GAY MERRILL AND THE HOLY GRAIL—A Humor Quest and Discovery (with cartoons)

ØHumor Quest (aka my 7-year exploration into humor in a nano second or less)

Ø3 Humor Discoveries (using my cartoons)

ØKey Takeaways on Humor (aka WIIFM)

IN THE NEXT 5-7 MINUTES…

Your purpose in life is to make people laugh.

THE (7-YEAR) HUMOR QUEST

2008-2015: Laughter yoga, caricature drawing, humor writing, improv and sketch comedy writing, standup comedy, teaching comedy skills, and cartooning

Humor Discovery #1: Why People Laugh

•Surprise• Incongruity (absurdity)•Recognition (relatability)•Embarrassment(superiority)•Release

Humor Discovery #2: Inspiration

•Daily life•Stereotypes•Clichés•Words•Popular culture

Daily life(observational humor)

“Funny because it’s true.”

Pop CultureNanuk does the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Humor Discovery #3:Easy Techniques

• Exaggeration

•Word choice

•Wordplay

Exaggeration

Blow something out of proportion. Make it extreme.

Key Takeaways on Humor (WIIFM)• Anyone can learn humor skills (techniques) – Humor is not

a gift from the gods. Study people/forms you find funny.• Humor is all around us – keep a notebook.• Humor is subjective – Everyone has different tastes – mix it

up.• You are a safe topic to joke about (self-deprecation) • A little goes a long way. Don’t force funny.• Be yourself. Use what makes you laugh. Be original.

THE END (thanks to Monty Python for the inspiration)

Wrapup/Take away: How to create Funny Material1. Find inspiration• Everyday life• Cliches, quotes, and jokes• Stereotypes• People, events, challenges that are well known

2. Add one or two humor elements3. Apply one or more techniques4. Generate lots of ideas til you come up with one that makes you

laugh - edit