34 | MAY 14 • 2020 

Arts&Life

art

J

odi Beals describes herself as an energetic 
people person with a commitment to 
career, community and hands-on artistry. 
That explains how she came up with the idea 
for her latest project — note cards.
“I love art, and I painted a colorful heart 
design with acrylics on canvas,” Beales told 
the Jewish News. 
Although Beals has lived in Chicago for 
almost eight years and works as a business 
development director for Groupon, she 
decided to return to West Bloomfield to 
social distance near family, remotely com-
pleting full-time job responsibilities. At the 
same time, she decided to turn her colorful 
painting of heart designs into stationery 
that can connect others one-to-one, bring in 
extra income and raise funds for the CDC 
Foundation, which supports the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention in combating 
COVID-19. 
“I had the design transferred to cardstock 
to be used for postcards or multi-purpose 
cards to be mailed on birthdays, as invitations 
or simply notes that send messages of love at 
a time when we can’
t be together,” she said.
Beals will donate 20 percent of proceeds to 
the CDC Foundation.
“My interest in art began when I was a little 
girl visiting my great-grandfather Abraham 
Lack,” Beals, 36, recalled. “He was a wonder-
ful artist who began this hobby in his 80s, 
and his walls were covered with landscapes 
and still lifes.”

Impressed with what he’
d done, Beals tried 
artistry of her own. “I turned to the abstract 
for some different kinds of images, and 
my downtown apartment walls display my 
designs that I think provide a contemporary 
decor.”
Beals attended Hillel Day School and West 
Bloomfield High School before going on to 
graduate from Michigan State University, 
where she majored in communication. She 
had her bat mitzvah at the synagogue now 
known as Congregation Beth Ahm and 
joined in activities with the Jewish Federation 
of Metropolitan Detroit.
“I have almost 3,000 friends on Facebook, 
and so many have been responsive to my 
postings about these cards,” Beals said. “I’
m 
reconnecting with people I haven’
t talked to 
in a long time, and I’
m so glad that they want 
to support this project.”
The cards come in packages of 50 with-
out envelopes and cost $30. They can be 
ordered by calling Beals at her customized 
phone number, 866.REDHAIR, or sending 
her an email at 866.REDHAIR@gmail.com. 
Payments can be made through PayPal or 
Venmo.
“Orders for these cards have brought me a 
special bonus,” Beals said. “Delivering near-
by orders allows me some fresh air. I leave 
the packages on porches so there’
s no per-
son-to-person contact. The person-to-person 
connections are meant for the handwritten 
cards.” 

Artistic notecards keep people connected 
and fi
 ght COVID-19.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

 The Art of a
Handwritten
Note

“I’m reconnecting 
with people I 
haven’t talked
to in a long time, 
and I’m so glad 
that they want
to support this 
project.”

— JODI BEALS

Jodi Beals

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JODI BEALS

