During this ASTU semester we touched upon a rather interesting internet website which I had no previous knowledge of: PostSecret. PostSecret is a webpage that publishes the best anonymously secrets sent through a postcard. This is a different confession site than the ones I previously knew of like Six Billion Secrets or FMyLife, since the secrets are expressed through artwork and not through the tales of words.

I think that this is a key of the success of PostSecret. Art. It may indeed contain words, but an image is most of the time so powerful than it does not need explanation. These images are open for analysis yes, but in the end they are open to interpretation from anyone who views it. The mere truth is that everyone will look at it the same image yet come up with different conclusions. We might as well all be art experts and might agree on some points but in the end our initial perspective for a certain image will be different to everyone else. This in essence means that there is a higher demand, or audience, for this type of confession sites.

I often see words as cages that restrict you from explaining the real message of what you are trying to convey. This is my thought on why being a great writer is so hard nowadays. Great authors for me those who would be able to describe every single thing with a great amount of detail. Anyone can tell a story, yes, but it is those who bring you into the story that are true story tellers. This is why I admire Dave Eggers so much, his precision and diction when describing special moments in What is The What, nevertheless he needs a certain word that will only describe a certain meaning. With confession art, it seems like people do it because they have no one to talk about and the audience might look at it and understand that if they are going through the same problem, issue or secret, that they are not going through it alone.

It is because of this why I think the art exhibition in the Belkin Art Gallery regarding Residential Schools was so powerful. One of the most commented pieces within our ASTU group would be that of Gina Laing: A Residential School survivor that would use art as therapy for the trauma she suffered. This because the images were very powerful and strong. The interpretation for everyone was different but it is clear that it was evident that the experiences that she went through were extremely traumatic and just impossible to describe the suffering that she went through in words. This is why I think art confessions, art expressions are so powerful. You draw what you feel, you paint your emotions whilst with words we see a unique meaning for the reader or audience. In the end, we could say that art is open for any kind of valid JUSTIFIED interpretation whilst writing is a more closed spectrum.