Meet Michael Marlin White. He’s a Handwriting Artist who joined the team in June 2016. He’s also a customer service wizard who helps our customers order cards and make things right when snail mail goes awry. Officially, he’s known as the Community Coordinator around here. So if you’ve ever emailed us, chances are you’ve chatted with Michael before.
Both his card writing and customer emailing happen from the comfort of his home, usually surrounded by the family pets (4 cats, a small dog, a beta fish and a hamster). You can see him and one of those pets above, Miss Daisy.
To see just how pumped we were about having Michael join the team, look no farther than this image. Michael, on the left, had to capture this exciting new endeavor alongside Punkpost’s founders, Santiago Prieto and Alexis “Lex” Monson.
Since that day, he’s written sooo many cards and delighted thousands of people across the globe with his artist talents. Take a look below to see what we mean.
Smooches: Valentine’s Day is a busy time of year for Punkpost, and Michael came through with some amazing Valentines this year, including this Lilo and Stich-themed card. “It took a lot of effort and time,” he says, “and I loved how it turned out.”
Meowy good: Michael loves cats, so he’s always up for drawing one in a card. This specific cat got a grumpy expression to match the customer’s message. Note: No cats were harmed in the making of this card.
Fave card: The Great Gatsby comes alive on this birthday card, and brought up fond memories for Michael of studying the book in high school. Now, he’s kinda obsessed with this era and doodles it whenever he can.
Creepy, yet fun: If you need a scary clown or Krampus, Michael’s your guy. He’s especially proud of the Krampus card. “It is a terrifying card, let alone something to receive in the mail. For that reason, it is awesome!”
Ready for spring: We’re all itching to bust out tons of flowers and sunshine with spring nearing every day. His new-found floral abilities pair nicely with his elegant card style.
Fast facts about Michael:
- Location: San Jose, California
- Background: In the 6th grade, he sat next to a kid with super neat handwriting. He studied that kid’s writing until he could replicate it. Ever since, he’s been doing that with all typography he comes across. For doodles, he started experimenting by drawing little cartoons all over his school work. “I even had a math teacher in high school who looked forward to seeing my doodling on homework.” Plus, his older sister is also an artist, so he picks up tips and tricks from her, too!
- When he’s not writing cards: He’s being creative in other ways, from singing to filmmaking. If you follow him on Instagram, you can see and hear all about these endeavors. Lately, he’s been working on a few songs, and this past fall he created and produced his first short film titled “Burnt Matches.” He’s even on IMDb! (Sorry, Michael, we just had to brag for you.) Other than that, he likes to watch historical dramas on Netflix, ride his unicycle, swimming and reading sci-fi/fantasy novels.
- Go-to doodle: Hearts, flowers, balloons and party poppers (like the emoji kind)
- Favorite writing utensil: a black Sharpie pen
- Favorite stamps: The Snowy Day stamps, especially the snow angel and footprint ones
- Favorite cards to write: Halloween and Christmas. He came up with a handful of doodles that could automatically brighten up a card, such as a silly ghost.
- Workspace: His family’s dining room table because its out in the middle of the action. He likes to have a lot going on around him while he’s working.
- Favorite background noise: Music. Currently, he’s got Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, Adele and Michael Buble cued up in the CD player. He’s currently really feeling the new Sam Smith and T-Swift albums.
- Favorite time to write: He usually writes between 7 and 10 p.m., and then heads off to bed. On the weekends, he likes to write in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee nearby.
- Writing process: He identifies a theme or item that he can make large and be the “wow feature” of the card. If the card doesn’t have a specific theme, he likes to write the recipient’s name large, because who doesn’t love seeing their name awesomely scripted.
- Cards written (so far): more than 2,000!
- Skill building: To boost his abilities, Michael continually looks at the work of other Punkpost artists. “We have a great community of writers who are always trying out new methods, and sharing what they do and how they do it, which is extremely helpful for me!”
- Inspiration: Google. Whenever he gets a request for something he can’t draw off the top of his head, he types in the word followed by “clipart” to get inspiration. The Lilo and Stich card above is an example of Google and his drawing talents at work.
Want to see more? Request Michael for your next Punkpost order.
Stay tuned: Each month we feature another member of the team so you can get to know the real people behind every doodle and letter that’s sent with Punkpost. And if you can’t wait a whole month, we highly recommend sending your friends and family a snail mail “hello” to say that you love and miss them. Who knows, maybe Michael will draw you a flower-filled card.
