The Art of the (Bad) Joke
“I think comedy is about empathy” — Ricky Gervais
Now, more than ever, what do we all really need? A good laugh! Comedy is a challenging art form, but a rewarding one! And being able to make someone laugh (even if it's just yourself) is worth the challenge. Even BAD jokes are funny, so just roll with it! You’ll be creating a piece of physical art that represents a joke you made up, or a joke you heard that you find hilarious. You can create an audio clip of you telling your joke to someone, or you could make a sticker, a poster, a button, or even just a drawing. How you deliver your joke is up to you!
Now, more than ever, what do we all really need? A good laugh! Comedy is a challenging art form, but a rewarding one! And being able to make someone laugh (even if it's just yourself) is worth the challenge. Even BAD jokes are funny, so just roll with it! You’ll be creating a piece of physical art that represents a joke you made up, or a joke you heard that you find hilarious. You can create an audio clip of you telling your joke to someone, or you could make a sticker, a poster, a button, or even just a drawing. How you deliver your joke is up to you!
- Watch successful comedians, or movies/media that make you laugh: Watching/listening to comedy can loosen up our funny bones, and get us in the right frame of mind. You also might hear a joke so funny you must immortalize it through this project. My personal favorite comedian is John Mulaney.
- If making up your own joke, decide what type of joke you want to make or decide on a joke to use. Observational humor is relatable. This means commenting on things we all experience, like, how bad school lunches are, or about current events, like how we’re all having to stay home so much now, or wearing masks everywhere. Storytelling draws the audience in, and telling a funny story that actually happened to you can be quite hilarious. Also, it’s somewhat easier because you were there! As they say, “it’s funny because it’s true!”
- After you have your joke — illustrate, or depict, or recreate it in some way.
- It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated, this could be by hand with whatever tools you have lying around, or on the computer, digital art or just an audio file. Whatever works best for you.
- Share your final product using the submission form at the top of this page! Put it somewhere you’ll see it often — so you’ll find a laugh whenever you need one, or give it to someone so they can have a laugh too.
