A week in the life of an artworker…
This week, I discovered that you don’t need helium to reach the ceiling – just a Valentine’s Direct Mail campaign for existing and prospective clients featuring 30 heart shaped balloons.
It sounds simple but was more complicated than meets the eye.
First, identifying and cleansing the database to identify lucky recipients.
Second, testing, yes, we really did test the balloons. Starting with helium in rubber balloons (which deflates after a couple of hours) we then changed to foil balloons which do not allow the helium to escape (quickly).
We also needed appropriate boxes for mailing, helium for inflating and small packs of heart shaped biscuits to weight the balloons. This involved some ingenious sourcing and an interesting discovery with ribbon. Who’d have thought that a slip of satin, would drag the balloons down? So, just to try my patience further, lighter ribbon was required, so it was back to sourcing for me (thank you Hobbycraft).
Then, just as I was nearing completion, we ran out of helium. More problem solving and a trip to a balloon specialist and the job was again nearing completion. I’ve also learned a much easier way to tie the ribbon on, which didn’t involve wrestling the balloon to the ground and swearing at it.
So at last, they were all blown up, tagged and delivered. And, judging by the response of our recipients they were well received.
Happy Valentine’s Day x
