here are eric, jenn, and lauren at artomatic last year.
artomatic is a large, pop-up, art exhibition that happens every few years somewhere around town. there are all kinds of works on display: photography, paintings, furniture, sculpture, mixed media, different interactive installations (like the pic above), anything you could think of. the quality also varies - any artists can set up a show within the space. the event sells wine and beer and has other entertainment for you as you make your way through the massive building; the year we went there was even a burlesque performance.
one of our favorite parts of artomatic was a wall of postcards that had people's secrets written on them, anonymously. the secrets ranged from what seems petty like 'i stole a candy bar when i was 8', to serious, like 'it's my fault this person died', or 'i was raped and never told'. it was fascinating to read real and meaningful secrets. and it seems like everyone has one. you were also invited to add your own secret on one of the many blank postcards provided.
last week i was at an antique shop with eric and came across this book. i was like, hey this is that guy's stuff we saw at artomatic! he made a book, let's get it! well back at the 2004 event, frank warren put up a wall of postcards he had received from anonymous people and it got noticed big-time. he got a book deal out of it and it looks like there are a few different volumes out there now.
so the author/artist's original idea was to leave blank postcards around all over the place and see what happened. the instructions on the card were to write a secret that no one else knows, be as artistic as you like, and send it in finally letting your secret out. he didn't know if anyone would send one, but it seems that over the past few years he's gotten thousands.
some of the secrets are funny, some sad, lots of them beautifully illustrated or crafted, but all of them give you a little glimpse into humanity and what we think is shameful, or secretive, or embarrassing. i read the whole thing at once and it's moving. you really get the feeling that people are letting go of something that has a hold on them. it's so personal.
i took pics of a few pages and shared below. not all of the secrets are sexual, a lot are about self image and insecurities, a lot are about love, guilt, religion, suicide, really anything and everything. i wonder if he chose to publish a lot that were repeats or common themes to make people feel better that someone else out there shares their secret.
the point of this post is that i was really moved by the book and think people should know about it and check it out. the project is ongoing, so you too can share your secret by mailing it in to the address of the cover of the book. you can also see recent secrets on the post secret blog - he puts up new secrets every sunday.
one of our favorite parts of artomatic was a wall of postcards that had people's secrets written on them, anonymously. the secrets ranged from what seems petty like 'i stole a candy bar when i was 8', to serious, like 'it's my fault this person died', or 'i was raped and never told'. it was fascinating to read real and meaningful secrets. and it seems like everyone has one. you were also invited to add your own secret on one of the many blank postcards provided.
last week i was at an antique shop with eric and came across this book. i was like, hey this is that guy's stuff we saw at artomatic! he made a book, let's get it! well back at the 2004 event, frank warren put up a wall of postcards he had received from anonymous people and it got noticed big-time. he got a book deal out of it and it looks like there are a few different volumes out there now.
some of the secrets are funny, some sad, lots of them beautifully illustrated or crafted, but all of them give you a little glimpse into humanity and what we think is shameful, or secretive, or embarrassing. i read the whole thing at once and it's moving. you really get the feeling that people are letting go of something that has a hold on them. it's so personal.
i took pics of a few pages and shared below. not all of the secrets are sexual, a lot are about self image and insecurities, a lot are about love, guilt, religion, suicide, really anything and everything. i wonder if he chose to publish a lot that were repeats or common themes to make people feel better that someone else out there shares their secret.
the point of this post is that i was really moved by the book and think people should know about it and check it out. the project is ongoing, so you too can share your secret by mailing it in to the address of the cover of the book. you can also see recent secrets on the post secret blog - he puts up new secrets every sunday.
