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Hidden Lives

Hidden Lives is a site dedicated to unearthing all those things you keep in your ‘inner’ life. The things that you think but seldom say. The founder, Justin McMurray, talks to Lost At E Minor about his new site, why he started it, and what he’s looking to achieve.

So, what is Hidden Lives all about?
The project is based on the idea that everyone leads two lives. An ‘outer’ life filled with day-to-day activities, to do’s, meetings, bills, discussions about the weather. And then the ‘hidden’ life of your dreams, fears, hopes, regrets and imaginings. The things you think but seldom share.

Hidden Lives is an online space where you can anonymously unveil your hidden life and also peek into the hidden lives of people from around the world.

What led you to start it?
I was reflecting on notions of identity and authentic voice – as I am prone to do – and my mind kept returning to the extraordinary gap between how we are perceived externally and our own inner awareness. I wanted to explore this somehow but did not know where to start. Several years later, after countless more contemplations and hundreds of other creative ideas, I still could not shake the feeling I had to do something in this area. I convinced a friend of mine to join me for breakfast every weekend for months on end to develop concepts and ideas. After a thousand discussions and innumerable sketches on paper tablecloths, the plan for Hidden Lives was born. Luckily I had a friend, Remko Steenstra, who could do all the tech stuff, so I was away.

Of course it can be hard to track the evolution of an idea, but just recently I came across something I jotted down in my journal several years ago that reveals some of my thinking. It was, “I want to hold a microphone out to the world. And just listen”.

What are your plans for the site?
Well my first goal is fulfilled. That being the fact it’s up and running and no longer solely existing in my mind!
And after just a few weeks in beta release, there are already well over 550 entries from more than 20 countries, so it seems to be on the right track.

I am weighing up future options right now. Obviously there is enormous scope to increase the level of interactivity on the site. For example, to be able to comment on people’s entries, save favourites, subscribe to users – you know, the whole Web 2.0 social networking thing – however I am trying not to fall for the ‘if it’s a bell or whistle add it now’ approach!

At its core, I want Hidden Lives to become a unique, collaborative artwork brimming with intimate, beautiful and moving self-expressions from people all over the world. As to whether that artwork exists solely online, or in gallery exhibitions, public art displays or in hardcopy publications, well… I am keeping an open mind. Suffice to say, being in the ‘big future thinking’ phase is plenty of fun.

Any interesting stories come out of it?
Well, almost every Hidden Lives entry contains, or hints at, a fascinating story.

The young mother in Bosnia and Herzegovina who wakes at 3am and wishes there was someone to hold her.

The retiree in Australia who got lucky the day he realised that the next minute of his life was the most important minute of his life.

The woman in Spain who once believed that life’s problems will get sorted, somehow, but has since learnt that we are masters of our own destiny.

The teenage girl in London who, if money was no object, would leave her city to travel the world, and finally start living her life.

The man from Canada who looks in the mirror and sees a virtual stranger.

When someone responds to ‘triggers’ like “I want to be remembered for…” or “I still harbour a dream…” or “I look in the mirror and see…” or “The last time I cried…”, well, it can be a moving and powerful experience. And there’s a story in every response.

How’s it different from post secret?
Good question considering Hidden Lives has already been described as “an online Post Secret“.

Hidden Lives seeks to explore a multitude of things below the human surface. To draw out honest and intimate insights into multiple aspects of people’s true identities. There are already over 40 ‘triggers’ – and more coming – that people can respond to. So while Post Secret gets people to reveal a deep, and often dark, secret by sending in a homemade postcard, Hidden Lives is purely online and aims for a much wider scope of personal revelation. And in the end, when people have the opportunity and courage to unveil and share their hidden lives, it’s a powerful reminder that for all our differences, we are intimately connected in our humanity.

You can check out Hidden Lives here, or watch the Hidden Lives video here.