Life

Support The USPS & This Children's Book Illustrator Will Send You Original Art

If you're looking for ways to stand in solidarity with the United States Postal Service right now and also in the market for some new artwork, you're in luck. Illustrator of The Long Island, Drew Beckmeyer, took to Instagram to share two ways that you can help support the USPS and get an original illustration while you’re at it.

The video Beckmeyer shared to his Instagram stories shows a plethora of pieces he has recently crafted followed by instructions for how to get your hands on his postcard-sized creations.

Here’s how it works: Beckmeyer will mail anyone who sends him a photo or proof of purchase of stamps an original postcard. Alternatively, if you send him a stamp, he’ll send you a postcard in return. “Eg: You can send 100 stamps and I’ll send 100 postcards,” his instructions stated.

“Win/win/win maybe,” the text surmised at the end of the slide with the instructions on Instagram. This is a sentiment with which I can heartily agree. Another screenshot clarified that you don’t have to do both things to get a postcard. Just buy the stamps and show him, or send him a stamp. Either way will work.

If you watch the clip where Beckmeyer surveys his handiwork by panning the camera across these postcard-sized pieces of art, you’ll see that every single piece of art is unique. There are portraits, illustrations of buildings, landscapes, and more. Unfortunately, you can’t pick which piece of art will head your way once you send your stamp or proof of purchase. “No choosing but I’m embarrassed enough by the bad ones that I won’t send those,” the text of Beckmeyer’s Instagram story reads.

Although he jokes that “there’s a lot of bad ones,” they all look incredibly beautiful, and part of why this sounds like so much fun is that the actual art you’ll receive will be a total surprise. Couldn’t we all use a bit of a good surprise these days? That is definitely a welcomed change of pace in my house during this chaotic season.

As fun and creative as the entire initiative is, the most pure part of Beckmeyer’s entire post is the end of the last slide that reads, “I don’t benefit from this… is my motto.” This completely selfless act is truly just to motivate people to support the postal service.

Some days, it feels like letter writing and sending physical mail via the postal service has gone by the wayside. I’m not even sure that my third grader knows how to address an envelope properly. That seems like an abysmal failure on my part, but with people like Beckmeyer pushing for more awareness through their creative actions, I can’t help but feel like now is the perfect time to teach my kids the “ancient” art of correspondence.

The importance of the USPS is not lost on those who depend on the service to deliver essential goods like medications, pay bills, and even vote by mail. Supporting the USPS during this crucial time of financial woes and political uncertainty has become a mantra for many Americans who want to see the infrastructure thrive. This could be as simple as contacting your representatives, signing a petition, or purchasing stamps. With Beckmeyer’s initiative, that last action can actually yield some cool art work in return.