Think of Dudebuddy as a fictional cult leader. Standing on a street corner holding a sign, “Liberate Dudebuddy.” If you approach him, he’ll tell you about the Dudebuddy Liberation Front. You can join if you want. All you’ve got to do is adhere to the Dudebuddy way of life. After many years of practice, when your inner Dudebuddy has been sufficiently liberated, you will attain automatic, unconditional citizenship to Dudebuddy Nation.

The foundational secret to the Dudebuddy way of life is to treat everything as an art project. Whether you’re eating breakfast, driving a motorcycle, birthing a child, meditating, gardening, surfing, shit-talking, etc., it’s all art, and it’s all for the furtherance of the ultimate art project that is your life.

Part of this Dudebuddy perspective is that you don’t take things too seriously. Dudebuddy is against melodrama, which amounts to taking things seriously and being weird about it. Melodrama is a non-flex. No one doing melodrama does so as a champion. If you’ve really got to be melodramatic about something, do so as an ironic or meta art piece.

The great benefit of not taking things too seriously is that it frees you up to see everything in a naive, inquisitive, and often optimistic light. All those art projects you’re working on become mini adventures. The simplest tasks become fun; the most stressful tasks become exciting.

Dudebuddy is okay with you thinking this all sounds pretty dumb. If you prefer seriousness and melodrama, that’s great! Dudebuddy is pro pluralism. You may just get some strange looks and eye-rolls from the authentic Dudebuddy crowd.

In the spirit of viewing life with childlike dumbness, part of Dudebuddy’s charm is that he’s not just a noun. While still technically being a fictional cult leader, he’s also a verb and an adjective. As in, “Hey, you wanna get some dudebuddy donuts before we dudebuddy the hell out of town?” Also, when Dudebuddy is serving as a noun, he’s frequently used in the context of a friendly greeting. As in, “Hey Dudebuddy, what’s new?” Preferably this greeting is reserved for use between members of Dudebuddy Nation, but there’s no one enforcing the rules about this.

So, what are you doing later today? Why not get some friends together and stand on a street corner somewhere? Get some sticks and cardboard. Make signs, “Liberate Dudebuddy.” Grow the Dudebuddy movement. Jive. Groove. And forever flex onward, my Dudebuddies.