Special Article
The Chameleon Comic
How the Comedian Can Improvise During the Pandemic
The world has changed dramatically in the last year forcing the masses to change their way of life. The entertainer and the comedian are left to answer questions amid expected panic. How can I continue to move forward in my career during this difficult time? How will I be able to connect with people during quarantine? What choices do I have right now?
Albert Einstein once quoted “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”. William Ellery Channing wrote that difficulties are meant to rouse not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict”. Those wishing to prevail in any field must at times adapt and improvise. If we seek to view this unique time as an opportunity rather than a complete and utter catastrophe, we can become stronger because of the difficulty.
It is a natural truth that with every negative comes a positive if one is willing to look at each situation constructively. What can the comic take from this time to improve and to advance? What can he or she do to raise their stock and improve their craft?
Can one connect through zoom or skype and attempt to reach the public more profoundly through the internet? Perhaps this is the time for a movement allowing the comic to reach those within the comfort of their own home? Can he or she find a way to develop concurring online shows that can be purchased by the viewer?
Can learning new skills such as video editing, podcasting, social media marketing and blog writing help you to reach more of an audience or provide an alternate stream of income allowing you to stay afloat? Websites such as Skillshare and Udemy provide extremely cheap online course rates (ranging as low as ten to fifty dollars) which can provide avenues to learn different skills.
Business may be slow, but wouldn’t this also leave more of an opportunity for the hungry comic to work on content delivery, to research, discover and develop better material? Could this be a time to focus more on writing? Can the participation in outdoor shows be an option for you? Should there not be more of a push for outdoor and drive-in events during a time where people could use a laugh and are looking to get out of the house?
Finding different ways to connect with people can lead to future progress! How about displaying your talent more profoundly through YouTube videos and social media platforms? Difficulty ought to force us to think and use our minds not give up and quit! Could it be that this pandemic is a call for us to open our minds and develop new ways to flourish?
Kris Genschmer, the artistic director at Positively Funny Improv and Birmingham Improv Theatre has taken a proactive approach during this past year. He and his crew of five or six other people perform multiple times each week using Twitch, a live streaming platform which was previously known solely as a domain for online gamers. These shows which are called “twitching for laughs” are streamed on Facebook and YouTube live.
If nothing else, could this pandemic awaken you to realize that you must find a way to acquire more stability and security as an artist and a performer? Will finding these pathways help those that come behind you?
Discomfort is undesirable but it also inspires change and growth. Comedy is a tough business especially on the way up as success in this field calls for persistence and toughmindedness.
One tactic to develop a tougher mind is by forcing yourself to see the good in everything until this philosophy becomes a way of life. An individual with this type of perspective will never be defeated because no matter how hard things get, he or she will still believe that they have a chance to make it. They will still find the good in what has happened, and they will live by the truth in knowing that good things come with perseverance.
Famous motivational speaker and author Jim Rohn once quoted “Life and business are like the changing seasons. You cannot change the seasons, but you can change yourself. Theirin lies the opportunity to live an extraordinary life – the opportunity to change yourself”. How will you use this winter of a time to become more valuable or learn new skills so that you can rise in the spring and triumph in the summer? Will you take this time to plant the seeds that must be planted for a chance at a thriving morrow?
If we reflect on how far we have come and what we have done, it is apparent that nothing is impossible! Our ability to evolve and change course will once again take us higher than we have ever been before despite the daunting fog on the horizon.
#Mental Health
Reach Out To A Mental Health Professional If Necessary!!
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