PostSecret

(This isn't mine, but I do love it so.)

I've been obsessed with PostSecret for over a year now. I don't remember where I found it, but I'm sure glad I did. Something about the whole concept, and the postcards themselves, just mesmerize me.

(For the sake of clarity, PostSecret is an art project started by a man named Frank Warren. He left blank postcards with instructions to write a secret that is completely true and nobody knows about on it and mail it to him. It started with him just leaving 3000 cards around his home town in Maryland and has exploded into a nationwide phenomenon and two bestselling compilation books.)

I guess it all operates off the idea that you need to get things off your chest before you can move forward. Some of the secrets are heavy and sad, some are funny and light. But I bet they all feel good to admit.

There are random quotes throughout the book people sent it about the experience of sending in their secret. Several of them say it gave them a feeling of renewed hope, others gained the motivation to confess to their loved ones. Some just felt a little lighter.

But what I like most about PostSecret is that it shows a common link between all of humanity. Everybody has secrets, things about themselves that they don't like, or experiences they've never been able to share. And when you read through the secrets, you can always find one or two that hit close to home. You're not alone; you're only choosing to be by keeping quiet. PostSecret allows you a unique kind of confessional anonymity.

Also, some of them are just beautifully made. It is art, after all, and how people choose to represent their secret aesthetically often says a lot about how they feel. Most of them express a new confidence with bold lettering, some display bright colors and vibrant pictures signaling new hope, and others are dark with pain and admittance.

I look forward to the weekly posting of new secrets on Sunday at www.postsecret.com. Frank still sorts through them by hand and chooses which ones to put on the website, and only the current week's secrets are available. It all adds to the experience.

Perhaps I'm a little overly fond of this project, and am treating it with more religious value than it actually serves, but I can't help it. Perhaps if we all used this kind of therapy, life would be a little less... secret.