Discover Post Secret: The Blog, The Books, The Community!
Journal Assignment: Think of a secret that you have never told anyone, and write a poem, postcard or short journal entry about it. Alternatively, send it in as an anonymous artwork to Post Secret. Write Now! GO!
A Note to the Founder of Post Secret
Dear Frank,
Just a note to let you know how much the Postsecret App has changed my life. November 4, 2011 I attempted to end my life. I've since spent a lot of time in psychiatric treatment as my world came crashing down around me. My psychiatrist encouraged me to journal because it would be "healing". I've tried and I've tried but every time I put pen to paper nothing comes out.
But I post secrets.
Dozens and dozens of secrets. Some are funny, some are shocking, some are vulnerable, and some even surprise myself. But they are mine to release anonymously and I shared them with the App. And the replies? Oh the replies! Complete anonymous strangers come together in humor and in sadness and you find that you aren't alone.
Through posting these secrets and sharing others, I've started to discover myself again. It's still going to be a long road to recovery, but there is hope. Last night when I logged on to read the Sunday secrets I smiled through the tears. I was happy I was part of the fleeting project of the PostSecret App. It was the shining star in the dark night of my depression. Thank you Frank for bringing people together. I will continue to log in every Sunday and read the secrets. Happy new year.
What is Post Secret?
In the sixth annual Weblog Awards, the PostSecret website received five Bloggies in 2006: Best American Weblog, Best Topical Weblog, Best Community Weblog, Best New Weblog, and Weblog of the Year.
In the seventh annual Weblog Awards, the PostSecret website received Weblog of the Year for 2007.
The concept of the project is that completely anonymous people decorate a postcard and portray a secret that they have never previously revealed. No restrictions are made on the content of the secret; only that it must be completely truthful and must never have been spoken before.
Entries range from admissions of sexual misconduct and criminal activity to confessions of secret desires, embarrassing habits, hopes and dreams.[1] The secrets are meant to be empowering both to the author and to those who read it. Frank Warren claims that the postcards are inspirational to those who read them, have healing powers for those who write them, give hope to people who identify with a stranger's secret, and create an anonymous community of acceptance.[2]
PostSecret collected and displayed upwards of 2,500 original pieces of art from people across the United States and around the world between its founding on January 1, 2005 and 2007.[3]
The site, which started as an experiment on Blogspot, was updated every Sunday with 10 new secrets, all of which share a relatively constant style, giving the artists who participate some guidelines on how their secrets should be represented. It recently began posting approximately 20 new pieces each Sunday after a week when Warren mysteriously did not post any new secrets for one week.
In October 2007, the PostSecret Community was launched (www.postsecretcommunity.com). Since its inception, more than 80,000 users have registered for the online discussion forum.
According to Youth Trends' February 2008 "Top Ten List Report" PostSecret was the 10th most popular site amongst female students in the USA, with 7% of those polled naming the site as their favorite.[4]
A Note to the Founder of Post Secret
Dear Frank,
Just a note to let you know how much the Postsecret App has changed my life. November 4, 2011 I attempted to end my life. I've since spent a lot of time in psychiatric treatment as my world came crashing down around me. My psychiatrist encouraged me to journal because it would be "healing". I've tried and I've tried but every time I put pen to paper nothing comes out.
But I post secrets.
Dozens and dozens of secrets. Some are funny, some are shocking, some are vulnerable, and some even surprise myself. But they are mine to release anonymously and I shared them with the App. And the replies? Oh the replies! Complete anonymous strangers come together in humor and in sadness and you find that you aren't alone.
Through posting these secrets and sharing others, I've started to discover myself again. It's still going to be a long road to recovery, but there is hope. Last night when I logged on to read the Sunday secrets I smiled through the tears. I was happy I was part of the fleeting project of the PostSecret App. It was the shining star in the dark night of my depression. Thank you Frank for bringing people together. I will continue to log in every Sunday and read the secrets. Happy new year.
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