We were lucky to catch up with Caroline Lovell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Caroline thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I grew up on a large farm, the youngest in a family of five women. I learned first-hand that women are strong, capable and often victims of violence.​ In response to the powerlessness I experienced, I developed a deep healing connection to the land on which we lived and it nurtured within me a desire to creatively express the profound beauty it held. It also fostered an independent spirit and awareness that my individual identity could be separate from the circumstances of my immediate situation.​

It was through photographing the land that I saw my ability to act as an artist and to fully express my own voice and eventually match it with a cause that was both personal and universal. I became an advocate for the right of a woman to be fully expressed, to say no, and to be free from violence perpetrated solely on the basis of being female. ​As an artist I have focused on using the creative process as a tool for personal growth and community awareness. I believe that by encouraging self expression and global connections we can learn from our commonalities and create opportunities for everyone to become agents of change in their own community.

In 2013 I formed a non-profit around a workshop I created called Traveling Postcards™. Traveling Postcards embodies the notion that art can be used for healing trauma and for enacting social change, essentially connecting an individual’s ability to both heal themselves and engage powerfully in larger societal issues.

Using art as a tool to interact with a sensitive subject personally and positively, is what Traveling Postcards does. Traveling Postcards creates a safe space for healing and for witnessing survivor resiliency. We send a handmade postcard as a tangible gift of solidarity for a survivor of gender-based violence and then amplify the strength of the art and artist by sharing them with the world.

Too often we feel that our voices don’t matter. Art allows us to find and capture our unique voice in a way that feels safe and empowering. Within the Traveling Postcards experience, not only is your voice important but your empathy, solidarity, and resilience plays a central role in the elimination of violence.

Making art that is the size of a postcard is a non-threatening activity that everyone enjoys, and is a symbol of healing, dignity, and solidarity. The workshop encourages participants to find their authentic voice around an issue that can be overwhelming and helps them to connect personally in a positive and empowering way.

Caroline, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I created the Traveling Postcards™ workshop in 2009, first as an art and social change project and later as a nonprofit that empowers survivors to share their unique wisdom across borders on small, hand- made pieces of art, bringing awareness to humanitarian inequalities facing women worldwide.

As an artist, I saw the need to highlight resilience and strength forged from my own experience and cemented by the countless stories told to me by individuals facing abuse.
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A graduate of JFK University’s Transformative Art Masters program, I envisioned an organization that would use creativity and the healing properties of art to create positive social change and in 2013 Traveling Postcards became a nonprofit organization.
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In 2014, the Shelter to Shelter tour launched and the Traveling Postcards workshop went on the road to safe houses and shelters across the US and to women in rural and isolated pockets of the country raising awareness about the pervasive consequences of domestic violence in the US.
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In 2014 the Traveling Heart ‘Hospital Bag’ initiative was also created to provide beautiful hand made emergency hospital bags for survivors of sexual assault as a response to the plastic bags most survivors receive. Each bag also contains a Traveling Postcard and an opportunity for love, support and connection for a survivor right from the start.
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In 2015 Traveling Postcards workshops were held on a US military base and on college campuses, highlighting the urgent need to raise awareness of the high rate of sexual assault.
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2019 celebrated the 10 year anniversary of Traveling Postcards by highlighting voices of often marginalized communities that see a higher rate of violence. We continue to gather and honor voices of the LGBTQ community, people of color and native women. We want to celebrate all voices being heard and valued for their resilience and the wisdom that they provide.
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In 2020, faced with a changing landscape due to Covid-19 and a greater threat level of gender-based violence, Traveling Postcards continued to reach out to survivors and allies with new virtual workshops and in 2024, the new Speak Your Truth: Traveling Postcards Exhibition was launched.

We are most proud that the Traveling Postcards workshop has been held with over 60 organizations, traveled over 8000 miles to 15 states, has held workshops in 10 countries and created over 5000 handmade Traveling Postcards, connecting survivors from around the world in solidarity and survivorship.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

My training as a Transformative Artist did not include any business or leadership courses. I felt ill equipped and untrained to run a nonprofit organization but my passion for the work enabled me to keep trying to move forward. Little by little I stumbled across the resources I needed, but they were not designed with a creative lens and many of the financial and legal hurdles were difficult. I highly recommend that artists expose themselves to learning as many tools as possible that can help them move towards their ultimate goal even if those opportunities don’t seem relevant at the time.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I was taught to believe that a single individual would find it very difficult to make a meaningful difference towards any large humanitarian issues we face as a community. I was also taught that a woman’s voice was not as important or powerful as a man’s. Within our culture, loud or controversial voices seem to gain the most attention. Philanthropic models value hard aid, often with large sums of money. For an individual with limited resources it can be daunting to think that you can be of service. However, I am confident that our innate wisdom holds great power and our personal expression of that wisdom can cross borders and reach far beyond ourselves to grow and affect change for generations to come.​ I have seen the power of transforming moments into your own voice. It does not matter if they are profound or ordinary, it is healing to imagine and create without restrictions. Traveling Postcards™ is just one woman’s effort towards nurturing and sharing our collective voices and for our right to be fully expressed.​

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.travelingpostcards.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelingpostcards/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TravelingPostcardsSF
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-lovell