Hello Friends
Field Notes on Becoming a Stand-Up Comedian is an independent publication about the craft, science, and lived experience of learning to become a stand-up comedian from scratch.
I share long form essays about:
- my journey and experiences in stand-up comedy
- the psychology behind learning and creativity
- the practical realities of pursuing stand-up comedy
- the intersection of comedy, self, and identity
- my own musings on theory, joke structure, and performance
Where did you get the cool title?
The title seems mostly straight forward but like my stand-up writing the choice of every word is intentional. So let me break it down:
Field Notes is a three-pronged reference to:
- notes a Marine might take in the field,
- notes a scientist might take in the lab, and
- notes a comedian might take when lightning strikes.
It nicely touches on three core aspects of my background that shape how I think about, write about and view the world.
Becoming emphasizes that I’m on a non-linear journey. My ideas early in this process may evolve, and I want the freedom to change my mind. It also distinguishes me from true experts who have shaped so much of the comedy world. They are authorities and I am merely a novice recording my own experiences.
Stand-Up Comedian may seem unnecessarily redundant in our attention grabbing times. The snappier use of just stand-up would have sufficed, so why was it important to me to add the word comedian?
In How to Kill in Comedy by Steve North, he differentiates a comic from a comedian:
- A comic tells jokes anyone could tell.
- A comedian tells jokes only they could create.
That resonated deeply, so I use the word comedian as a reminder of what I’m striving toward.
Disclaimers
Before we start, I want to make two disclaimers:
1. I am NOT an expert.
2. I am NOT deeply steeped in the theory and history of comedy.
I want to be upfront about that from the start so that you engage with my words critically as opposed to an advice column or academic literature. If something makes sense or resonates with you, try it out. If not, you are a grown person and fully capable of making your own decisions. I may also reinvent the wheel from time to time, but I will always try to give credit to any ideas or sources that I have referenced.
The start
So I have no idea how you found me, and I don't really care. In this life, you can never have enough friends, and I welcome any new friends that are here to take this journey with me.