Frequently Asked Questions

All the drawings for the subscriptionART project have been made specifically for the project. They are not crops of drawings made for other purposes. Additionally, the drawings are the same size as the finished postcard (4.25” × 5.5”), so in reproduction they are neither shrunk nor blown up (within the tolerances of the reproduction process). Sometimes they may be of a similar view or composition as another drawing I have made, which can lead to confusion among those who are very familiar with my work.

Notice that now (or at any point that you are renewing a subscription) you can choose to subscribe using the alternate structure. While the income-based structure was, indeed, the only option when the subscriptionART project first launched, the alternate structure was soon added, due to popular demand. You can also subscribe now using the income-based structure, and once you are making a billion dollars a year, see if those rates still seem too steep for you (and if so, switch to the alternate structure).

You can subscribe using the designated recipient structure as a giver, and the postcards will be sent directly to the recipient you designate, This option was also added due to popular demand.

Yes! The Current (and Past) page has images of postcards from previous months (with a few months’ delay, so only current subscribers see them in real time), so you can get an idea of what they are like.

The income-based levels are designed to be affordable, but if it doesn’t feel that way to you, consider the alternate structure. At the lowest level, you are paying the equivalent of two cups of coffee a month, and you are getting two postcards a month. Does that still feel unaffordable?

You could put them in a shoe box somewhere. But if you’re like most subscribers and want to somehow display the postcards you receive, here are a few ideas I have collected.

1. Put the postcards in a photo album that has transparent sleeves or pockets (so you can see both sides of the post card just by turning the page). Then you have an instant coffee table book (or you can keep it on the book shelf).

2. Get a mini mailbox, which are often in stores around Valentine’s day, but are available online year round. Put the postcards in that on a table, shelf, or anywhere you might place a small sculpture. Then anyone who wants to look at them has a related experience of pulling them out of the mailbox.

3a. Hang the postcards on fine lines (thread or monofilament) against the wall (or from the ceiling if you have an appropriate space). Then you can grab each one and flip it over to see the other side. They can be hung above and below each other as well as next to each other, and you could even put several on the same line. (You will have to make a little hole in them or use sticky tape or something to get them onto the lines.) This could work well on the wall by a staircase. (If hanging from the ceiling midroom, channel Pae White)

3b. Make a mobile with the postcards and fine lines (thread or monofilament) and wire or wooden dowels (think Alexander Calder or crib mobiles for inspiration depending on your ambition).

Renewing is the same as subscribing. Just choose your desired structure and appropriate subscription level (if necessary, updating the level to reflect changes in income since you previously subscribed) and include all the relevant personal info and payment.

That is up to you in some sense. If you feel that all the combined income from your household is “yours” (meaning you feel that money is available to use for your expenses and desires without negotiating with someone else first...or however else you would define “yours”), use the combined income. If you feel that 50% of the combined income is “yours,” use that figure. If you feel that the exact amount from paychecks issued in your name (and income from investments that include your name, etc.) is “your” income, use that figure. Maybe think what money you would consider potentially available to you (without consulting your spouse/partner) if you wanted to take skydiving lessons, or something else out of the ordinary. Just be honest with yourself. Too hard to do that? Then maybe the alternate structure is a better match for you.

The minimum levels for all the structures are absolute minimums, but if there is an amount per month above the minimum that you do not see but you do wish to pay for your subscription, contact the artist and something can be worked out.

Subscribe for 12 months if you want to! Then you don’t have to think about renewing for nearly a year (you should try to renew a month or so before your subscription ends, ideally). And the artist has plans to continue the project for as long as people keep subscribing. People like you. So the longer a term you choose, the easier it is for the artist to plan for the project’s evolution in advance.

Try renewing next time for 8 or 12 months so you don’t have to think about it for a while.

The artist (Jennifer Lanski) is the sole creator of the project. She alone makes the drawings and then the postcards (although occasionally a smaller finger may press the “copy” button on the copy machine). She does have assistance from her technical guru for some technical matters and all website programming.