High-effort nonsense

Spending serious time on silly things

Are you serious?

I think I am.

Sometimes too much so.

I get obsessed with the things I’m interested in and often need a reminder to take myself (and life) a little less seriously. Luckily, I have a two-year-old daughter who invents her own games and insists that I play along.

It’s also one of the reasons I’m a standup comedy nut. Watching comedians perfecting their craft helps me loosen up, laugh, and lighten my mood. Any Shane Gillis fans in the house?

Although I usually write about topics that genuinely fascinate me, they tend to fall on the serious side of the silly-earnest spectrum.

So this week, I wanted to remind myself (and you all) that silly and serious can actually coexist quite well together.

Balloons and ducks

About 10 years ago, I went to an art exhibition in the center of Amsterdam. It was a contemporary art exhibition centered around the use of technology.

I remember seeing a presentation by an artist (unfortunately I don’t remember his name) who created digital artworks specifically for ‘augmented reality’.

His artworks were only visible at certain coordinates, and only to people looking at the world through their smartphone cameras.

At some point he created a network of colorful balloons (that you could touch and move around) covering the whole earth.

He also put a giant digital duck in the Oval Office, only visible to former president Obama himself. That is, if Obama had been watching through his smartphone camera at that time…

The ridiculousness and apparent futility of his projects stirred up something in me.

The artist puts an enormous amount of effort and time into projects that are sometimes not even seen by an audience at all.

The best part is, he creates them regardless.

It was a revelation to me that people were making things just for the sake of making things.

Mannequins and parking lots

A few years later, I discovered a series of videos that ticked the same box: making something for the sake of making things.

Check out this gem:

If you, like me, can’t get enough of this guy, check out this one too:

And if you really have all the time in the world to spend on distracting yourself from the important work you’re currently procrastinating about, also check this one out:

These videos are made by David Lewandowski.

The amount of detail, creativity, and originality baffles me and I like them a lot. Because they’re silly, well-made, and they instantly put me in a good mood.

Browsing his website about the project, I discovered that David self-describes his works as ‘high-effort nonsense’.

I agree. It’s nonsense. And the amount of serious effort it takes to create these clearly shows. Somehow it’s this combination that makes me enjoy them even more.

As a self-confessed self-developer, ever looking to grow, I’m realizing how important it is to spend time doing (or creating) ‘silly things’. Following our intuition, curiosity, and nurturing our inner child a little.

Whether that’s watching a video of a mannequin walking down the street, spotting a duck while you’re signing anti-nuclear agreements, or playing a made-up game with your daughter when she is (rightfully) pulling you away from your ‘serious’ work.

Embracing (high-effort) nonsense doesn’t mean taking life any less seriously.