The total Badassery badge is the first step in creating conversation around the Yes 2 Earth Now DIY Art & Comedy campaign. People love being “seen” and witnessed as being capable of genuine sparkle. The Badassery badge rewards people for being themselves in the ordinary course of their day, but is usually given to those who go above and beyond in terms of rendering assistance to someone else. The kinds of people I mean include nurses, baristas, doctors, cashiers, bureaucrats who cut red tape, people who are having their first day on their new job… anyone who needs and deserves some special recognition for being an everyday hero.
There is an instant moment of laughter and recognition when someone is awarded a badge. They often break out of their public persona and express some authentic joy in that moment. I then follow up with a Yes 2 Earth Now sticker, and explain how this is part of a DIY Art & Comedy campaign to save the planet. We usually end up having a conversation – maybe short, maybe long – about how important it is for each of us to do our best in solving the world’s problems. It Is a joyous moment of connection. People feel encouraged to reach higher for their personal excellence and to be a part of this global effort to heal our planet.
The art is freely available for others to download so they can make their own badges to pass out in their own neighborhoods. I have personally given out over 600 of the badges in the small county where I live, and it’s slowly becoming a “thing” that people know about. Everyone wants to be a badass! It’s great.