About Art Forty-Two

What are projects?

Projects are mail art. It's that simple. Other members create mail art assignments for your participation. These projects could include: notebooks, containers, ATCs, zines, decos, sculptures, art dolls, altered books, matchboxes, handmade books, bookmarks, envelopes, and more - anything you can imagine. Projects should not include anything that promotes the use of copyrighted material or other items that should not be distributed with out permission, such as music.

Why did you create this site?

We built Art Forty-Two because we were lamenting the loss of Nervousness. One day, we were talking about the good ole LMAO days and how the forums that replaced Nervousness were not as fun or easy to navigate. A dear geek friend suggested we create the site we want - and offered to program it for us. (So we owe a lot of thanks to Aelios the Super Geek). After much planning and programming we've made it. We hope this site creates a beautiful art community that will allow us to reconnect with the creating. We wanted to be excited about our mail again.

Who are you?

Empress Dragon
(www.empressdragon.com)
I love art in all its forms - including Artist Trading Cards (ATCs), advertising, digital art, and sculpting. I dig social networking and all the things that can be done with it. I enjoy community and collaborating on projects. I day dream of having my art on display in a location near me. I have a marketing and web development background. My most well known ATCs were my hanger people and heart-lipped women.

FaithMarie
(www.faithmariedesign.com)
I enjoy everything that’s creative and art related. By day, I’m a graphic designer creating calendars, newsletters, brochures, etc. In my spare time, it seems like I always have a project going of some sort. Lately, my main focus has been mosaics and digital art but I enjoy a lot of different mediums. A couple nights a week I also teach a special needs art class through the local community center. It's been one of the most rewarding opportunities I’ve experience. The artists in my class always see things differently than I do and they push me to be a better artist myself. I’m very excited to be a part of this community with talented and creative people. Collaborating with other artist is very inspiring and it keeps the creative juices flowing.

I'm new, what should I do?

Excited to get started? Explore the created projects and sign-up - or create your own. Let people get to know you. Dive in! The most important thing to remember is to communicate, communicate, communicate. Be sure to update your status on projects and let the host and other participants know what you are up to. If, for some reason, you are unable to participate in the project please be sure to remove yourself from the project and let the host know. If a traveling project arrives at your house and you have removed yourself from the project, please be sure to mail it on.

How do I create a project?

When creating a project, provide clear instructions on what is expected of each participant. Create a realistic time frame and expectations. The most important thing is to communicate, communicate, communicate. You can use standard formatting HTML in your project descriptions and comments to help draw participant attention to the most important aspects of your instructions. Hosting is a big responsibility. Please make sure you can complete the project. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to finish please cancel the project and mail back whatever you received. Canceling a project near its completion could create negative feelings and the potential for negative feedback unless you communicate effectively.

Any rules for giving karma?

Remember to provide feedback on completed projects for participants and hosts. Be polite and concise. Happy with the outcome of the project - give positive feedback and let the member know what they did right! Ambivalent about the results - give neutral feedback and tell the member how to improve. Have a bad experience - provide constructive negative feedback. Do not personally attack any other member. Let's assume the best of everyone. Feedback that has been reported for abuse will be evaluated and removed or modified by Art Forty-Two moderators.

Questions? Answers.

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