Do you have a book or a show or a standup set or a screenplay you’ve always wanted to write? And you’re not writing it? Well, I suggest you give it up. You read me right. Just go ahead and quit it. Why? Because having it hang over your shoulder isn’t doing you any Read more…
No one gave me permission to be a comedian. Few people encouraged it. as a career. And I while I had a spark, I wasn’t really that funny. At first. But I felt the desire to do comedy from my toes to my eyeballs and everywhere in between. I had to do it. Not Read more…
The real aim is to quiet the inner censor and critic that stops me from creating. Later, I can always edit and evaluate.
"I used to get high on life… but I built up a tolerance." -Arj Barker Of course I wrote the title to get your attention. And no, I don't mean take drugs to get high. What I mean is that when we "get high", we let go, and letting Read more…
There is a lot of bad comedy out there. And what I mean is that I am very opinionated. I have several scales for funniness when I'm watching comedy. Was it a well-written joke? Was it delivered with great timing? Was it relatable? Did I agree with the view point Read more…
Now, it might be hard to believe… but I wasn’t always the comedy rock goddess you see before you today. It’s hard to admit that some things have been tough for me – except when I’m on stage… then I apparently love to admit it. But we all want to look good, myself included, and to be respected and to make a good impression. But by doing so, we essentially lie. And my job as a comedian has always been to tell the truth. So here it is…
Idle talk between coworkers promotes creativity! We all know that the mid-morning water-cooler chat is a time-honored ritual of procrastination. What would happen if a company encouraged office banter? Or scheduled it? Christian Nahas of Radiant Systems did just that. In fact, he organized a 15 minute coffeehouse-style sit and Read more…
You may have seen fastcompany.com's 2011 output of the 100 Most Creative People in Business back in May. That ridiculous photo of the many Conan's sure caught my attention. Though Conan O'Brien came in 8th place, the focus on his creative process is worth reiterating. Plus, he wrote a guide Read more…
Do a little archival comedy research. It's a very interesting historical enterprise. Not only can we observe the public sentiment of the political atmosphere at the time, but we can chuckle at the outdated jargon and references. One of my favorite examples is George Carlin. He started out totally apolitical Read more…
So: is it more important for you to feel that your comedy will be relevant for a long time or rather that you are totally hip and cutting edge? Some topics in comedy can go from ripe to rotten. If your act used racist or sexist stereotypes, it was probably Read more…