Freedom!

Just me, but I think we’re all anarchists, in that we hate being told what to do, but we’re also all masochists, in that we wish somebody would make things easy for us, and tell us what to do.

Total freedom is still scary to us. Mostly, we’re descended from serfs.

Because we hate being told what to do, but also crave being told what to do, we’re always constructing reasons to be obedient where they don’t exist.

Do you want to put your heart and soul into making something? Do you care enough about it to take the hits and get better at what you do?

Then don’t obey your fear of taking a creative risk. That’s an order!

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Creativity vs Dependability

Sometimes life’s confusing.

The world wants you to be as reliable as an assembly line worker, but with the flair of an artist.

Best I can offer today – Ernest Hemingway*:

“Write drunk, edit sober.”

*(Shhh. Let’s just enjoy the quote before we start worrying that Hemingway never actually said this.

There seems to be a debate about where the exact line came from. I’m not seeing a solid conclusion.

Maybe the moral is: “Write drunk, edit drunk, do your tags sober.”)

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The Fourth Wall Is There For Your Safety And Mine

Between an audience and a performer there is the invisible fourth wall.

A difference between most performance and stand-up is that comedians “don’t have” the fourth wall. Or so it needs to seem.

Just my take, but I wouldn’t worry too much about “breaking” the wall.

There are all kinds of way successful comics out there, from the ultra who-are-you-what-do-you-do? types to the the tightly scripted one-liner merchants and there’s a place for them all.

People come to know you through what you’ve created. That’s intimate enough.

I reckon even the comedians that get audience members up on stage to dance/answer questions/pick a card haven’t broken the wall. It’s still a show, there’s still a wall, and those punters just became props.

I say pick your own relationship with the wall. For me it’s more of a serving hatch.

The diners can come into the kitchen if they like, but the stuff that’s relevant to them is coming through the hatch.

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Wah, Wah, Wah. Someone’s Better Than Me.

Is there someone out there who is better than you at a certain thing? Does it bother you?

Well, answer me this.

I know for a fact there’s someone out there who could take you in a fight.

Why hasn’t it stopped you walking around?

Welcome to being alive. With 7 billion choices, yes, there just might be someone out there “better” than you in some category.

It’s your turn right now. You can be best at dealing with that.

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