A PostSecret Adventure!

Back in graduate school, one of my good friends introduced me to an amazing blog: PostSecret.

The site was created by Frank Warren, who wanted to create a community art project, and passed out postcards, leaving them in public places for others to find. One side was blank, while the other side had the following instructions:

"You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything - as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before. Be brief. Be legible. Be creative." 


Both the number and the content of the postcards that Frank received back were overwhelming. He then began to post them on his web site which attracted significant attention, and became a community of sorts, also adopting an important message of suicide prevention. One of the best parts of the site is the dialogue that happens between those who look at the postcards and react. Frank shares some of the responses in an ongoing conversation on the site.

Frank receives hundreds of postcards each day, mailed to his home address in Maryland, which also appears on the front cover of his first book (there are four total). Each Sunday, he posts new secrets on the site, choosing just twenty-some to share with the world. Some are funny, some are really weird, some are sad and painful, some are inspiring. Here's one of my favorites from the secrets posted today:

I so agree with this one!

I love the creative ways that people share their secrets. And that sometimes the the smudges and damages done to the postcard in transit add something to the site.

Frank also speaks all across the country about the project, and I had the privilege to help bring him to Iowa State while I was in graduate school. See:

Frank is just this totally awesome person. It was really interesting to see how many people truly trust him because of this project - so many walked right up and whispered their secrets to him that they had never told anyone before. In his book, he's referred to as "The Most Trusted Stranger in America."

As part of our experience while at Iowa State, we also created our own project, where members of the Iowa State community could share their secrets. My coworker and I were the lucky ones that got to collect and read all of the secrets first, before posting them (I do have a few on the board).

And...this weekend I got to see some of the PostSecret postcards in person! I was in Indianapolis, and the current exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art was the postcards used in the most recent book: PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God. The exhibit was awesome, and free! I didn't take any pics (not usually kosher in museums), but I will tell you that it was really fascinating to see the postcards up close, especially because some I had seen in the other two books that I own, including one that really jumps out at me: "I don't know what to say to God anymore." They all tied into themes of faith: loss of faith, spirituality, a search for meaning, disbelief, religious experiences, prayer....so many different secrets expressed in so many ways.

If you haven't visited the site, do so right away. And do it weekly! There aren't any archives, so you need to become a regular. Perhaps you might even decide to send one in.

Pay What You Can

Last night I heard about an interesting new venture that St. Louis Bread Company (Panera, for those of you outside of St. Louis) has taken on right down the road.

They have opened up a new non-profit cafe here in St. Louis that will operate on donations and will allow customers pay whatever they can afford for their food. An individual with only $5 in their pocket can still order an $8 meal. And someone who has a little more to spend is welcome to leave a bigger donation for their meal, offsetting the cost for those who pay less.

The current cafe is an experiment. If it is successful, the company will continue to open additional cafes of this type. According to the article, the response has been very positive so far. Since it's not too far from my apartment, I may have to check it out.

Here is the link to the full article from KSDK.

Living on Food Stamps

CNN Correspondent Sean Callebs spent the month of February living on a food budget of $176 (roughly $6.28/day), the highest amount that an individual could receive in government assistance if he had no income. He blogged about his experiences trying to make the budget last throughout the month.

His experiences were pretty interesting, and I learned a lot from his blog. I had no idea that over 31 million people in the United States rely on government assistance to feed themselves and their families. I have said before that food expenses are my greatest vice. The amount that I spend on coffee and soda alone probably totals over $176 each month. In fact, we are only one week into the month and I've already spent over that amount. I think that I would struggle not only to budget that money throughout the month, but also to avoid the really expensive items like eating out and lattes.

In his blog, Callebs commented on the social aspect of eating out and how he missed it during his month of eating on food stamps. I think that would be one of the hardest parts. So often, I don't intend to go out to eat, but then a friend calls and I easily give in.

My goal for this week is to pack a lunch every day and to bring my coffee from home. Although it may not be quite the budget that Callebs had, for me it's a good start.

Here's to trying to spend more wisely.

K