#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?
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.
How to Make Your Own!
Luckily, the growth of online tools and smartphones has meant that you don’t need Photoshop skills to make memes. You can use an online generator like imgflip or
an app like Mematic, though you might be laughed at for being so Very Basic.
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. :)
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.
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 *****
Check us out on Instagram @lookandmakeart — tag this prompt with #lookandmake33
Want to share what you did? YAY! Reply to this email with your name as you want it to appear. Archives of some or all messages will live on lookandmake.art
Have a prompt you want to share? DOUBLE YAY! Reply to this email.
You made it to the end. Thank you.