How to Submit a Postcard to Postsecret

One from 8/10

Postsecret is an art project started by Frank Warren. People from all over the world have written totally anonymous secrets on one side of a postcard, and then shared them with the world via the website. It's an organic and constantly evolving statement on the state of our lives.

Things You'll Need

• Post card
• Secret

Instructions

1. Decide on your secret. It can be big, little, something you've hardly thought about or something that you think of every second. The secret can be a crime or it can be a bad habit. Whatever it is, be prepared to let it go. This is meant as a catharsis. Don't hold back, don't limit yourself. Think of something you couldn't even confess to your very best friend, and consider for a moment how amazing it might feel if you let it go.

2. On one side of the postcard, decorate it however you wish. It can be very plain, with just the words, or it can be a picture, a magazing clipping, or artistic impression of your secret. This is not just an afterschool project, but an expression of the way this secret has held you back, and the way you will be accordingly freed by its release. Decorate accordingly.

3. Write the secret over the decoration. It can be short, long, eloquent, powerful, rambling, whatever. Think before you write, and get down to the true heart of your secret, one phrase or sentence that embodies your secret. Be purposeful, forgiving and strong; you are finally releasing your secret and any guilt you may have felt. Never write your name, address, or any identifying information--it's meant to be totally anonymous.

4. Fill out the address: Frank Warren13345 Copper Ridge RoadGermantown MD, 20874

5. Take the postcard one of two places: either drop it in the post box, or go to a bookstore, find one of the many postsecret books, and tuck your secret inside.

6. Read other people's secrets. This is meant to be a way to reaffirm human connection in a digital age. Read, appreciate, and reach out with your own secrets.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be afraid to curse, to talk about things that you may consider dirty or embarrassing--this project is about letting go of the emotions that keep secrets in.

• Attend one of the events that Frank Warren hosts.

• Really consider your secret before you write it down; this should be a real secret. The idea is that there is someone else out there who may feel ashamed of the same secret--by freeing yourself, you free someone else.

• The publication of the secrets is relatively random, so don't necessarily expect to be published on the web or in a book; it's the letting go of the secret, not the publication, that matters most.

Resources

• The Postsecret Blog