There's No Other You

Soul's Notes (TL;DR): I get super cheesy about why every message you write by hand is a gift to the world that can never be found anywhere else.

As a fairly predictable human being, my loved ones can always count on me to have a regular pattern of behaviour when it comes to my personal belongings: I will hoard every little thing (you never know when you'll need that three-month-old takeout receipt!) over the course of a year until I reach a breaking point, after which I go on a cleaning rampage, throwing things out in a triumphant and often poorly thought out fit of rage. I have done this for everything from random bank statements that look like they came from the Jurassic period to a full vacuum cleaner that I violently threw into a dumpster because a spring broke and I was mad because it was a Dyson, for Pete's sake. Yes, I am a well-adjusted adult, thank you.

However, one thing I always hang onto are a handful of greeting cards I've received from friends and family. What sets these ones apart, in particular, is that the messages inside are written by hand. I will cherish these notes forever because they can never be duplicated. Even if the same person who sent me the card were to re-write the exact same message, the pen strokes would be different, the letters would fall onto the page in a different way. To me, handwritten messages are as unique as fingerprints, there will only ever be ONE version.

This is why I've always kept the text printed in each Soulful Greetings card to a minimum when designing. I've received cards in the past with exceptionally poetic messages typed on the inside and yet, they didn't resonate with me because I knew they were still just a standard message with hundreds of the same copy floating around. Our cards, for better or worse, put the onus on you to express yourself. Think about what a phenomenal gift it is for someone to read a message you painstakingly wrote for them and no one else. Imagine receiving a note from a friend or even a colleague who literally took time out of their day to think of something special to say and wrote it out in their own unique style.

I created Soulful Greetings with my family because this sort of connection is so exciting to me -- it can never be duplicated by technology. No amount of fancy font can recreate the chicken scratch or cursive writing of someone who cares about you, and the same goes for you!

Whether it's a few words or a full card's worth of love, you create something special every time you send out a Soulful Greetings card. It is your own little masterpiece and there will never be another one like it because there is only one YOU.

(Photo by Alvaro Serrano on Unsplash)