Who am I?
Hi, I'm Erik...
... and this card game kind of happened on accident.
I love creating art that makes us think and self-reflect. And how cool if we can laugh at the same time? Based on the humor and style of The Holiest Crap, most people wouldn't assume my artistic portfolio is full of moody and dramatic photography – but I just like to find the best way to share my message. This time, it was a hilarious one.
My creativity is almost always inspired by human psychology
In 2020 my funny side of creativity was born when I realized the best way to make fun of self-righteous behavior was not through my usual photo project, but a card game where we literally compete to be more holy than others. That was the year of the pandemic when the world went... crazy. Everyone online seemed to care so much about being right and looking holy that they didn't realize they were only harming their own message. They yelled and screamed, making their enemies angry instead of giving their enemies a reason to listen. Those people were the catalyst for my card game.
Yes, really.
While the depth of The Holiest Crap is subtle, for me personally it's still a work of art about the human psyche. Most people who play will probably not think about the message much, and that's fine because I'm delighted that people are having fun and laughing. That's the #1 priority and I'm glad I've succeeded with that. But when people do notice the depth, or see their own crappy behavior illustrated in the game's jokes, they're usually doing it with a chuckle. And that's exactly what I want, because it's easier for us to change if we're laughing than if we're being shamed or attacked for our crap.
Why make this game?
The priority of this game is fun and laughs. The secondary goal is literally to call out crappy behavior (specifically self-righteous behavior), which seems to be all the rage these days. That’s why it’s called The Holiest Crap! Because — let’s face it — sometimes people try hard to look holy because they’re really just trying to hide what makes them crappy. Occasionally, that includes us. We all do crappy things, but we can learn from our mistakes! Yay!
Criticism and self-reflection are both important, but it’s important to approach those constructively. The social media and news we see every day don’t often seem to make it constructive. There’s a lot of yelling and shaming, but not a lot of listening and laughing. That’s where a silly card game can help… you’re interacting with real humans and laughing at life's crap!
Each card in the game is kind of like a meme. Most of them make fun of stupid things we all do sometimes, like the Zombie Crap character who feels dead inside and will only feel better after tearing someone apart.
While designing this game, I had a friend jokingly say “I feel attacked” because she saw her own behavior in the card I showed her. At a game convention, someone said, “Oh my gosh! So this is just like real life?!” (Yes.) Lots of people read what’s on the cards and start laughing at themselves or someone they know.
You might relate to a lot of the cards, and that’s good! You’ll be laughing together with other people in the process. Chances are you’ll make fun of each other and even yourself. And what better way is there to approach change than laughing together with friends?