Camilla Cecilia: Let's hug more others and ourselves
Camilla Cecilia (26) ★ lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands -> founder of Cuddle Cards -> handmade cards which are especially made to send a hug to someone per post that you can't hold closely in real life ✗ she loves clouds, ultimate frisbee and cuddling
Camilla, your cards – literally hugs in envelopes – have something extra I have not seen anywhere else. When and why did this idea come to you?
During the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, one of my friends’ family members got very sick. I really wanted to give him a big and warm hug, but was unable to give it to him due to the restrictions. As a solution, I came up with the idea of sending a hug by mail, and that is how the Cuddle Cards were born!
Your characters send different types of hugs – warm, happy or a big one. Why a hug and not some other action? What is for you so specific and important about hugs?
Hugs have the power to make people happier. They give comfort, warmth and love, and are missed so much in these times of social distancing. Even though a hug by mail is not nearly the same as a real life hug, these cards tend to bring a smile to people’s faces.
“Hugs have the power to make people happier. They give comfort, warmth and love, and are missed so much in these times of social distancing.”
Will the reactions of the card recipients ever reach you? Do you know what the next life of your cards looks like?
What makes me most happy about this project are the people that let me know what the cards did for them. Occasionally, I hear wonderful things from those who received the cards, that it made them smile and feel touched. I indeed have seen people hanging the cards on their walls, and of course, they are very easy to hang to something, the hands are made from Velcro.
As for the afterlife, my boyfriend’s grandmother has a great example. She has a card hanging next to the front door. When people come in, they can get a hug from the card instead of her, now that we have to keep distance. How cute is that?
Your cards are so beautiful that I feel like sending one to myself. This leads me to a question, shouldn't we hug ourselves more as well?
We should! We should all become our own best friends somehow.
“We should all become our own best friends somehow.”
Where does the inspiration for cuddle characters come from and what does the creative process of making a card look like?
The Cuddle Family started small and is expanding regularly. In my designs, I think diversity is important, so everyone can relate to the characters. Now, I realise more and more that is quite a challenge, and so I decided to add animals to the family, too. Of course, there has to be a fitting ribbon for each character I design, so the colours are based on that as well. Next on the list are another fun animal and a couple. I am always open to suggestions.
For the process: I come up with an idea of what kind of character I want to create, then I draw, color, scan, edit, print, make a cut for the ribbon, insert the ribbon, cut the hand, attach the hand and glue the hand. It’s quite a process!
You write on your website that you are able to customize cards. Could you even create huggers based on the photo of the person?
Yes, that is totally possible. Of course, it is quite a time-consuming process to draw and design the card, so they are a bit more expensive.
Your cards are printed in a sustainable way, why is this important to you?
In my daily life, I work as an Earth scientist and am confronted daily to the future of our planet. We only have one Earth, there is no planet B. So for me, it is really important how the cards can have a minimal impact on the environment.
What do you think is the magic of sending cards in general? Do you prefer to send or receive cards and why?
That is a very nice question, but tough to answer. There is such a nice feeling when you see something on your doormat, for which someone else made the effort to write it and send it to you. These cards are more than just a card; they are a gift as well in the form of a hug by mail. It’s like receiving love by mail. As for sending and receiving? Help! I cannot choose!
“These cards are more than just a card; they are a gift as well, in the form of a hug by mail. It’s like receiving love by mail.”
What are your dreams for the future?
That people will be kind to each other – no matter their differences, and that we can hug each other again in real life.