Can I tell you a secret?

So, last night I went to see "PostSecret Live" a multi-media presentation by Frank Warren, the founder of PostSecret, at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts at UBC.

A little background for those who aren't familiar with Postsecret. It began in 2004 as a community mail art project; Frank Warren hit the streets distributing blank postcards with his home address printed on the back. The idea was simple and the instructions were few: anonymously reveal a true, never-before-spoken secret on a postcard, be creative, and then mail it along to Frank's house. 

The postcards he received are creative and compelling. Sometimes the images chosen reveal further truths or details, and the few, carefully-chosen words can read like poetry.

Every Sunday morning, Frank shares some of the over 150,000 secrets he's been sent by showcasing them on his PostSecret website. The postcards are replaced each week with a batch of new ones. He has collected secrets in five books, and has shown some of the cards in gallery exhibitions. Now he's taken his show on the road by giving talks at universities, showing secrets that were "banned from the books", and talking about what it's like to be the man entrusted with the deepest secrets of thousands of strangers.

For years now, looking at the Sunday secrets on the website has been the first thing I do on Sunday mornings (or the last thing I do on a late Saturday night!). I have been saddened, energized, disgusted, and delighted reading the vulnerable thoughts, remembrances, and fears of strangers. I have laughed out loud (literally) and then scrolled down one postcard only to find myself blinking away tears. This is the power of the project - to connect strangers. I think it can help us all remember to practice empathy in our daily lives and to realize that everyone has a lot going on under the surface.

Now, to last night's event. I expected it to be packed, but the auditorium was half-empty. This might have been because it was announced last-minute and/or that ticket prices were ridiculous ($50?!). Still, the young audience (mostly in their early twenties, some teens with their very cool moms) that did turn out was very enthusiastic. It's easy to see that the PostSecret project has impacted many lives.

We all listened with interest to Frank's stories: from his mother's reaction to his project (hint: she's not a fan, as a voicemail message from her that he played for us effectively proved) to a heartwarming story of a PostSecret postcard marriage proposal. We learned the most frequently told secret: "I pee in the shower", and the second-most popular sentiment: "I wish to one day have someone I can trust with all my secrets". He told us that he very rarely receives confessions of major crimes, but he gets multiple postcards about body image, cutting, and depression every day. He talked to us about the warning signs that might indicate someone is thinking about attempting suicide and discussed how he raises awareness and funds for suicide prevention through his project.

At the end of his presentation, Frank opened the floor for the brave people who wanted to share their own secret with the auditorium. Some were funny or sad, a couple were poignant and told stories of strength, one reminded me what it was like to be a teenager and to believe that no one will ever "get you", and one was  immature and extremely illegal. I wish I could tell you more, but the room really felt like a safe little community and it just wouldn't be right to take those confidences out of that auditorium. Which is, I guess, what the event demonstrated best for me; I now have a small idea of what it's like to be Frank Warren and to be trusted with the most intimate secrets of strangers.

Have you ever mailed Frank a secret?  We've talked about the importance of creativity on this blog, so maybe it's time to spend a few creative minutes with a blank postcard. You never know what will come out of it...

PostSecret
13345 Copper Ridge Rd
Germantown, Maryland
20874