Last Article (for now)

I have been struggling to write about standup comedy. It is challenging to write what I’ve learned when I am not actively practicing it. I have made it to my 35th article. For me this is a win. But now I feel that I need to take a break. So this is a summary of what I have learned about standup comedy by writing about what I learned about standup comedy.

“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” ― Robert Greene, Mastery

The main things I have learned are that most standup advice can be broken down into 4 categories. The most important thing in standup really comes down to these. Control, Community, Writing, and Continuing to show up. I couldn’t come up with a “c” word for writing.

Control.

Anything that I have struggled with is because so much of standup comes down to luck. So the best way to be happy and successful is to seek control. I take any frustration and find a way that I can take control of that aspect. Not getting enough stage time? Take control and start a show. Not getting booked on podcasts? Start my own podcasts, now I am booked on 3 podcasts every week. I take control and I can continue to get better and work on my craft. Control gives me more confidence in everything I do. I feel better when I am in control of my destiny. I spent too much time frustrated waiting for others to give me things, and when I was given things it didn’t last or wasn’t enough. Running my own things have been more than enough.

Community.

No comedian is an island. Comedy is a community thing. An audience is a group of people, and a requirement for standup to work. It is an odd thing but comedians need a community of people to thrive. Yes we are each individuals and artists, but to really work we must be a community. I have found both more success and personal fulfilment when I focus my energy on how can I make the comedy community better? How can I give more to the comedy community than I take? I spent years expecting comedy to give me so much, but without putting anything into it. A comedy community is created by the members of it. Yes there are small communities formed around comedy clubs but a comedy scene is so much more than just a club. We spend so much time expecting things to just be given to us without thinking of what we are giving. As soon as I started focusing on my own projects and shows and how they contribute to the comedy community or comedy scene. I was happier and more fulfilled. I was recently asked what my proudest moment in comedy was and it was the silly little late night open mic that I started with my friend Todd. We just took all our experience and put it into making the open mic we would want to hang out at. This resonated with so many other people in the comedy scene and became something more. It became something very special to me. It was my little weekly contribution to the Portland comedy scene. This meant so much more to me than any of the larger shows or the times I got to headline in front of a crowd of a hundred people. This silly little open mic has more of an impact. I heard someone call a class of comics the Blank Slate comedians after the bar we did our open mic. I wanted to cry, but I’m a man so I bottled that up and cried later in my car, you know, like a man! Give more to the comedy scene than you take and you will be successful. All boats rise in the tide.

Writing.

Standup comedy is about being your own writer, director and actor. To get better I have to write often. I have built a habit of writing every day and my writing has gotten better. I started by doing 10 minutes a day. I tried exercises and journaling. Now I write about an hour a day. I write in my computer, on my phone and in notebooks. I write all the time. Every time I have a thought I write it down. I work at it. I rework it. I love it. The foundation of standup for me is built on my daily writing habit. I have come a very long way. When I first started I would make all sorts of excuses about my writing. There is no wrong way to write. I do a wild combination of just writing in whatever is at my disposal at that moment. When I started I hated my hand writing, my handwriting has not really improved but the content sure has. I only recently realized that my handwriting hasn’t improved, I don’t care or feel as self conscious about it. I was nervous about sharing my writing when I started writing these articles, now it’s not really a thing. I can focus on making the content better. As someone on the other side I can safely say that it gets easier the more I practice it. Start small and write every day until it’s not a big deal.

Continuing to show up.

This is the advice I got when I started comedy. Get as much stage time as possible. And it has taken me years to fully understand it. But it's probably the best advice. When we start we roll our eyes and look for shortcuts or hacks to success. But at the end of the day nothing beats just showing up. I like to think that my tenacity is my competitive advantage. In a world with millions of comedians, I am going to be the one who shows up, who keeps showing up. I want to be in the minority of comedians that keep showing up. I think this is so important. I wish I took more risks when I started. I try and take more risks now. I wish I would have shown up more than I did and I showed up a lot over the years. Showing up makes me better in ways I didn’t know I needed to improve. Showing up increases my luck. Showing up increases awareness of me in the community. Showing up supports my community. There is so much to learn and I can only learn it by showing up. It's what I love and hate about standup, there is no way around just putting in the reps. Some people have some natural talents that give them a leg up, but most just need to show up. It’s the ones who show up the most that ultimately become the greatest.

I have struggled to write more articles because the core of them all is just what I said here. The more I think and write about my journey of standup comedy it all comes down to these. Maintaining a growth mindset and always improving myself in different ways. I may have missed something but any specific advice is just someone telling me to be more like them. I don’t want to be them, I want to be the best me. I am unique and I will not be as unique if I follow someone. My plan is to follow the fun of it wherever that takes me. So for now I am going to take a break from writing about standup comedy, but when comedy comes back, so shall I.

Thank you for reading. You’re doing great.

Bjorn RG.