{"id":7633,"date":"2017-12-10T13:05:27","date_gmt":"2017-12-10T13:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blueeyedsun.co.uk\/blog\/?p=7633"},"modified":"2018-01-02T21:15:27","modified_gmt":"2018-01-02T21:15:27","slug":"looking-back-greeting-card-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blueeyedsun.co.uk\/blog\/looking-back-greeting-card-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking Back on The Greeting Card Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Looking<\/p>\n

On Sunday 31st December I will post my final video at YouTube.com\/TheGreetingCardProject<\/a> on a personal quest that has taken me far and wide as I have explored the magic of greeting card sending each week this year.<\/p>\n

At the start of the year I confessed to the world that, despite having published cards for the last seventeen years, I didn\u2019t actually send that many greeting cards myself. My New Year\u2019s resolution for 2017 was to change this and send more cards. I would also document my experiences on video and share them on YouTube and social media each week.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/b><\/p>\n

At the start of the project I wanted to explore how it would change me and how it would affect my relationships. I also wanted to explore the nature of giving cards.<\/p>\n

It has been quite a journey. I\u2019ve been through all sorts of ups and downs on the project. I\u2019m proud to have nearly completed it and I\u2019m pleased that it\u2019s also inspired others to send more cards, create their own videos and to be more supportive online.<\/p>\n

I am hugely grateful to everyone who has contributed to the videos with video replies and help, to those who let me film in their shops and to everyone who shared the content online. I\u2019m indebted to my 10 yr old son, Sam, whom I dragged around post boxes and shops when I needed help filming. Mostly I am grateful to all of you that take the time out of your busy lives to watch my short films. Thank you.<\/p>\n

The stats<\/b><\/p>\n

This year I have purchased and sent over 250 cards from over 150 different publishers in 52 different stores in the UK and Europe. I\u2019ve spent around \u00a3250 on postage, \u00a3750 on cards and \u00a3600 on travel to complete the project with a total cost of \u00a31,600.<\/p>\n

Creating and sharing the videos online has taken approximately 400 hours of work this year (Interestingly, the total watch time for the videos is 427 hours).<\/p>\n

The videos on YouTube had 10,589 views by the year end with an average view time of two minutes each. Halfway through the year, I started testing the videos in Facebook and other platforms and the total views of the videos during 2017 on all channels was 20,779.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m really pleased with these stats. I never expected the channel to go viral and this wasn\u2019t my intention anyway. I wanted to create something that was of interest to our community and to people who love cards. Whilst I\u2019d love to have done more with the format, I was restricted by the time I could dedicate to the project (around 6-8 hours per week). For the time, budget and resources I had the project has been a success for me. More importantly it\u2019s changed me personally as I\u2019ve grown from the experience.<\/p>\n

How I\u2019ve changed<\/b><\/p>\n

When I started my first video I was pretty nervous. The first shot on Brighton beach took me about fifty takes. I felt so self conscious walking and talking to my phone as passers by looked on. My face felt tight (although it was pretty cold on the day) and the more takes I did, the harder it was to stay relaxed. I got a lot better at this with practice and I feel very at ease in front of the camera now. It\u2019s actually a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

Over time I got more organised. I didn\u2019t plan the project particularly well. I thought of a format that I could achieve and that I would find interesting and then went for it. I\u2019m writing this knowing that I only have two videos left to shoot and how and where I\u2019m going to do them. Being ahead is a lot less stressful than shooting, editing and uploading all on the same day (yup, I did that twice).<\/p>\n

The biggest shift for me personally is the discovery that the real pleasure comes from buying and sending the cards, not the reciprocal receipt of any cards. It\u2019s like sending rays of sunshine off into peoples\u2019 lives. I love it and I love that I don\u2019t rely on replies to feel happy or content within. That said, it is lovely to receive cards too and I\u2019ve loved every one of the dozen or so that have come through my door this year.<\/p>\n

My Relationships<\/b><\/p>\n

The quality of our relationships comes down to the quality of our communication. Whilst greeting cards will never be a panacea for fixing relationships, I do believe they can really help us to communicate and to connect powerfully with one another. Card sending is an act of service, a gift, a way of spending quality time with another, they\u2019re tactile and they often contain words of affirmation and affection. They can light up a person\u2019s day in a way that is uniquely wonderful.<\/p>\n

The biggest change for me has been a personal shift within that has come from spending more time thinking of others and more regularly feeling grateful for my friends and loved ones. It\u2019s been a challenging year for me personally and this practice has been invaluable to my sense of well being. I have experienced and changed so much I can\u2019t even begin to tell you about it all. I also can\u2019t honestly tell you if I am actually closer to my friends or to anyone else in my life as a result of sending more cards. I do feel better for doing it though.<\/p>\n

What I’ve discovered is that the real moment is here and now. When I choose a card for you and I hand write a message to you I am with you in this moment. Even though we may be many miles apart. Even if we are the best of friends or we hardly know each other, I am here with you. Thinking of you. This is the real gift: presence.<\/p>\n

What Next?<\/b><\/p>\n

I need your help to send more cards and deliver more smiles in 2018. Are you up for it?<\/p>\n

The mission, should you choose to accept it:<\/p>\n

Agree to send more cards during 2018 and to share your stories using #TheGreetingCardProject on social media.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to make a video. You can simply share a photo or write your greeting card story.<\/p>\n

I do hope that you will get involved and look forward to hearing your experience.<\/p>\n

Join the Facebook Group to get started: www.facebook.com\/groups\/TheGreetingCardProject<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch The Greeting Card Project weekly videos at www.YouTube.com\/TheGreetingCardProject<\/a><\/p>\n

Why I started the Greeting Card Project<\/a><\/p>\n

14 Things I’ve learned making The Greeting Card Project<\/a><\/p>\n

My top Technical Tips for Making Video for your Business<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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