You probably need an excuse
April is International Humor Month. And I have plans for you.
It’s April. Which means it’s International Humor Month. Which also means I am simultaneously thrilled… and slightly stressin’.
For those who don’t know, I’m the Director of International Humor Month (through the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor aka AATH). It’s now in its second year under AATH’s leadership, and the idea for the month is simple:
30 days dedicated to celebrating, spotlighting, and building the skill of humor.
In practice, “simple” means coordinating Humor Hero Spotlights, curated events from humor practitioners around the world, skill-building workshops, podcast interviews, and a humor awards show. All in one month.
Fun, but stressful.
But I genuinely love it. Because Humor Month gives people something that’s surprisingly hard to come by... an excuse.
The power of a good excuse
Think about it: New Year’s gives you an “excuse” to set goals. There’s nothing magical about January 1st. You could start a new habit any day of the year, or even any time of day (you could choose to start a new diet literally right now).
And yet we use the thought of a “new year” as the prompt and permission to invest in ourselves.
It’s the same thing with Valentine’s Day. Can you dote on a loved one any day of the year? Yes. Has the day been overly commercialized to the point that “Meathearts” are a thing (that’s the Sweethearts candy with messages like “Luv U” but instead it’s on meat)? Also yes.
Is it still a good excuse to show you care? Also also yes. It’s not necessary but it gives you permission to be sentimental.
April is the same thing but for humor. It’s the excuse you need to give yourself permission to actually invest time in building your skill of humor. Not just enjoy humor passively, but work on it intentionally.
And I’m taking my own advice. This month I’m teaching longform improv to a group of improvisers here in Panama, setting up a comedy writing workshop, writing new stand-up material in Spanish, and performing a show in virtual reality. (Yes, really.)
So here’s your excuse
If you’ve ever thought “I’d love to improve my humor” and then immediately not done that... April is your month.
There are things happening all month long as part of International Humor Month. Special open house events, interviews with humor experts on the AATH LaughBox podcast, Humor Hero spotlights, and workshops from humor practitioners around the globe. You can check out the full calendar at humormonth.com.
But if you want a place to start, I’m hosting a free virtual workshop on April 15th at 12pm ET called “What Kind of Funny Are You?”
It’s a one-hour live session on Zoom where we’ll dig into the different ways people are “naturally” funny and you’ll discover your natural style. The goal is to help you unlock your specific sense of humor so you can actually use it, at work, at home, wherever.
Whether you use April as an excuse to attend an event, try writing a joke, or just send a pun to a coworker who didn’t ask for one... I hope you use it.
Because the best time to start working on your sense of humor was years ago. The second best time is right now. And the third best time is all of April, because there’s a whole month dedicated to it.
Wit regards,
-Andrew
P.S. Speaking of excuses to celebrate humor... nominations are now open for the 6th Annual Humor Awards. Know someone whose meetings actually keep people awake or a team that believes in the power of puns? Nominate them today.