Internet Pen Pals
The value of trading
Sending and receiving handwritten letters back and forth to penpals, or the kind gesture of exchanging freshly baked goods with your neighbours. Small intentional and sentimental interactions all interface with “the value of trading”. Evidence has shown that trading dates back to the prehistoric period when the currency system wasn’t applicable as a form of communication. People exchanged specific items for other goods that they didn’t have access to, forming a tightly-knit community and bartering system.
The concept of trading has always been a second nature throughout my childhood to adulthood. My fondest earliest memory was in elementary school during lunch break. It was one of the most exciting times to look forward to because my friends and I would gather around in a circle to trade snacks and treats from our lunches that our parents packed for us. A cheese string for a small bag of Welch’s gummies, perhaps? Or half a sandwich for a few apple slices. Simple and pure moments from my early youth provided fundamental stepping stones for me to appreciate the movement of trading. Fast forward to my adulthood, to a 25-year-old girl who picks up probably an unhealthy amount of crafty hobbies. I wanted to start integrating and exchanging items I made with other people who appreciated the concept of trading as much as I do.
If you’ve been keeping up with me for a while, you’ll see that I love trading my baked goods (specifically cookies), in exchange for various items such as homemade ceramics, knitted items, and occasionally some delicious pastries. Not only is this interactive activity of exchanging art fun to do, but it’s also such a rewarding experience to appreciate someone’s craft on a deeper level. I wanted to share and highlight some fun trades I’ve done over the past years with talented individuals I’ve crossed paths with through the internet. I also did a little interview segment on what inspires their creativity, where they draw inspiration from, and what trading their art means to them.
DAZY CHAINS- Hayley Mortin, known as @dazychains on Instagram, is a Canadian, Montreal-based textile artist. Hayley creates special and unique pieces conceptualized from the hidden infrastructure of artificial intelligence images buried in training data sets, visual glitches, and algorithmic mistakes. “I rework those fragments through knitting, and tactile processes to surface what usually stays unseen”. This was my first ever trade with someone I met through social media, it will forever hold a special place near and dear to my heart. I sent out an array of my favourite cookies, including orange chocolate pistachio shortbread and black sesame caramel chocolate chip cookies. In exchange, Hayley knitted me a tote bag based off archive paper cutting books featuring a Russian-born French illustrator, Nathalie Parain. The concept of combining “procedural creation with play and experimentation through paper”. I felt super inspired while doing this trade with Hayley. It was super cool looking into someone else's creativity field that I’m particularly unfamiliar with. Viewing the process of an artist's meticulous ideas and concepts unfold and transform into a physical product made me appreciate the textile world so much more.
BC: What is your favourite part about trading items you make with other people?
HM: I always freeze up when it comes to pricing, especially with friends, even the ones who genuinely want to support the work. Trading feels different. There’s kind of an energetic symmetry to it, like the time and care that went into something mirrored back. It makes the exchange feel less transactional and more like a shared language.
BC: How do you feel your work has evolved over the years since you first started off?
HM: I used to approach projects with a fixed idea in my head -like I already knew what I wanted, and the goal was to execute. Now I try to start with less of a plan. Sometimes the material or mood of the day takes it in a direction I didn’t expect. I think I’ve gotten better at listening to my intuition and not just executing a pre-defined set of instructions.
ALBA VELASCO-@Albuggin, on TikTok and Instagram, is a home ceramicist based in the United States. She is known to make whimsical, beautiful, fairy-like pieces that encapsulate nature and heal the inner child in you. I asked Alba last Summer if she would do a trade with me for some cookies; she graciously said yes. Needless to say, I was so excited. It was requested that the cookie flavours would be a surprise upon delivery, so I had to pull some inspiration from her social media. I curated matcha brownie cookies, hojicha pistachio toffee cookies, and brown butter earl grey cookies. It was to send these cookies out since some of these recipes were in the mid-final stages of recipe development at the time, so it was fun to send them off and get some feedback and as well as gifting some yummy treats. In exchange, Alba hand-built me the most darling mug with a caterpillar handle inspired by a pitcher vase I fell in love with that was displayed on her Tiktok, and I requested it to be made into mug form. Trading with Alba made me appreciate that “childhood whimsy” can still co-exist in your adulthood and bring so much joy by leaning into artistic platforms such as ceramics and pottery.
BC: What inspires your creativity when you make pieces? (It could be a texture, an object, or a place)
AV: Childhood nostalgia, melancholy, nature, the changing of seasons, day dreaming, and fruit.
BC: What’s your favourite part about trading your work with other people?
AV: I love that it highlights the value of handmade goods, that artists can connect and support each other without the layer of money exchanges weighing over our heads, and that in a world where wealth and class dictate almost our every move, trades shine a bright light of connection, creativity, and resistance.
UNA GIL- @unibanuni on Instagram is a self-taught knitter and print artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She creates ethereal drawings and lino prints inspired by dreamy visions from her childhood. I always use the term “small world” with the internet; everything is interconnected to a certain degree. When Una and I were first chatting about doing a trade, we soon realised that we both lived in the same city. Living in proximity to each other, we decided to do an in-person trade, which was super sweet and wholesome. I contributed some baked goods, including three variations of cookies. In exchange, Una knitted me some cozy merino tabi gloves made from a composition of merino wool and marsh mohair that I love and will cherish forever. I’m constantly in awe, seeing Una’s work. There is such a strong presence of storytelling and attention to detail that transports you into a perfect, tranquil realm of Una’s mind.
BC: Describe your ideal set-up while creating art in your space?
UG: A non-negotiable for me when creating art is solitude. I feel most inspired to create art when I’m alone and free from distractions. I prefer drawing in the early morning or afternoon when natural light fills my space, and I also like to keep my workspace calm and not too cluttered. Usually, I’ll brew a pot of sencha, put on music that makes me feel ethereal and feminine, artists like Lana Del Rey, Rowena Fysx, Kali Uchis, or even classical ballet.
BC: What’s your thought process while making art?/What inspires you?
UG: Much of my work is inspired by nostalgia, especially memories of my childhood, and being a ballet dancer for 12 plus years. I’m drawn to creating dreamy pieces that explore themes of femininity and girlhood. When I draw, I hope my art can evoke these emotions, not just for me, but for anyone who sees it. I’m also inspired by dreamy, almost fantastical imagery. Some of my biggest influences include The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya by Studio Ghibli, The Complete Book of Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker, the work of Edgar Degas, and Aya Takano.
How to get involved in trading in your community?
Finding your hobby to start trading
There’s a plethora of resources and information we luckily have access to online, where we can adapt and learn new skills. I view hobbies as something we naturally weave in and out of during different stages of life, so don’t be discouraged if the first one you pick up doesn’t immediately seem to align right away. I vividly remember this quote from Rick Rubin's book A Creative Act: A Way of Being, and he mentions “trees allowing their fruit to ripen naturally”. It’s a constant reminder that hobbies slowly take time to develop, and for yourself to discover it’s full potential. My advice is to try as many things as possible to open new doors, exploring new endeavours that might lead you on the right path to find hobbies that fuel passion and inspiration. The world is your oyster!
If you’re still having trouble finding a hobby that fully aligns with you, trading can be as simple as finding a person to write to. We often forget about the concept of pen pals since social media is now an outweighed form of communication to interact with new people. But since penpals are rarer to come across these days, it makes it more valuable and special that someone is taking the time out of their day to write back and forth consistently to you from a different country or state.
A guide of items you can trade
Gardening, trading the vegetables you’ve harvested over the season
Homemade preserves and jams
painting and drawing
handwritten notes and postcards (A pen-pal perhaps?)
baked goods
sewing projects
Reaching out
Reaching out to someone may seem a little nerve-racking and daunting, but once you send out that initial message, you've already got over the first hurdle and realised it’s not that scary. I used to have this mentality where I constantly compared myself to others and thought, “My work is not good enough, so why would people agree to trade their work with me?”. But in reality, there are so many small niche communities out there who will appreciate your work and the craftsmanship of whatever you offer on the table.