Every couple of weeks, all this summer, my post office box has been graced — and the postal clerks and I entertained — by a wild array of packages.
The boxes, sent by ST, a reader and frequent commentor on the blog, are so weirdly charming on the outside I’ve sometimes hesitated to open them. But when I do, they turn out to be just as weird — and entertaining — inside. I mean the insides of the boxes themselves, which are sometimes even more decorated than the exteriors.
Oh yeah. And they contain … well, just what you might imagine such imaginative packages would contain.
But never mind my verbiage. Have a look for yourself. This is just a representative selection.
Many of the items in the boxes have to do with light. Here’s a homemade lamp — a mounted junction box painted and jazzed up with a temporary tattoo — and a decorated flashlight that served as its own mailing container.
The measuring spoons below are the kind labeled “pinch,” “smidgen,” and “dash.” It happens that I’ve been wanting a set of those. đ A man after my own heart, ST got them at a garage sale.
Some of the items defy description. I think this one goes well with my 1950s countertops, though.
These packages have made a huge hit with everybody at the post office — and with me, of course.
There’s always a little danger in writing about one person’s gift; I’ve been blessed with a number of gifts for which I can’t express enough gratitude. Some are practical, some life-savers, some make me laugh, some are delicious, all are spirit-lifters. There are people hereabouts who have literally saved my life. Or kept me going through the years when I felt like quitting. I hope I can give proper thanks for every blessed person who has ever reached out to me.
But for sheer oddball originality … the mind boggles. Above all, I envy — or, no, let’s say I’m happily reminded of — the uninhibited creativity ST puts into these treasure boxes.
We (and that most definitely includes me) tend to put “creativity” up on some high shelf. We “allow” writers, artists, actors, poets, composers, and playwrights the exalted designation of “creative” — and in so doing we forget to notice that everyday life is filled with opportunities for creativity, even for those of us who can’t draw a stick figure or play a musical note that wouldn’t cause our neighbors to complain to the police and our cats to think the local tom is challenging them.
ST obviously has the art kind of creativity, too. But what he’s really got in spades is the, “Hey, what if?” “Oh boy, look at this!” “Wow, what I could do …” kind of creativity that’s really a much bigger deal.
I’ve been charmed that ST has expressed that in art and doodads and sent it my way. But that kind of creativity has endless uses.
Among other things — to bring this back to the theme expressed in the name of this blog — that kind of unstoppable creativity is totally, utterly, absolutely subversive of Received Authority. Wild creativity in everyday life is the eternal enemy — and happy bane — of all that’s rigid and stodgy and bureaucratic and predictable and rule-bound.
And ain’t that grand?
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P.S. Anybody recognize the flag in the first photo?
Very cool!
Is the flag a Browncoat flag?
Dandy…specially the last one
What a great amount of fun in all of that! On both sides, ST and yours….
I admire people who can tap into lighthearted joy….and can look at their surroundings from that approach……some people get wrapped up so seriously they miss all that kind of joy right in front of them, and that’s my category way to often…..
Thanks for sharing that, I can’t help but smile at the ingenuity and the whimsy and the amount of thought and care that goes with it…….
Good thing you have more room, now, huh? LOL
I like to make stuff out of junk but I have no sense of “art”. Most of what I make is just useful stuff I need and can’t afford to buy. I’ve always admired folks that can make arty stuff.
Bingo! Yep, Kent, it’s a Browncoat flag.
I confess that I never noticed such a thing while watching Firefly or Serenity, but after ST’s helpful hint, I looked it up — and there it is.
My sister is the arty, creative rebel in our family. She sends me packages a few times a year, always filled with practical things I can use – but always with other odds and ends that are fun and bring me a great deal of joy. And sometimes they present a very interesting challenge.. I’m still trying to figure out what to do with 6 jars of grapefruit marmalade. It’s not bad… but…
I’m so glad you have such a treasure in your life, Claire. đ
Anyone can do this! Everything I used is everyday hardware store/flea market/surplus store/found stuff. Temporary tattoos sealed with 96 cent clearcoat from WalMart(temporary tattoos stick to smooth surfaces,but need sealing to make them durable-they will fade in sunlight,tho’-the original idea was to do a bicycle like this,but sunlight fades them quickly). Pencil drawing on metal-easy. Get you some primer, flat white, and clearcoat(brand isn’t important, but use the same brand for the primer/paint/clearcoat. Sometimes, different brands don’t jive). Prime the metal,paint with a couple coats of flat white,allow to dry thoroughly, draw on flat white as if it were paper, seal with clearcoat…try flat black and a white pencil..makes cool Halloween party lamps,with a black light.
I very seldom recycle electrical parts-is it worth burning down your house to save two bucks? Solder all leads,heat-shrink tubing,wire nuts,or tape all connections. I will use New Old Stock-stuff that’s old, but never been sold-sometimes, this stuff is better. Some of the new import crap is so cheesy I wonder if the UL listing is fake.
I got the flag at this year’s ConGlomeration-one guy in the dealer’s room had all sorts of Firefly stuff-what I really wanted was the book of ships(a bit pricy for my tastes), or the manufacturer’s plates for the various ships in Firefly(again, a bit pricy).
I can’t claim originality for some of it-years ago, while staying with an aunt and uncle, I bought a whole case of cheap flashlights with logos on them at a auction. My aunt made homemade jewelry,and used most of them as mailing tubes-reuseable packaging.
One thing that gets on my nerves is what I call “Art Farts”-those that insist if you don’t use the most expensive materials,use the proper techniques, or whatever-it ain’t art. So what? I like to design things that *anyone* can do,with everyday,readily available,inexpensive(or free) materiaLs,and built with ordinary hand tools.
Try it sometime..
Looks like “ST” just outed himself. So I’ll say a public thank you to Scott for a summer of fun packages.
Art is creativity that provokes joy or thought. No more, no less. Most thinking people are artists to some degree. The difference lies in how aware we are of that aspect of ourselves.
I fully agree that living free is an art. The status quo is a blueprint. Freedom requires ignoring that blueprint and creating a life through imagination. We can take influence from others but, ultimately, the end product is uniquely ours. One that hopefully provokes both thought and joy.
Interestingly, I just finished rereading “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” for the umpteenth time. Toward the end, Professor Bernardo de La Paz says, “Revolution is an art, not a science.” So I think we can safely say Heinlein has your back on this one, too.
LOL, @ Scott outing himself…..
Yes, anyone can do that “technique wise”, but not all have that spark of joy to think of it in the first place…..You have a unique spark……
naturegirl — amen and well-said. I was thinking something like that when I read Scott’s “anybody can …” But you put it better than I could have.
Yeah, Scott. When I think about preparing packages like those, all I think of is how much WERK it would be. Your happy creativity makes it a different thing.
And yay to comments about “art farts” and the creativity of “ignoring the blueprint.”
Thanks, Claire…..that’s just to much fun to not be envious of, LOL……
That’s awesome, Scott. All of it.
I wonder what that expression is on the alien’s face. Perhaps it says, “If I had known the Earthlings were so large I would have brought a bigger gun!!!”
LOL, A.G. — Your comment reminds me of the gigantic, warlike space-invasion fleet mentioned in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series that invades a planet and “through an error of scale” ends up being swallowed by a small dog.
Yeah, that poor guy does look a little overwhelmed …