DEFINE PEN PALLING…
“verb:
the art of writing friendly letters, particularly through postal mail, to someone you've never met.
noun:
someone who writes letters to a person (usually one from another country/state), sharing information about themselves.
Around 1860s, modern postal services were introduced. At that time, most people wrote letters to people they knew. Pen palling later developed during that period, but it wasn't very popular. After some time in 1931, the term "pen pal" was given a place in the Oxford English Dictionary.
In 1936, a society called the Student Letter Exchange was created to help others find pen pals. The purpose of this was to help young students connect with others through letters and to learn more about their cultures. To find a suitable pen pal, many companies actually charged a fee for their services in which they accommodated each individual according to their stated likes, dislikes, and personality.
When pen palling became more well-known in the 1950s, newspaper and magazine companies would have a section dedicated to finding new pen pals. People looking for pen pals would have a brief biography published, and people who share the same interests with them would try to get in contact with them.
Fast forward to 2015, the popularity of pen palling went viral, again. Many people within the art community on Tumblr and Instagram found the letters to be "aesthetically pleasing", and many were interested in pursuing it as a hobby. Many social media websites started to formulate pen pal communities, and the trend continues to stay strong.
The regeneration of pen palling turned into not just giving letters, but also small gifts to their pen pals. "Swapping" or "trading" small items also became very popular in the pen pal community, and it adds a little more spice in the envelope, rather than the letter itself.
THE ORIGIN.
MODERN DAY PEN PALLING.
Through modern-day pen palling, many people go above and beyond with what's included in the envelope. A few examples may include exchanging stationery goods (normally flat products: stickers, washi tape samples, memos, sticky notes, postcards, and trading cards), tea bags, candy (preferably not chocolate), artwork, jewelry, and souvenirs. You can also include additional fun facts about yourself (a question and answer response is a great way to start a conversation) and recommendations (music, food, books, movies, and tv shows). Don't be intimidated by the amount of "goodies" one may include, just note that the letter is the most important component in the envelope.
I included a video of @penpal.kat demonstrating her style of modern-day pen palling. I love how she included the decorating aspect of it and how she created the "mini booklet" with her letter and extras.
STYLES OF PEN PALLING.
Through modern-day pen palling, many people decorate their envelopes and typically have a consistent "theme" with the entire outcome of the letter/envelope. Here are examples of a vintage, floral, and kawaii themed envelope.
@milktea.bottle on Instagram
"kawaii aesthetic."
@plants_and_bujo on Instagram
"floral aesthetic."
@lavendermailbox on Instagram
"kawaii/vintage aesthetic."
@earthly.paper on Instagram
"vintage aesthetic."
INTERVIEW WITH KELSIE.
Kelsie (known as "skyloafu" on YouTube and @skypaint_channel on Instagram) is one of my pen pals! She is currently a sophomore studying journalism in university, and she'll be discussing about her experiences with pen palling.
What got you into pen palling?
"I was having my first two weeks off from school, and I stumbled on a YouTube video and it was on pen palling. I think the idea of getting to connect with others over letters, especially over the pandemic, was very appealing. I started pen palling with two of my close friends, and I think there's an element of pen palling that is very different from normal text or phone calls; there's more of a personal connection to it, and I think that's what drew me into the craft."
Why do you enjoy pen palling?
"I've always loved crafting. From when I was little, I would do a lot of traditional painting with acrylic and watercolor. Later into high school, I took more art classes, and I started getting into mixed media. I've always preferred [mixed media] over painting [because] I enjoy being able to put different things together, and I think that aligns so perfectly with the craft. [In pen palling], you're taking so many different stationery, and you're putting it onto one cohesive piece. I've always loved stationery, and [pen palling] brings you into that dark hole of stationery.
What's your favorite part about pen palling?
"Now that I've been doing it for over a year, I think the creative aspect of pen palling is wonderful, but also the connections you make. There are so many crafting communities on Instagram, and I would've never made as many connections as I have now if it wasn't for Instagram. I think the true joy is the meaningful connection you make, and it really makes an impact on you."
video by @skyloafu
Is there anything you'd like to say to those who are new to pen palling?
"Don't compare yourself if you're on the Instagram community, especially to the people who've already established their accounts. Everyone who you see may have pretty posts and you may feel like you're so far away, but if you go into their deepest archives, you will find things that are very similar to what you're making *laughs* If I show you my very first 10 posts ever, you will not be able to recognize them from my current posts. Keep in mind that everything progresses gradually. Another advice I would give is to go on Instagram, it's a nice idea to make an account (if you're comfortable with it) since it's a great way to create an expression and to create your own community. Discovering that [pen pal] community and now being a part of it was a very valuable experience."
Be sure to subscribe and follow her YouTube Channel and Instagram!
How time-consuming is pen palling?
"Compare to other people, I've noticed that I take much longer. It really depends how much time you spend crafting and decorating. I think the longest I spent on the envelope (like not even the letter itself) was over five hours-- which is kind of crazy to think about over a piece of paper. I think the letter aspect takes longer than you realize because I feel like letter writing isn't a process you can rush. You need to be mindful about what you say to the other person because there isn't that quick of a turn around wait (a fast "turn around wait" is generally 1 month to receive a reply to your letter); you need to make sure it counts and that it makes sense for the postage."
Kelsie, @skypaint_channel on Instagram.
ft. her small business: @skyloafu on Instagram
NORTHVIEW BUJO CLUB TAKES ON PEN PALLING.
Over the course of the pandemic, Northview Bullet Journal (Bujo) Club was inspired to embrace pen palling in their club. "It all started with sending out monthly stationery packages through Postal Mail," says junior Joline Tran (aka me, okay this is getting awkward; I'm going to start talking in first-person HAHAH). We've noticed lack of social interaction-- due to many students going virtual during that school year. Because of this, we implemented the "pen palling program" to encourage others to communicate with their fellow peers through a COVID-Friendly environment.
by Laasya Koganti
“I had a lot of fun penpalling through the bujo club last year! I had gotten into pen palling a little earlier than the start of the exchange within the club, and Joline was very nice and compliant with answering any questions or doubts I had regarding pen palling!”
WHERE TO START.
by Lola Ajibade
Similar to Kelsie (see above interview), I found most of my pen pals on Instagram, and I was able to create and join a community on the platform. Most people would message someone about whether they'd like to be their pen pal. If this sounds like something you may do, be sure to ask politely: 1.) ask if they are accepting pen pals; 2.) if they say no-- say "thanks for letting me know," if they say yes-- tell them you're interested in being their pen pal. State a few facts about yourself (pronouns, age, country you reside in, hobbies, interests), and ask them questions about themselves to determine whether you guys are a match. There are also many hashtags on Instagram (example: #penpalswanted) that you can scroll through to see if anybody may be interested. You can also create a Google Form asking questions about those who may be interested in pen palling with you; you can always refer back to the Google Form and see if you're interested in pen palling with the person who submitted.
Other Websites:
ConnectPals: the largest and most popular FREE pen pal and language site on web since 2019.
PenPal World: one of the fastest and most secured pen pal site-- featuring over 2 million pen pals.
SwapBot: more known for "swapping" stationery, but also one of the best sites for "group" swaps and pen palling.
Easiest Way:
If you have a friend who moved to another country (for me, my elementary school best friend moved to Japan), you can pen pal with them! That's the easiest way get started, and it's really easy to approach to them (since you guys know each other already)!
by @milkcloud on YouTube
There are LOTS of "pen pal with me" videos on YouTube; I would recommend looking at those for inspiration (but of course-- it's great to incorporate things you'd like to add as well)!
Here's a link @kaejrnls created listing questions you can ask your pen pals: 101 Questions to ask your pen pals
I'm also going to list a few of my favorite pen pal YouTube channels (excluding the ones listed already) here:
maidenmanilla, mihan, constance goh, quiescentnotes, 桃 daisy, yizhen, & peachymin!
*note that most of these youtubers have content OTHER than pen palling, so you may need to scroll down to see their pen pal content*
by @kaejrnls on YouTube
Web Page Redesign by SARA HSU