Last week, I was contacted by a booker for many of the NYC clubs and scheduled for my New York Comedy Club debut. How did she find me? Her colleague saw me on YouTube. She pinged me on Facebook. We spoke by phone and confirmed.
Takeaway 1: You have to put yourself out there, and this increasingly means being active on social media. But, expect to take the relationship offline, even if it’s just a phone call.
It’s crazy for me to do a show so close to my last one. I normally only perform 3-4 times per year (this will be the 2nd time in 2 months). BUT you can’t control for perfect conditions. It is not an ideal time for me business-wise, but is an ideal opportunity creatively. A lot of people wait for the perfect conditions to do something. When I reach this stature or amount of money, then I will take up this passion. Your career will always keep you busy so you may just wait forever.
Takeaway 2: Take advantage of serendipity and unexpected opportunities even if they are imperfect in some way
I’m a G-rated, suitable for corporate conventions type comic. I always play early shows. This time, I’m playing a weekend, night-time show, and this scares me to DEATH. But if I didn’t do this now, I would just be more scared the next time. So I said Yes before I could talk myself out of it. Unfortunately, self-confidence happens after the fact, not before. I can’t wait to be confident and then perform. I need to perform to make me more confident.
Takeaway 3: Don’t wait till you feel 100% ready. That time will never come.
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Hi Caroline,
Good stuff. Reminds us that Life! meets us where we live, doesn’t it? Dawn