Down time...

I don't mean the 10 minutes of pity your wife gives you ever other week. No, I refer to the space of time between your shows. I am sure many times you have heard "Perform as much as possible!". This is true, especially when you first start out. To quote a fantastic performer, Keith Bindlestiff, "Expect yer first 100 shows to SUCK". (Some say that is being generous) How do you get those shows under your belt? How do you find places to perform? Well, this entry will hopefully point you in the right erection... er.. direction.

I was discussing this theory with a friend of mine, Misty Lee. We discussed the longer dead time between shows, the more important those shows become and how much HARDER they can hit you when something doesn't work properly. However, if you perform constantly, it becomes easier to brush those rough spots off and even maybe *GASP* learn from them so it won't happen again.

I hear what yer saying tho'.. "Those shoes will never go with that dress" well yer wrong and I'll prove i.... no wait, yer asking, "How do I work when there is nobody hiring or willing to pay my high prices?" Simple... take what you can get. If you truly, TRULY want to be a better performer, sometimes it means sacrifice. Goats, children... or yer time.

There are open mics and places you can find that will pay next to nothing, BUT if you have no shows planned, next to nothing is better than nothing at all. (Kinda like how a cactus is not much better than no cactus.) As long as yer not passing up the opportunity to make real money, there is nothing wrong with handing out some free samples to help work out a routine in front of a REAL audience. This will help you keep your material fresh in your mind and work out all of the kinks. Practice in front of yer pets and stuffed animals can only do so much.

So between your booked shows that pay the bills, don't be afraid to swallow your "Professional-I'm better than this" pride. It will help you technically, mentally, and personally. There are plenty of venues if you just look.

You'd be surprised what you find when you look.

Bizzaro.