Lisa McDaniel
This month marks the two year anniversary of the worldwide community art project known as Post Secret. The intimate secrets people mail in anonymously on post cards used as art canvases have gained the blog popularity, respect, and a loyal following. People wait anxiously for Sunday to roll around when the new batch of cards are posted, and then they look to see if their card has made the site, what guilty pleasures they can draw from other peoples' secrets, and what secrets of their own would make the blog to earn them their weeks worth of anonymous fame.
But are these post cards in fact true pieces of art work drawn from a worldwide pool of creators or just every day ordinary people exaggerating a little just to get their secret on the web?
My friend Lisa seems to think the latter, which is what sparked my investigation.
Now I must admit, I am one of those people who anxiously await the posting of new secrets on Sunday, but I have never attempted to mail in any of my secrets because for me, my secrets seem to dull to make it on the site. But thousands upon thousands of secrets are mailed in every week vying for a spot on the website which has millions of hits per week, and usually the most rare and shocking secrets make it in on the web; because, as human beings, that is what keeps us coming back.
I am sure that two years ago, when the project had just started, the secrets where understandable, relate-able, and didn't carry the shock value that most do today, but that was when there wasn't much competition. But now, with the popularity of the site and the publishing of three successful books, the twenty or so post cards put on display each week are highly coveted.
I am aware that these cards are anonymous, so immediate fame is not an issue, but I am sure for a person who takes the time to create a post card and mail it in, seeing their secret on the web is rewarding and a confidence booster. Which leads us to the possible exaggeration of secrets, just for a little anonymous recognition.
Not all of the secrets are exaggerations, I am sure, but many are off the wall, kooky, and disturbing. Just take a look at this post card and decide for yourself....
Now, this site was set up as a liberation for peoples' deepest darkest secrets. That's pretty deep, dark, and disturbing. I myself can't imagine gaining any liberation from sending in something like that, or possibly exaggerating a one time deed into a big juicy secret just to get my "artwork" on the web.I will admit though, I keep going back to see what the next big shocker will be.
Im not a total pessimist as this post may show. There are some inspiring post cards and I hope this card's owner really does accomplish what he/she wants.
