My Inspiration For Writing Comedy

By Rosemond Sarpong Owens HRH ( Her Royal Highness- The Queen of Comedy) 

I always knew I was funny. 

What I did not know was just how funny I really was. Had someone told me I would one day stand on stage making people laugh, I would never have believed them. Why not? 

Growing up, , comedy–and its purveyors, comedians–were a “joke” (no pun intended). No person in their right mind would think of pursuing that joke-telling as a profession. People did not have good things to say about people who laughed easily or made others do the same. Comedians were viewed derisively as clowns. And, they were subject to social ridicule and laughed at not because of their art, skill, or craft but because of their shameful buffoonery. Perhaps the only thing worse than a comedian was being a comedian who is a woman. 

Indeed, despite my inclination to humor and make others laugh, no family member, relative, teacher, or pastor would have cheerily received my response to the common childhood question “What-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up?” with the answer: “A comedian.” 

I am sure a likely response would have been: “Be serious, Child!” You get where I am coming from. The people back then thought very little about comedians, and had even less consideration of comedy as a career profession. 

Over the years, I have had ample opportunities to demonstrate to myself and others that the ability to make people laugh was important. I have also come to understand how my past, present and future are all interconnected in ways unimaginable to my love for comedy. 

I love telling funny stories. I recall mesmerizing my grade-school classmates with so many funny stories that they would rather follow me home to hear more stories that go straight to their homes. My humor flows from stories of my lived experience. As the queen of animation, my stories were funny and lively. 

I love to laugh and make others laugh. When I laugh, I feel good inside. It alters my mind, my mood, and my happiness. I tend to see humor everywhere and believe that everything that has happened in my life to date has paved the way for me to accept myself in all my uniqueness. At times this may also mean my craziness. I realize that in my life, I have been primed to see humor in situations. Over time, I started to write down my funny thoughts and ideas which have morphed into writing pages of comedy. The reasons why I write comedy have always been the same. I am motivated to write comedy to: 

1. Encourage
2. Use comedy as a vehicle to talk about difficult topics
3. Challenge the status quo that women are not funny

1) I call myself a CEO–Chief Encouragement Officer. I believe God created me to encourage others through laughter. I have come to believe that the saying, “laughter is good medicine,” is not cliche. A plethora of scientific evidence supports the importance of laughter to the body, but I don’t want to delve too much into that. Right by my nightstand are a few of my favorite novels. In addition to those are notebooks of every size and shape. In these notebooks is information about laughter.

I keep a record of all the times I had made friends laugh, all the times I had laughed at myself, and made others funny incidents. I also record things that I think are funny. I have used a lot of the content for the comedy gigs that come my way. I believe that Indeed, God, in His infinite wisdom, has uniquely endowed me with the gift and ability to stir laughter in others. Thus, I am able to lighten my own load in difficult times and the load of others whom the Lord brings in my path. Proverbs 17:22 speaks to me: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Perhaps my life purpose is to dispense the good medicine of laughter and that is fine by me. 

2) As a Diversity, Equity and Racial Justice practitioner, I have used humor in many ways as an “opener” . That is , to lighten the mood and get people laughing prior to talking about difficult issues. Especially issues around race and racism in today’s world. A vivid example of this a few years ago, I got my first gig through work to speak at a very important meeting.

I prepared my presentation and had it vetted about twice by the big people. Then came the day for the gig. (Unfortunately, I was having a bad hair month so I donned one of my colorful kente scarves, which is something I do often when I am missing my homeland or having a bad hair day, the latter tends to be the case most times.)I was about the fourth speaker that day following some very important and serious presentations. From the time I hit the podium until I left, no one stopped laughing, even though my topic was serious in nature also. In the ladies’ room afterward, a couple of ladies asked me if I was a stand-up comedian. I knew then that I was working the gift. 

3) I am sure you have heard the saying that women are not as funny as men. That is a stereotype and a fallacy. A myth that needs to be debunked continuously. There are many powerful women comedians that I have admired and tried to emulate over the years. Recently, I had an experience that speaks to this notion. In the fall of 2020, I was invited to participate in a stand up comedy event. The emcee even alluded to the fact that it would be hard for me to match how the prior male comedians had performed.

Instead of keeping my head down, I took up the challenge, squared my shoulders and readied myself for the stage. After being introduced, I grabbed the mic and proceeded to bring the house down. I not only proved to them that day female comedians could be just as funny –I also contributed to changing the narrative.

As we think of our gifts or the things we are good at, I don’t believe as women, many of us think that being funny or making others laugh is also a gift. You may not paint like Picasso, sculpt like Michelangelo, compose music like Mozart, but being able to tell rip-roaring jokes like a talented comedian is equally important. I hope you remember that as a comedian, God has endowed you, too, with unique talents, gifts, and abilities. Use it and “to go and light the world.”

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Rosemond Sarpong Owens is a seasoned Racial & Health Equity practitioner Her specific interests include improving diversity and improving equity for populations experiencing inequities. She is a gifted speaker, a humorist, and sees a silver lining in every cloud. She calls herself a Chief Encouragement Officer, CEO because she believes that is why God created her. She is the author of Apples In A Seed, “ Apples In A Seed – Unleashing The Unique You” . Her book was born using the apple seed as a metaphor for potential. In it, she looks at the lives of 9 change agents and through their lives demonstrates how the power of determination, grit, hard work, and perseverance can help to unleash one’s potential.

Website http://rosemondowens.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/sarpongowens

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/applesinaseed

Apples in A Seed: Unleashing the Unique You

This book was birthed from the stirrings of one question concerning a newly born child – what if? Rosemond Sarpong Owens has spent more than a decade pondering this question. And, as is the story with humanity, some of us are born entitled while others hardly have claim to a name.

What makes the difference is what this book is about. Using the seed as a metaphor for potential, the author underscores the art of living as well as the science of effort and reward. A history buff, she revisits the lives, struggles and triumphs of her favorite heroes, life changers who have impacted the world in their unique ways. One thing is guaranteed, when you read Apples in a Seed, it will change the way you look at your own life.

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips