Before the rhythm of the year sets in, Flux Art Space is inviting the public to “slow down” and send in letters written to their future selves to be mailed back by the gallery in December.
The December Self Letters is a project Betsy Lohrer Hall, director of Flux, introduced earlier this month as she reflected on the turning of the year.
“There’s something about the milestones of the year where we reflect on what happened in the year past or a couple of years past,” Lohrer Hall said. “I like the idea of new beginnings.”
Lohrer Hall noted that with the project she wanted to preserve the “contemplative” nature of the end of the year.
Letters should be mailed to Flux Art Space at 410 Termino Ave. Long Beach, CA. 90814 by Monday, Jan. 31
Participants should seal the letter in a stamped envelope with their own address and seal that in another envelope addressed to December Self Letters. The letter will be mailed back to the participant on Dec. 1.
(Courtesy Flux Art Space)
In an Instagram post, the gallery director explained that the content of the letter is up to interpretation.
“Before I get too swept up in 2022, I’m going to write a letter to my December self. A note of greeting and encouragement to the self,” Lohrer Hall said in her post. “I will meet you in the future when the current year comes to a close.”
Lohrer Hall noted that she chose to write to her December self with optimism to show that she made it through the darkest days of the year arriving at an impending new year.
Part of the inspiration for this mail project was the contemplation of people’s relationship with time, something Lohrer Hall had explored in a past collaboration with artist Jackie Bell Johnson for the “50/50: the Creative Magic of Collaboration.”
In the collaboration, Lohrer Hall and Bell Johnson sent each other mail which caused the gallery director to think about the passing of time and the immediacy of communication with the presence of social media.
“There’s something beautiful about writing something down and sending it through the mail, Lohrer Hall said. “It takes a couple of days to get to the other person. A lot can happen in a couple of days.”
Part of the allure of the December Self Letter project for Lohrer Hall is that it creates a time capsule of a specific moment in time.
As of this week, Lohrer Hall had received about 10 to 15 letters. The letter project has had a reach far beyond the local area, having been shared in the East Coast as well.
With this project, Lohrer Hall—a long time meditator— wants to give people the opportunity to think about where they are today and slow down in order to reflect.
“Just like anybody else, sometimes I can get caught up in the pace of contemporary life and get caught up in all of the many distractions and forget where I am in time and space,” Lohrer Hall said. “So this is an invitation to slow down.”
To keep up with future exhibitions and events at Flux follow them on Instagram at @fluxartspace.
