. By understanding these challenges, we can work towards making Postcrossing more accessible — sometimes in surprisingly simple ways, like adjusting font choices or rewording certain instructions. But since we don’t experience these challenges ourselves, we rely on feedback from the community to help guide us.

One thing we found surprising is that a lot of people reported that Postcrossing actually helps them cope with their disabilities — for instance, by giving people a small, finite task to focus on (e.g.: writing a postcard or taking a walk to the nearest postbox). Many state that it improves their mental health, and that Postcrossing’s “send at your own pace” model allows people to participate only when they have enough energy or resources, reducing guilt and pressure. These are factors we don’t usually consider, so it’s amazing to learn about them!

Finally, another new question we asked last year was: have used or printed the official World Postcard Day design provided by Postcrossing?

14%! At first glance, that might not seem like much… but actually, we think it’s not a bad number! If the percentage were too high, everyone would be receiving the same postcard design, which might get a bit repetitive. But if it were too low, it would mean our work was going unnoticed… So 14% feels like a good balance, and we’re curious to see how this number shifts in future years.

And that’s it for 2024’s census highlights! We’re big data nerds, so looking at numbers and statistics is always fascinating — we hope you found these insights as interesting as we did.

What do you think? Are you perhaps surprised by some of these, or is everything more or less what you expected?

A huge thank you again to everyone who took the time to participate! ❤️

(*) While 21,186 responses is a substantial sample, naturally we can’t assume it represents all postcrossers. Some people might be less at ease answering surveys (perhaps due to language barriers) which could influence the results. So, let’s keep that in mind and try to interpret the findings with caution!