It was my birthday recently, and one of the fabulous presents I received (thank you again, Jess and Dom), was one of Frank Warren's PostSecret books. What an incredibly fascinating, inspiring and thoughtful project! I am completely in awe of what is becoming a phenomenon and a movement. Frank Warren, not an artist, nor a Psychologist, started the PostSecret experiment in November 2004 and he now receives around 200 postcards a day. This is how it works: You write your secret - something you've never confessed to anyone, on a postcard, with as few words as possible, and using the postcard as your canvas, so making it artistic and creative, adding pictures etc. You then post it to Frank Warren. That's it.
The diversity of revelations is as fascinating as the common threads of human experience, obsession and vulnerability. Page after page you find yourself laughing out loud, gasping in horror, gaping open-mouthed at the words in front of you, feeling the prick of unshed tears of empathy and sympathy - and more. It's like reading a creative representation of the history of the human experience and condition. Am I intriguing you yet..?
And there's more to it than that. As you read each postcard, you realise that behind each secret there lies a story. These few words are like the title of a book, the first spoken lines of a film, no fluffing around with setting the scene, but right in there at the deep end, delving into the deepest recesses of what really matters. It's so utterly human, I don't think I've ever come across anything so incredibly powerful, and it's all expressed with such simplicity. Frank Warren is a genius!
Not only that, but he has created the most amazing gift - the chance to confess with complete anonymity, the opportunity to let go of fear. Within the book there are various messages from participants, revealing what changed for them as a result of sharing their secret; a decision to change; the courage to share their secret with someone significant; for one girl, a marriage proposal!
I am truly inspired, in case you hadn't noticed! In the "Whatever Next...?" days I facilitate with Jeremy Clare, people share some of their story, whatever is relevant to the explorations of their "Whatever Next...?" questions, and each day is inspiring and a privilege to be a part of. Having read the PostSecret book, I have started formulating an idea for a workshop, giving people the opportunity to share, explore and let go of their fears, and perhaps create a postcard to contribute to Frank Warren's ever-growing post-bag. I'd love to receive your comments about this idea.
To find out more about PostSecret, go to the blog. And if you like postcards, have a look at Postcard Jim's blog, created by a very talented and immensely creative friend of mine.
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