A Letter For: The Process Part 1

My process for creating this project and bringing it to life

Dec 03, 2024

Getting this off the ground has been a journey. I wanted to set the stage for anyone that stumbles upon this by explaining how I got to where I’m at and my process for bringing this idea/concept into reality.

If you haven’t read my introduction to the project - do that now and come back to this post.

After I wrote my first letter on my typewriter, I realized that sending it in a regular white envelope wouldn’t suffice. The typewriter and it’s beautiful script font was too nice, it needed packaging to match it and convey the significance of what was inside.

Just that thought got my creative juices flowing. My brain works in questions…

How will I get people to notice it and open the letter?

How can I prime that person and put them in a place to really READ and RECEIVE the words?

How should I structure the letter so that lands?

How do I keep the letter safe from the elements in shipping?

Should I ask them to write me back?

I’m a prodigious note taker, so I started writing down the questions. From there my brain goes into bullet point mode, I start answering the questions with whatever comes to mind. This is usually a contemplative process, I think deeply about the question and problem it poses and write out my unfiltered thoughts in bullets.

I stay in this mode as long as my brain can, it can be exhausting at times or (usually) it gets interrupted by something (kids, hunger, a meeting, etc.).

Once it’s documented in this manner it becomes alive. It stirs around in my head, I start seeing visuals, I feel feelings, I coalesce an ethos and aesthetic, I try to understand the “thing” on a very rich level. I don’t know how else to describe it other than I get to know “it” deeply by attaching these visuals, sounds, feelings, textures, etc.

Over time then when I pick up on a signal that intersects with “it” I add it to the mix. That’s why it’s alive, it starts to grow and evolve and mold itself into what it’s supposed to be.

This is when the firm ideas/concepts start to into focus. I write them down, too. Those ideas are more half-baked. They have some structure, some weight, some meaning, some shape.

This is where the rubber meets the road for me and I have a decision to make:

Should I pursue this further? What can I invest in it and what can I afford to invest in it?

Most of the time these ideas get a quick “No” and “Minimal to none” and end up in my idea folder purgatory. In the case of this project that was not the case, but it was close.

I found myself one morning early (I like the peace of the morning at 5-6am, when everyone is asleep and it’s just me and my thoughts) stuck with this decision. I knew that I loved the feeling of writing and delivering these letters. It was fun and enjoyable and cathartic and I could feel myself attaching importance to it, but I didn’t know where to go with it.

Was it just something I do privately from time to time when I felt inspired to?

Or do I do something more with it? Do I commit to it being more and put real intention into it.

Often times in these moments I reach out to people in my life that I know would have a good perspective on it and I workshop the concept. I tell them where I’m at, explain all of the above process, and ask them their opinion. I have a few people in my life that I do this regularly with, my muses, and I love these people dearly.

In this case, when I sat down that morning to contemplate deeply a new person popped into my head for who knows what reason. I hadn’t talked to this person in YEARS but I couldn’t turn away the thought that her presence needed to be involved and that her way of being (from what I remembered of when we worked together and were friends) fit the “it” that this project had turned into.

I waited until a reasonable hour and I called her. She picked up. I was so glad she did, it felt like if she hadn’t that was the sign I needed to just keep the project a fun thing without any real intention, but I wanted her to pick up to give me the positive sign to do more with it.

We caught up for a few minutes, asked how each others’ families and lives had been, and then I sheepishly told her why I called. Something along the lines of “I have this thing that I’m doing and I was meditating and thought of you to help me because I’m feeling stuck”. She obliged. Another positive signal.

At this point I had the concept and explained it to her. I told her I felt like the next steps were things she could help with - a brand, a design language, help with packaging, ideas on how to make it better/push it further. She said she was in, she loved the concept and would help (I did offer and pay her, she’s a designer and artist and so it’s her line of work).

So the decision was made right there on that call. I was in and committed.

Then we started collaborating and her energy started to really improve and evolve my concept. This is some of the best energy ever, when the combined power of multiple minds and perspectives start to eclipse what you even thought was possible. I think I’m addicted to it, actually.

We never set a schedule for things just naturally let it flow and take it’s course. Sometimes we had to be intentional, i.e. “we need to get this piece done, then we can tackle this one”, but it really take shape on it’s own.

We started with just fonts. We collectively felt like we needed to move away from anything script-like to keep the typewriter script font unique and let it stand on it’s own. She started with these options:

Serif Fonts
Lehigh
This one is from Lost Type. It has a typewriter feel to me, that I think would suit the project. I'm thinking a heavier weight but not the heaviest. Since it's a personal project for now we can make a donation for use. http://www.losttype.com/font/?name=lehigh
Goudy Bookletter 1911
These are all open source so free to download and use. I kind of like Goudy Bookletter 1911. https://www.theleagueofmoveabletype.com/goudy-bookletter-1911
Amasis
A little more elegant in the thinner weights. Fun thing about this site is you can put in letters or words to preview them in that font. $40.99 per style, we would only need one. https://www.myfonts.com/collections/amasis-font-monotype-imaging
Sans Serif Fonts
GT Pressura
This one is from Grilli Type. It's somewhat rounded, inspired by metal type printing history. It's a sans serif but has kind of an old school feel. It would be $75 for 1-3 desktop licenses so only necessary if you really love it. https://www.grillitype.com/typeface/gt-pressura
Similar but less rounded, more modern: http://www.losttype.com/font/?name=edmondsans
A similar one that I already have is Brandon Grotesque: https://fonts.adobe.com/fonts/brandon-grotesque (this is an Adobe font so no extra cost)My goal was to get it to a place where I could take back control and own it and have it be my thing.

We were off to the races. Then came a critical moment - as I was driving down to Las Vegas for a soccer tournament, my son asleep in the backseat, and a song came on that hit me like a ton of bricks:

This song had been on my Spotify “Liked Songs” for several months with just a good soulful vibe (I’m a sucker for a great voice and piano), but it was one of those moments when the words and meaning resonate on a much deeper level.

I don’t know if the song was meant to be this way, or take this perspective, but in that moment I heard it through the lens that he was talking to himself. So I internalized it like I was talking to myself in the third person: