Found Art Tues- Oct 24 06- SECRET

The topic for today is "Secrets" and I've been thinking of a secret I feel comfortable in sharing in this blog but can't say I found one... there's a reason why they're still secrets, I'm not ready to tell everyone of the things that make me cry or feel ashamed of... but then I thought about the time that I used to buy gift cards and write little things on them or draw a bird or a heart, and then leave them in a table somewhere, I think this was my first time leaving found art although I had never heard about found art back then. I started doing this about 5 years ago, one day I was at starbucks (are you shocked I was there?!) and had a gift card that had about 5 dollars left in it and thought about how cool if I left it there for someone to use it, it would be like treating someone to a coffee or cookie or something, it would be their lucky day! so I "forgot" it at the table as I was leaving, hoping someone would find it and use it.

I started doing it fairly consistently, I started collecting these cards too because they're so pretty, so I would buy one as a decoy for taking 5 or more (because you're not supposed to take them for free, as one of the starbucks baristas pointed out one day as I was just filling my pockets with them) I would only put 3 or 5 dlls each time, enough for a cup or coffee, I once did the same with Barnes and noble cards, again 3 or 5 dlls each time. I would write things like, "it's your lucky day!" or "go get yourself a cookie, you deserve it"

It's been a long while since I've done it, the last "altered" card I did was this one Betty Sue and Gavin but it had no money in it.

So this qualifies like a secret because this is the very first time I've talked about this, I liked that no one knew about it because I felt it would take away from the gesture if I told everyone, "hey, I leave gift cards with money in them" and beacuse my friends would've said, "hey, leave one with me!"

I didn't know I was leaving "found art" but now that I think of it, I was. Even though the drawings were so simple, I never used any paint or collage in them, and I didn't document any of them, so this will be the first official found-art-gift-card, because I plan to do it again!

This is found art that people can really enjoy even if they don't care for the art, they would definitely enjoy the money! when I win the lottery I'll leave $100 dlls, but for now a couple of dlls will be ok, I guess...

This Barnes and Noble card has $5 and a headshot of Melville on it (Moby Dick). On the back I added a U.S. post stamp where it says "Terms of Acceptance"  with the caption "Freedom to speak out, a root to democracy"

I don't know yet where I'll leave it. in the bookstore probably, I'll keep you posted!

Please go and see Kathy LaRocco's entry for this Tuesday here: Locked Away

Comments

[Kathy L]

I love it! Or me gusta mucho! This was very clever indeed! I may have to use the idea myself! So are these plastic cards? Like the ones they swipe? How do you alter them so that they are still useable? Maybe I am missing something?

[Rosa Murillo]

K, yes, they're the regular plastic gift cards you get at the store. For this one I asked the guy in the register to put 5 dlls in it, and took it home to alter it, I was really careful not to touch the black magnetic stripe so they can still use it, I forgot not to cover the number on the back though... because you can also use the it in case the magnetic thing doesn't work... duh me!

[alina]

what a cute and sweet idea!!