‘When work feels overwhelming, remember you’re going to die’ and other uplifting greetings
‘When work feels overwhelming, remember you’re going to die’ and other uplifting greetings
Sometimes being nice and tactful and giving just doesn’t cut it. Thankfully, for those moments, the Internet has given us Someecards.com. You’ve probably seen these around. They’re digital greeting cards with black and white drawings on solid color backgrounds with hilarious, snarky messages. They seem to express all the things you’re thinking, but would never dare say out loud in a million years. Duncan Mitchell and Brook Lundy are the co-founders of Someecards.com. They talked to us about why their e-greetings resonate with so many office workers.
When it comes to the workplace, what are people griping about?
“Every aspect of their jobs. Duncan and I worked together in advertising for 15 years. It was a great lab for discovering every possible way to complain about work. That’s kind of how we started with Someecards was our own brand of complaining and saying things that felt honest to us that maybe people were thinking, but didn’t have a way to express,” says Lundy.
What are some of your favorite cards about work?
“I think one of the earliest ones that’s still popular today is ‘When work feels overwhelming, remember that you’re going to die.’ I think that’s kind of actually an optimistic message wrapped in a bit of a cynical package because it’s saying don’t take things so seriously. Everybody’s work gets overwhelming and you’ve got bigger problems to worry about eventually,” says Mitchell. “We try to do cards that are topical or relevant to things that are going on currently. We just got off a three-day weekend and one of the most popular cards this week is: I’m worried how I’m going to fit the 15 minutes of work I actually do into this four-day work week.”
So does coming face-to-face with all this job-loathing everyday get you down about your own jobs?
“The idea is the card should be cathartic. I don’t think we’re wallowing in misery. We’re expressing people’s darker thoughts in a fun way. I think by sharing them people kind of end up diffusing some of the edge they feel in the office environment,” says Lundy.
“I think what’s changed is we actually like our jobs now, so it’s harder to write these,” adds Mitchell.
Some of Mitchell and Lundy’s favorite workplace-related cards read:
- “Let’s boost office morale by going out to drink and complain about office morale”
- “Sorry your post-vacation workload has completely negated the benefits of your vacation”
- “I can’t believe you haven’t finished the thing I forgot to tell you start”
- “I snuck a bunch of booze into work today using my stomach”
See some of their other popular e-cards about work in the slideshow above.
Plus, we asked Lundy and Mitchell to send us their favorite e-card about personal finance. It says:
Have a funny message about money? We want your greeting card ideas! Send them to us and we’ll pick our favorite to win a prize from Marketplace Money. Leave a comment below, tweet it to us @radiopiggybank, or write to us on Facebook.
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