Stamp Out War: Support Ukraine!

She collects stamps. She is a lifelong peace lover. She cycles all over the world. She is an artist. And, she is the Postcards to the Front newsletter layout editor.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 was like a call to action for Linda, bringing together all of these interests in unexpected ways. Including their alignment with her upbringing.

 “I grew up to embrace peace as my highest value,” Linda told us. “In my native country, Taiwan, the fear of an impending war was always lurking.”

Linda sees similarities between Taiwan/China and Ukraine/Russia, where self-ruling democracies are threatened by authoritarian regimes, with “the people … trying very hard to find their own cultural identity that distinguishes themselves from [the threat of another power].”

Not one to just sit back and wring her hands with worry, Linda initiated the Stamp Out War: Support Ukraine! project shortly after the invasion. This project has its origins in her photograph of a yellow canola field with a cloudless blue sky in the backdrop.

Taken during a bike tour across Canada in 2009, Linda didn’t do anything with the image until a few days after Russia’s invasion. She posted the image on the Internet, and while reflecting “how a moment of tranquility contrasts times of trouble with the madness of war”, Linda saw more potential in the image.

She decided to print postcards of the image, which she titled War and Peace, handing them out to people to educate them about Ukraine. Her next step was to create a maxicard. Known as maximum cards, they are postcards that feature an image along with a stamp of a very similar or related image on the picture side of the card.

Linda then learned that Croatia had issued a special stamp to show its support of Ukraine. It featured a rapeseed field with a blue sky backdrop, and she instantly saw the similarities to her image.

“It turns out,” she recalls, “that this new Croatian issue was part of the worldwide response by the official postal agency of 11 countries to Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II.” Including Canada.

By April, 2022, Linda had launched two distinct projects. The first, Stamp Out War, focuses on supporting Ukraine using Ukraine support stamps in the blue/yellow colour scheme. The other is her response to the more abstract theme of peace for which she uses other peace-themed postcards and stamps.

Linda issued a global call, through many channels including social media and Postcrossing, asking people from the 11 countries to show solidarity with Ukraine on Ukraine’s national day – August 24^th – by getting a postmark on the nation’s support Ukraine stamp, affixed to her War and Peace card.

Many people all over the world volunteered to participate in the project, even though some did not have a support Ukraine stamp issued. So, Linda decided to enlarge the scope of her project by acquiring what she calls ‘Ukraine tribute stamps’. These stamps feature sunflowers or other yellow flowers where sunflowers are not an indigenous plant.

People from 25 countries participated in Linda’s project in 2022, and this year, some 30 countries joined the project. And there are now 15 countries with support Ukraine stamps.

Linda’s maxicards have generated a total of $2,748 through auction on eBay. Another $400 was received in donations. Proceeds go to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

Linda’s projects are but a few examples of the ways in which people all over the world have come together to articulate their support for a nation that so many view as being terrorized and bullied, while concurrently expressing a desire for peace.

And, Linda encourages, “if you’ve been thinking [about an idea] … start by doing something little to show your determination. Like putting a sign on your bike or hanging a flag by your window. Once people see your commitment, help will come in.”

All images provided by Linda

You can see more about Linda’s projects and art at Linda’s ArtWorld

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