#33: Make a Meme
The dumber, the better
Instructions
Consider something you know a lot about, or are passionate about.
Optional: check out what memes have been created about the topic.
Using an online generator, app, or graphic program to create a meme.
Bonus points: create one using paper and physical media.
Share it with someone who will lol. Or at least reply. ;)
Remixology: I Can Haz Fun Online?
I love memes. Memes connect to an early, more creative version of the Internet that occasionally can return — remember Bernie sitting in a chair at the Inauguration meme?
For those of us who worked on that MoMA show — LOLs.
Of course, that might be nostalgia talking. Memes got into my brain in the mid-2000s, when I had fast internet access at work, access to Photoshop, and fewer worries in my life. As John Hodgman said: “Nostalgia is a toxic impulse but I wish I could be back there”
One of the earliest memes that hit more widespread than creepy internet back alleys was the I Can Haz Cheeseburger that was posted on Jan 11, 2007.
That simple template birthed an explosion of bad grammar, all caps Impact font, and—of course—cats.
If you’re interested in a more historic account, Dictionary.com has a very sketchy and salty (very NSFW) history. And you can always use Know Your Meme as a reference tool (but of course, it’s the internet so you might find unsavory bits). Basically, the impulse to meme-ify has always existed—the documentary series “Everything is a Remix” hit on that.
But if computers aren’t your thing, feel free to collage, draw, whatever! This is a silly collage I did about meditation.
If you need some more inspiration, The Believer had a workshop with artist Sharon Lee de la Cruz on “How to Draw a Selfie” Note: she has a very funny sign in her background, which also has multiple f-bombs.
But what to make? Let’s go through some meme options.
Make: a Comparison or Relatable Remix
One of the easiest ways to use a meme is to make a comparison, and often that includes pulling from source materials like images, stills from movies, etc. You can grab an existing meme template to use as a jumping off point. For example “how it started / how it’s going” is a common meme format. In this case, this is my experience from starting my most recent job to where I was before I got to take a vacation. :)
Image: Donald Glover in “Community” becomes Childish Gambino in “This is America”.
But a comparison doesn’t need to be side-by-side. In this case, some punk rock and meditation nerd took a famous logo from the 90s of the ape evolving trope and reversed it into the person sitting down to meditate. Well done.
Someone else did a clever comparison of da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” to the Zoom world of 2020 by placing the apostles into Zoom windows. NICE.
Make: Explain a Concept
One of my favorite parts of meme culture is the ability to distill a concept quickly. If you’ve ever freelanced, you know the standoff that happens when you finally talk about money. In this meme, someone reused the standoff from a Clint Eastwood western and applied the common phrases from client and freelancer to see who blinks first.
Solid. Another one! A common complaint with new meditators is “I can’t stop thinking!” which is actually not the point at all. Someone took the meme format of “Money Printer Go Brrr”, a 2020 format about the economic response by the Federal Reserve to the pandemic and the “NOOOOO!” responses.
Image: Money Printer Goes Brrr becomes brain go brrrr
A good meme works even if you don’t get the full reference, and usually adds extra delight if you do. I’ll pause to mention that, as with much of culture, a lot of internet creativity and in-jokes come from young people, especially BIPOC creators and LGTBQIA2S+ communities, and it would be great for us to figure out a way to honor (and pay!) those creators instead of co-opting and repackaging them as The Ford Fiesta is on Fleek, Bae. I will also refrain from getting into semiotics, because that is boring and WE’VE GOT MEMES TO LOOK AT AND MAKE.
Make: Something Weird
Dank memes. The less I say, the better, but let’s just sat that the absurdity and creativity of the Dadaists lives on. Here’s one I made:
As a reminder, format doesn’t have to follow convention. In fact, all the better if it doesn’t. My wife and I like corgis, and I constantly take photos of them walking by in the most awkward angle possible with the #corgiwatch.
Make: Something Wholesome
One of the greatest updates to culture in the past decade has been an openness to discuss mental health challenges, and boy howdy is it well-timed. And here too, memes have played a part. One of my favorites:
So make something. Anything. And not for your job or to impress someone else—just for the enjoyment of it that you can share.
And Music?
Since sampling is a type of meme—using existing culture to remix and, why not go with a track from DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing” (I know, I’m a basic 90s human)
**** The bottom part *****
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