I've always loved the concept of The Thing. Haven't heard of it? Upon committing to a yearly subscription, you receive a "thing" on your doorstep every quarter – conceptualized by people like James Franco and Dave Eggers. The fact that people hand over a chunk of change to receive this mystery item every three months is due to The Thing's stellar reputation for producing magnificent and thought provoking (and sometimes head-scratching) items.

Art Practical, an online publication for the local arts scene, is launching a Mail Art Subscription that requires you to take a similar leap of faith. The difference? Plunk down your $150 and you'll receive one hand-addressed item of correspondence – in the form of a text, letter, photograph, or drawing – monthly for six months in a row. Your mail senders will be Bay Area art superstars like Martha Rosler, Anthony Discenza, and Colter Jaconsen.

This experiment celebrates Art Practical's 50th issue, called "Printed Matter," and will draw inspiration from their two year archive of artworks. Their $150 subscription fee is a small price to pay for helping Art Practical continue supporting the Bay Area on an international level.

Image from whatdoyoumeanbyart.blogspot.com