PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives
by Frank Warren

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Read about the project here.

I have been a fan of this site for a while, checking in every now and again to read and look at the dark recesses of fellow humans minds. Why do I do it? Mostly out of curiosity and intrigue. My reaction, when looking at the many and varied postcards of peoples secrets, ranges from shock to laughter. They are all so different, some quite light-hearted, others so incredibly deep and others filled with tragedy. The full gamut of humanity is on those postcards.

Therefore I was incredibly thrilled to receive the book (kindly sent over by Jeff at 52projects). The book is an art book, reflecting the original purpose of this whole incredible project. A continuous community art project, where people from all over the world send in their secrets and hidden thoughts to be read by millions. What the individuals who send their postcards get out of it I am not quite sure, hopefully it is the beginning for them of healing themselves. But for those of us reading the book or the blog, I think it is about being part of humanity, of sharing a common bond. I love to read them for their honesty and poetry and look at them for their artistic value and beauty and interest. Of course they are not all poetic and beautiful. They are ugly and crass and disgusting and shocking, they are filthy and some are just plain wrong. They are also funny and quirky and so very intriguing. Isn’t that what humans are like too. It seems that this project is a total reflection on us, which is why it is so interesting and obviously addictive to so many.

A book has a few advantages over a website in that it can be shared with friends while relaxing, it can taken with you on your journey, it can be picked up and flicked through by anyone passing. I agree with some other reviews I have read that say they don’t like the occasional postcard blown up to fill the double page, it somehow distorts it and makes it grotesque. I enjoy seeing them life size - the way they were made. This book and project is a fabulous tribute to humanity.

Some info on the post secret blog and Frank Warren who started it.
… It’s the third-most-popular blog in the blogosphere of nearly 30 million blogs, according to Technorati. (at the time of this post it was ranked 13 on technorati)
… it gets 2.3 million unique visitors a month
… Warren reads every postcard and picks 10 to 20 to post on his blog every Sunday.
… Frank Warren started PostSecret in November, 2004

how it started …
a few years ago when Warren went through a difficult period … he turned to art projects … he began handing out blank postcards to strangers in Metro stations and inviting them to decorate the card and share a long-hidden secret, something never shared before … soon hundreds of cards were pouring into his mailbox … after they were exhibited and the project was over … the secrets kept coming from all across the country … so he started the postsecret blog.

Why is it so popular …
… people love to read it because humans are by nature voyeuristic and curious, and can identify with the secrets.
… it provided a forum that enables people to feel like they’re sharing without any risk - free therapy.
… the secrets are authentic and moving.

(excerpts of facts taken from USA today and wikipedia)

(more images can be found at USA today and at defunkion)

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 24th, 2006 at 11:16 am and is filed under reviews+literature+media. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site. Your comments will be moderated but will appear as soon as humanly possible.