Letters to Everyone I've Ever Known is a forever incomplete edition of an attempt to remember people who have impacted me, in any kind of way, in my life. This collection of letters is a time capsule that remembers moments from when I knew the person I am writing to, and also the time when the letter was written. The letters remember specific days, or moments, reflected by the person I was and the perspectives I had on the day I think back to them. Though they are addressed, these letters are not meant to be sent. I'm interested in the way letters force slow and concentrated thinking. In a day and age when we consume short form content and send shareable and reproducible instant messages, our lives become very public and fast. As I approach each letter, I only know how it will begin, the content of the memories begin to pour out as I go. They’re memories that I didn't have immediate access to in my daily life. There is nostalgia, sentiment, humor, anger, love and many other emotions that I think we deflect in our modern cringe culture. I’m curious about what makes something “cringe.” When does the thoughtful card turn into a Hallmark purchase?

The envelopes of each of the letters have an address to where I think that person may be, a return address to how I think that person would remember me best, and an illustration that connects to a memory that I wrote about within the letter. These envelopes function as short poems that can encapsulate a sense of the person and my relationship to them in just a few words; they match a shorthand, yet similar feeling to the contents of the letters themselves. My hope with this process is to bring space to reflect on some of your own memories, finding through words I’ve written to others, words that match an internalized and unannounced thought. Every relationship and individual is unique, but many experiences and emotions are likely to be felt by many. 

I cover up the names of the individuals on the letter and remove the last names on the envelopes to lessen the chance of revealing the identity of the person I'm writing to. Though, I'm sure with our interconnectedness this is imperfect and likely not to prevent an intentful search. I'd like to respect that there may be information that I know that should not be made public, even though the majority of those who will read this will have no idea who these people in my life are.