September 2009: Label 228

I’m a huge book nerd, so I’m always on the lookout for a good resource. Camden Noir made my day last week when he sent me a note about Label 228. Featuring everyone from Biafra and Hanasaurus Rex to Miss Kiki and Snakebite, the book celebrates USPS stickering culture. He writes: 

“The idea was very vague at first. Mecro sent me a ton of labels for free and they were pretty incredible. Then I saw a bunch of labels in my city and thought, ‘These artists should be published somewhere.’ As an avid reader, I noticed that there was not one book dedicated to the stickers themselves. I decided to invite artists to contribute their work for publication.” 
“The project began as word of mouth really. With the help of MySpace, the word got out fast. I sent out an invitation and after 6 months, I had over 1000 labels. The word is still spreading and I am still receiving labels. Who would’ve thought that a letter in the mail would be the highlight of my day?” 
“I have received labels from Germany, Austria, Australia, UK, Jamaica, Japan, and of course the US. I also acquired about 3000 labels from the post office and eventually started drawing on them. These stickers were mainly for inspiration, but a few of them appear in the book.” 
“The book is officially released in September, but it’s on preorder right now.  You can also snag some signed copies from my webpage.  I am trying to coerce my publisher into doing a book signing tour. There was mention of going up to New York, but I have friends in D.C., Philadelphia, and Syracuse to visit along the way. Other than the initial, ‘Can't wait for the book!’ comments, I haven’t heard any reviews of the book yet. I try to avoid looking at people’s responses to things because there is so much negativity towards everything these days.”     
“Currently, I’m actually trying to get the publishers ready for a second book with a similar. With new priority mail stickers and new artists, there’s plenty of material. Next, I plan on finishing school. I also recently got an e-mail back from Banksy to do a possible commissioned statue based off of one of his paintings. That will consume a lot of my time. Other than that, I am just trying to find a career path while trying to keep my head on my body. I am excited to see where life takes me.”