Frank Warren, the creator of PostSecret, claims he receives over 1,000 postcards in the mail each week. The postcards aren't from his vacationing friends and relatives. They aren't reminders from his dentist about his upcoming appointment. They are creative works of art revealing the funny, inspirational and heartfelt secrets of anonymous people from around the world.
Warren came to Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University on Friday to share his inspiration for PostSecret, an idea started as an art project in Washington, D.C. Since then, the idea has grown into a global phenomenon with four best-selling books and a blog that Warren updates with new secrets every Sunday. The All-American Rejects used some of the PostSecret cards in the filming of their music video for the song "Dirty Little Secret."
Warren sat down with The Eagle to talk about the numerous postcards that have brought about his nickname, "America's most trusted stranger."
Warren said his favorite type of postcard is one that offers words of hope and inspiration. He especially likes a particular postcard with a picture of a boy holding a poster that says he hopes to change the world someday.
When asked if any of his contributors reveal their identities, Warren mentioned one man who sent in a postcard saying that he had committed a crime but was watching another man serve his sentence. The anonymous criminal wrote his phone number on the back of the postcard, but Warren respected the man's secret and never called the number.
The event gave the audience a unique glimpse of PostSecret messages that were never published on Warren's blog or in the PostSecret books. One card exposed a contributor's childhood misunderstanding of rifling through her mother's dresser and stumbling across her diaphragm. Not knowing what it was, the girl mistook the contraceptive for a yarmulke and was upset that her mother had never told her she was Jewish.
Warren doesn't only receive postcards. He recalled reading messages written on everything from inflated balloons to parking tickets. One person sent Warren a fresh bag of coffee with a note attached that read: "They don't take inventory where I work, enjoy your dark roast!"
Another postcard that may have been sent in by an airport employee read: "You called me an idiot, so I sent your bags to the wrong destination." Lesson to all: watch your mouth when you are checking your bags! On a lighter note: the most recurring secret that Warren has read over the year, "I pee in the shower."
The Eagle asked randomly chosen audience members to share their secrets with our readers. The individuals wrote their secrets anonymously on a notepad. Here are some of the secrets that were shared:
"You want to make love, I want to be fucked."
"All of my artistic talent is fake, I trace."
"Half the things my friends know about me are lies."
"I steal Chapstick from CVS or supermarkets whenever possible."
"When my hard drive crashed, my biggest, most immediate fear, was that I'd lost all my photos of you and us."
"My Mom asked me to Google 'the most handsome man she'd ever known.' For 41 years, since 1967, she's wondered if he realized his dream and became a pilot. The only thing that came up on the Web was a Vietnam Wall listing. He was a pilot, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her. She thinks he lives in Worcester, and I carry her grief for her everyday. She'll never know."
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
