Project February: Humorous Essay Writing

The What

Humorous essay writing.

The Why

This one was an easy choice. I'm currently enrolled in a class at Second City called Writing the Humorous Personal Essay. The class only runs through the end of the month, so, bingo!

I took Stand-Up 1 through Second City late last year, which culminated in a final performance in front of an actual audience. Now, it wasn't quite my debut Netflix special; it was friends and family members of mine and my fellow classmates, but man, what a rush. It was something I signed up for to get me outside of my comfort zone and something to push me to just try. I fully intend on taking Stand-Up 2 at some point during 2023, but I needed a break. It's exhausting going to a 3-hour class once a week where you're expected to perform and think on your feet. Not to mention that I feel I'm still changed from the pandemic, and I've grown more... anti-social?

How It's Going

The month is not over yet. And man, February has flown by. But I think the class is going well. I've written two 3-page essays thus far. It doesn't feel like that much to me, but it was going to be zero if I hadn't done this class, so I'll appreciate it for what it is.

The format is a bit of curriculum, a bit of reading published essays by humor writers and then writing. On top of that, once you turn in your weekly assignment, you read your fellow classmate's essays and provide feedback.

It feels good to be back in a cohort of writers again. It has me thirsty to try and keep writing. (I should take the "try and" out of that sentence.) It feels good to produce writing.

That thirst to write and share the writing is also what's gotten me writing this blog, too. It's been absent and I'd like to shout, "Present," at roll call.

Project March: Looney Tunes Paintings

The What To paint a series of Looney Tunes backgrounds. The Why I really enjoy painting, but I don't make the time to do it enough. The last painting I made was just over a year ago. The one before that was the year before. In the spirit of my monthly projects, I threw "painting" on the list of options not really sure what the focus would be. And there are fewer things that terrify me more in this life than the proverbial blank page/canvas. So I needed a focus. Nearly every Saturday afternoon, my man-friend and I frequent a bar in downtown Chicago where we enjoy beers, burgers and heckling our favorite bartender. It's become somewhat of a tradition that the bartender will change the channel on the television at the far end of the bar to show cartoons, simply for our viewing pleasure. So the two of us will sit there for a couple of hours, indulging via our stomachs as well as our eyes. A couple of months ago, man-friend and I were discussing the artwork that goes int...

March Reflections

It's going well so far. Not only this month's project, but also the whole idea of a "project each month" in general. I don't know why I am so surprised. Except that it's way surprising to have an idea and also have follow through. I've continued March doing cartoon background paintings. I've done four of them now! There's a definite part of me that feels like a hack making these paintings, copying someone else's creation. But I have to talk myself down from there. The paintings are studies and still art on their own. And they are bringing me so much joy to stare at. There's roughly a week left in the month. I'm not sure how many more paintings I'll accomplish, but I know that just because the month is over, doesn't mean I have to stop that activity. February's project was "humorous essay writing." I took a four-week class and produced four essays. (Interesting that "four" is a reoccurring number here. I w...

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