Have you heard of PostSecret? I'm guessing most people have by now. It's something Frank Warren started awhile ago by inviting people to send him an anonymous postcard sharing a secret. Simple enough idea, but he's now received over 400,000 secrets and has won many awards for this idea. And I'm in love with it. This is why. In the mental health field, I've worked with so many people who have told me something that they've kept in for years and have later told me how good it felt just to say that thing out loud. How much of a relief it was. Warren has set up a system for people to do this and to do it creatively. Many people who mail in postcards to PostSecret make their postcards elaborate works of art and they are beautiful. Not just in the art, but in the message that they share.
Not only does PostSecret allow that person to get something off of their chest, to finally say something out loud, even if it is just to a total stranger (or to the whole world if it makes it into a book or on the website), but someone else may read that same postcard and say "wow, someone else feels the same way I do." Next time you're out at a bookstore or a library, pick up one of the PostSecret books and flip through it. I guarantee you that you'll find at least one or two cards in there if not many more that you can relate to. Of course it's something that you'd likely never tell another soul, but some of it is comforting to read. Some of it is also very uncomfortable to read. I have to admit that too. But even those that are uncomfortable to read, I have to commend that individual for finally having the courage to admit to their selves whatever it is they put on their postcard.
In
Confessions on Life, Death, and God
, Frank Warren shares with us postcards he has received based on faith, religion, spirituality, commitment, sexuality, etc. But I think faith is the main one of the above categories that is focused on. Not necessarily religious faith (though that's focused on quite a bit) but faith in ourselves, in our partners, in each other, in our parents, in our jobs...you get the picture. There are some cards that made me smile, some that took my breath away, some that delivered a quick shock, some that lifted an eyebrow, some that made me really sad. Just like any PostSecret book. I wouldn't rate this higher or lower than any other PostSecret book that I've read, but what I can tell you is that I've loved all of them. They're amazing. And it's an amazing project. You can find out more about
PostSecret on their website. Here's a few samples of postcards from this book:
Have you heard of PostSecret? I'm guessing most people have by now. It's something Frank Warren started awhile ago by inviting people to send him an anonymous postcard sharing a secret. Simple enough idea, but he's now received over 400,000 secrets and has won many awards for this idea. And I'm in love with it. This is why. In the mental health field, I've worked with so many people who have told me something that they've kept in for years and have later told me how good it felt just to say that thing out loud. How much of a relief it was. Warren has set up a system for people to do this and to do it creatively. Many people who mail in postcards to PostSecret make their postcards elaborate works of art and they are beautiful. Not just in the art, but in the message that they share.
Not only does PostSecret allow that person to get something off of their chest, to finally say something out loud, even if it is just to a total stranger (or to the whole world if it makes it into a book or on the website), but someone else may read that same postcard and say "wow, someone else feels the same way I do." Next time you're out at a bookstore or a library, pick up one of the PostSecret books and flip through it. I guarantee you that you'll find at least one or two cards in there if not many more that you can relate to. Of course it's something that you'd likely never tell another soul, but some of it is comforting to read. Some of it is also very uncomfortable to read. I have to admit that too. But even those that are uncomfortable to read, I have to commend that individual for finally having the courage to admit to their selves whatever it is they put on their postcard.
In Confessions on Life, Death, and God
No comments:
Post a Comment