"What is MAXIMAPHILY?" by Nicos Rangos (Cyprus), former chairman of FIP [International Philatelic Federation] Maximaphily Commission. I give this link here for you to see and judge for YOURSELF the basics of the TRADITIONAL MAXIMAPHILY, as I call it. Because sometimes I cannot obey, or I don't want to obey, or I want to experiment, I say that NON-TRADITIONAL MAXIMAPHILY is FREESTYLE MAXIMAPHILY. You can follow any rule (including from TRADITIONAL), or MAKE YOUR OWN rules, or follow NO rule - whatever pleases you, IF 1) you don't want to exhibit in FIP expositions, or 2) you don't want to sell maxicards to strict traditionalists

http://maximaphily.info/Articles/What%20is%20MAXIMAPHILY%20_1_.pdf

"What is MAXIMAPHILY?" by Nicos Rangos (Cyprus), former chairman of  FIP [International Philatelic Federation] Maximaphily Commission.

Nicos Rangos is a world-class maximaphilist, both exhibitor (Gold Medallist) and passionate activist in this field. I wish there was a Nicos Rangos in every country in the world...:)

I give this link here for you to see and judge for YOURSELF the basics of the TRADITIONAL MAXIMAPHILY, as I call it.

Because sometimes I cannot obey some of those rules, or I don't want to obey, or I want to experiment, I say that NON-TRADITIONAL MAXIMAPHILY is FREESTYLE MAXIMAPHILY.
From my perspective, you can follow any rule (including from TRADITIONAL),
or MAKE YOUR OWN rules,
or follow NO rule - whatever pleases you,
IF 1) you don't want to exhibit in FIP expositions, 
or 2) you don't want to sell maxicards to strict traditionalists.


In my opinion, The BIGGEST SECRET (did I say Dirty Little?) of TRADITIONAL MAXIMAPHILY is that (apparently) YOU HAVE TO collect maximum cards AS IF you WILL DEFINITELY EXHIBIT THEM IN FIP COMPETITIONS, and AS IF you WILL SELL ONLY to strict traditionalist buyers.


For most of you, my fellow citizens of the world, those two assumptions above will simply NOT BE THE CASE.


By all estimates, there are now only tens or hundreds of traditional maximaphilists in each of the 50 or so countries members of FIP CfM.
Probably, YOU will only want to collect maxicards FOR YOUR OWN ENJOYMENT!


Most probably, you will NEVER GET INTERESTED IN MAXIMAPHILY whatsoever.:(
That is another discussion, which I'll detail some other time.
But I'll say this: most people, including me (for many years) have been discouraged because of the thought that they will NEVER be able to obtain such superb pictorial postmarks, and matching stamps and postcards.
Nobody was there to mentor them, to show them WHAT THEY STILL CAN DO, as possible.


My intention is to promote freestyle maximaphily, and YOU will be the one to decide what suits you - what rules, if any.

Philately (stamp collecting) in general, and maximaphily in particular, as a confluence of domains: learning, writing, web design, business administration, etc. 
Maximaphily (especially the non-traditional one) could become one of the coolest hobbies, because it is at the confluence of:

- philately (stamps collecting)

- deltiology (postcards collecting)

- marcophily (postmarks collecting)

- scrapbooking (collages collecting)

- mail art ("artistically-personalized mailpieces" collecting)

When I say "collecting", I mean "creating and collecting". :)