The Ten Thousand Flowers Project
What is this about anyway?
I’m drawing ten thousand flowers on index cards and giving them away to people.
Why?
Because I derive enjoyment from senseless acts of beauty.
When did you start doing this?
June 12, 2011.
Why ten thousand?
When I got it in my head that I was going to draw flowers on index cards and give them away, I decided I needed a specific number to shoot for so it would be a quantifiable goal instead of a vague aspiration. It’s also extremely likely I was hypomanic at the time, since I was cranking out ten flowers a day when I was starting out, and figured I’d be done inside of three years. (I’m down to two flowers a day, so we’re looking at a decade or so now.) I can’t rely on hypomania to enhance my productivity, especially now that I’m on mood stabilizers, but I’m determined to see it through.
The Google tells me that there’s a 13th-century poem that refers to ‘ten thousand flowers’ by a Buddhist monk known as Wumen Huikai but I wasn’t aware of it until after I’d embarked on the project.
I want a flower! How can I get one?
It is now easier than ever to get a flower. Simply send a mailing address (doesn’t have to be yours) to free@10kflowers.com. No SASE necessary. Be advised that this is not a permanent arrangement, but I’ve recently received a generous donation from a nonprofit and I decided to spend it on stamps and envelopes so it’s easier to spread these flowers through the world. If you are dialing in from outside of the United States, I will send you a flower, but it will take a little longer because I will have to go to the post office to obtain the correct amount of postage. I do not know how long I will be making this offer–there are too many variables involved. But for now, an email gets you a flower. Use this power responsibly.
Do you ever hand them out in person?
I’ll sometimes pop up at art events and such (mostly in the Atlanta area) and offer them to anyone interested. Keep an eye on my Twitter feed (@wonderbink) and on the hashtag #10KFlowers if you want to know where and when.
Flowers 791-800
Flowers Made: 5,017
Flowers Remaining: 4,983
Flowers Given: 1,137
Flowers Destroyed: 1