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This week, I am on a break from writing about my experience, but that doesn't mean you won't get your usual dose of inspiration. I've compiled three of my favorite quotes that I have found helpful in my art and my life that I wanted to share with you. Here you go:
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open."
Martha Graham
If you are an artist who gets in their own way, like I do, I think this quote from dancer and choreographer Martha Graham will give you lots of hope.
"We can't force greatness to happen. All we can do is invite it in and await it actively. Not anxiously, as this might scare it off. Simply in a state of continual welcoming.
If we remove time from the equation of a work’s development, what we’re left with is patience. Not just for the development of the work, but for the development of the artist as a whole. Even the masterpieces that are produced on tight timelines are the sum of decades spent patiently laboring on other works.
If there is rule to creativity that's less breakable than the others, it's the need for patience is ever-present."
Rick Rubin
If you are like me and are constantly comparing yourself to others or think you should be farther along, this quote is from uber record producer Rick Rubin's new book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, should help you to understand that we need to be patient in finding success.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Some artists like to hide and play small, but according to Marianne Williamson's famous quote, not only is it okay to play bigger, but when we do, we are helping others do the same.
“90% of life is showing up.” -- Woody Allen
I want to write something, but I can't. It’s one of those days when the best thing I can do is to just show up to the page. And the hardest part is being alright with that.
I have a wise friend who says just because I am having a C-minus day doesn't mean I can't do B-minus work. So here I am, giving you my best B-minus blog.
I have missed out on a lot of opportunities in my career because I didn’t know how to show up when I wasn’t doing something perfectly. But today is a different day, and I am different person.
Sometimes it still takes a lot for me to show up to do my regular improv when I am having a shitty day, but when I do, things get better in my day. I just need to keep reminding myself that this is true.
There used to be a slogan for the Illiniois State Lottery that said, “You can’t win if you don't play,” and though I am not endorsing gambling, I think it apply to all artists. We can't win if we don't show up.
I don’t know about you, but I never need excuses to quit. My head is full of them: “You aren’t talented,” “You are wasting your time,” “You’re not as good as______.”
What I do need are mantras to help me keep going, and a great one is, “Be kind to yourself, be gentle on yourself.”
Great art comes from a combination of vulnerability (which comes from expressing yourself) and lots of failure.
Vulnerability leads to great things for you and your audiences. It leads to truth and connection and makes people less lonely and afraid. That’s what your art does for people. That is one of our tools, and you can use that tool to either build yourself up or tear yourself down. Tearing myself down comes easily to me, but today I want to build myself up by being proud of myself for being vulnerable and expressing myself, which is a hard thing to do.
Today, I am giving myself credit for showing up to the page, and just by forcing myself to do it, I already feel better. I feel less alone and afraid.
Thank you for reading this blog, and don't forget to give yourself credit for showing up. And don't worry about the other 10%.
Finding your voice as an improviser can be confusing.
You may have heard your improv teacher or coach talk about it and not have a clue what they mean.
So what exactly does it mean when your improv teacher tells you to “find your voice” as an improviser?
To me, I think you have found your voice as an improviser when your life experiences meet your craft. That means putting your life experiences into your art.
Your life experiences are your interests. For example, are you into Dungeon and Dragons? Are you married? What jobs did you have growing up? What are your hobbies? What are your passions? etc. All of these things are great things to use in an improv scene.
Your craft is your training — the classes you’ve taken, the shows you’ve been in, the stage time you’ve had in front of an audience. This takes time, and the biggest thing is to accept the failure is a part of the learning curve. I just read a great quote from Yoda from Star Wars: “You know the difference between the master and the beginner? The master has failed more time then the beginner has ever tried.”
While the craft part takes time, you can start working on the life experience part right now by starting to use more of your own life and your own interests into your scene work.
The biggest thing that gets in the way of improvisers sharing their life experience is that they don't think people will be interested in it, and they’re afraid people will think they are weird. But, I say, the weirder you are, the better. If a student does a scene about a subject they are interested in and passionate about, even though it may not be something that I am interested in, guess what? Their passion about it makes me interested in it, too.
Not only do I get exposed to something new, but they are sharing themselves, their authentic selves, with me and with the audience, which is rewarding for everyone.
I get it. Being proud of what you like can be scary. It can seem so much easier to try to fit in with everyone else and do and say things we think others will approve of. But you know what? Being just like everyone else is boring.
Have you been holding back sharing your life experiences in your improv? If so, you can change that right now. If you are into D and D, you can play a dungeon master in your next scene. If you like baking, you could play a chef. If your dad was controlling and distant, play your dad in a scene.
We want to see you and your life experience while your craft catches up, and my guess is you’ll find your voice even quicker.
Want to know how to become a better improviser, or at least have more fun when you’re improvising? Learn how to improvise with love.
Love is the glue. It's the thing that holds a team, a show and even a scene together.
It's why the audience is there, even though they don't know it.
It's simple: When you love what you are doing, when you are enjoying being there, your improv will be effortless and everyone will feed off of the joy that you feel.
Sometimes this is easy when you’re having a good day. But when you’re having a bad day, that’s when you need to try your best to leave everything else at the door and just focus on enjoying doing improv. When you can try to focus on the love you have for improv, doing a show will actually help your mental health and you’ll feel better afterwards.
We are in a selfless art form. We’re supposed to "make your partner look good," say "Yes and...,” and avoid judging yourself and others.
That’s not always easy to do. But when you’re playing with joy, you will lose your self-consciousness and be able to give to others freely.
Playing with joy puts us in an altered state. It suspends everything, in including time and space (have you ever been having so much fun you forget how long you’ve been doing something?) We are in "the flow," we are "in the zone" — which really means we’re in the moment. And in that moment lies the love.
Our job is to collect as many of those moments on stage as possible.
When you can play with love, you won’t give a shit about being perfect. You won’t be so hard on yourself after the show.
Love does not compete.
Love does not count laughs.
Love makes a bad show good and a good show great.
Being able to play with love is the holy grail in improv, and it’s what has been missing from my performing for years. I always end up turning improv into work, like I a unpaid internship in coal mine.
But lately I’ve been working my ass off in my regular Jimmy and Johnnie show and my stand-up performances to try to enjoy them more, and when I perform with more joy in my heart, it keeps me out of my head, which is the last place anyone wants to be when he or she is on stage.
Here’s hoping I can continue to bring more love to everything I do.
My approach to improv keeps changing. That’s a good thing.
When I was younger, I wanted to try to do improv “right.” I wanted to follow all of the rules that my teachers taught me, and when I became the teacher, I wanted my students to “get it” as well.
But today, I realize that that there are no hard and fast rules in improv, and that trying to play by them, especially to please the teacher who is teaching them to you, can hurt you more than it can help you.
The more I teach, the more I realize that the directions I give before a game, exercise or a long form are a jumping off point and not a rule. There is no right and wrong.
Today, I try to stress that improv is about getting improvisers to trust their impulses, even if that means overriding a direction I just gave.
A good example of this is before I have my students improvise a long form, I may say, “This time, I don't want any walk-ons.” Sure enough, we will get plenty of walk-ons, and usually some strong ones.
Afterwards some of my students will say, “I felt like doing a walk on, but I thought you said we couldn't do them."
They are 100% right, but my direction did not serve them in the moment they were up there, so it’s up to them to override me and trust their instincts.
I get it. I’ve been there as a student, too when I wanted to do it right. I wanted the approval of the teacher. I wanted to avoid making a mistake. Blah, blah, blah. I am not saying don't listen to your teacher; I am saying when the exercise or scene starts, you need to give yourself the freedom to rely on your instincts, because that’s where the learning lies.
Too many of us have gone through grade school, high school and college so focused on getting good grades that we missed the point that we were just supposed to be there to learn things. Learning is always more important than doing something right, and in improv, that means following the rules should never be more important than being creative.
Want to study with Jimmy Carrane? Don't miss his next Long Form Tune-Up on Oct. 14 or Improv for Actors on Nov. 11!
Most actors think they can't improvise. They are scared. They think can only act if they have a script in their hand. This is a lie. I have taught improv for over 30 years and some of the best improvisers are actors.
What an actor brings to improv is the ability to play something straight. They aren't wired to get the laugh, which means they are comfortable in playing the reality of the scene. In terms of the emotional commitment to the work, nobody is better than an actor.
If only actors realized that their acting experience can be a shortcut to learning to improvise.
Plus, learning improv can make your acting better, too.
What an actor gains from improvising is a sense of playfulness that can be crucial in types of role you will get cast in. Playfulness gives an actor flexibility when working with a script, confidence to make stronger choices, and sense of fun, which is important even you are doing so-called serious roles.
But the number one thing that improv can help an actor with is taking direction. And sometimes that can make the difference between getting the part and getting sent home.
True story… years ago I auditioned for NBC's medical drama, “ER.” The part was for Manny, a used car salesman. Like most of us, I rehearsed in the front of the mirror, as curt and a bit annoyed. When I got to the audition, I asked the director if there was anything I should know. He said: "This guy loves his job." I did not get that from the script, and I am sure the other actors who just auditioned didn't either. This was a gift. In a split second I made the adjustment, throwing out my version with a new friendlier one. I simply improvised with the script. And guess what? I got the part, because I could think on my feet, which was because of my improv training.
In fact, most of my TV and film credits have not been comedic. They have been more serious roles, and I can tell you I got those parts because of my improv training. Even when I am so supposed to scared out of my mind or frustrated, underneath there is a sense of playfulness and fun. That is from my improv training.
I have gone to many auditions with really accomplished actors who often leave the room after a bad audition, lamenting that they need to take an improv class, but they never do. Who knows how many parts they have lost out on because of it? And here's the thing: You don't have to go through a two-year program to learn how to improvise. Unless you are loving it, you can usually take a handful of improv classes to get what you need.
When I started in improv, if someone would have said I would make life-long friends in improv, I wouldn’t have cared. I wasn't interested. I was too busy trying to "make it." Relationships were a distraction.
I was not a good friend back then, but hopefully I am getting better.
Last week, I heard there was going to be barbecue at a celebrity charity event in Evanston, and some my old friends from improv were going to be flying in from LA for it. It was only going to be three blocks from my house and I wanted go, and I probably could have gotten myself invited if I had asked someone, but I felt too intimidated to ask anyone for an invite. Who would want to see me? Don’t you know I am a horrible person?
The night before the event, I improvised with Dee Ryan in our monthly Jimmy and Johnnie show. Before the show, we talked about the barbecue and she said she was going. I told her my fears. The next morning, she texted me with instructions on how to get in to the barbecue.
Even though this was sign that I was welcome, I was convinced I was going to be kicked out. Would people ask me a million questions about how I got in? Would people even remember who I was?
You know what happened? None of that. Damn, my head lied to me again.
People were genuinely excited to see me and even people I didn’t know that well knew my name. I was shocked in a good way. I had great conversations with lots of people and caught up with people I had not seen in years.
We didn’t talk about our careers; we talked about life. And, yes, we did some bits (we are improvisers after all). It went so well that I actually didn’t feel like ruining it by going home and comparing myself to their IMDB page.
Instead of feeling jealous or less than, I felt the love and the gratitude that I was lucky enough to be part of such a great community of improvisers at a time in Chicago that was the golden age of improv — the ’90s. A lot of people made it, and others stayed in Chicago and taught improv. That last part is me.
I did not appreciate the people when I started out, and I wonder how things would have been different if had I. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
As performers, we want the audience to love us, forgetting that real love sometimes comes from the people we work with, who sometimes becomes our friends — our friends for life. It just took me 35 years to figure it out.
It doesn't matter if you are an improviser, a stand-up, an actor or a writer -- we all are looking to be more creative. And if you are looking to be more creative one of the best things you can do is find a way to collaborate with others.
Thank God I have been brainwashed by improv, which I have been teaching and performing for the last 30 years. Everything I learned about creativity I stole from improv, and because of it, my brain is wired to collaborate when the opportunity arises. And you know what? When I work with others, I always get better results and it's a lot more fun.
That's my number one tip for being creative, but it's not the only thing you can do. So here are five things that can help you become more creative:
1. ABC: Always Be Collaborating
Even if you are working on something that will ultimately be performed by only one person, it’s still important to collaborate with others to get the best results. I don't care if you are working on a one-person show, writing a memoir, or writing a sketch, nothing will speed up the creative process faster than getting input from other people you respect and trust.
I think a lot of creatives can be overprotected of their work be afraid to take feedback, because it feels like criticism. But it’s not – it’s collaborating. That’s how I approach all my creative projects. Whenever I start something, I think, “How can collaborate with someone on this?” When I do stand-up, I have a coach who helps me with my material. When I write this blog, my wife, Lauren, edits it and gives me suggestions. When I do a one-person show, I get a director. When I have a TV or film audition, I work with a on-camera coach. It's all a form of collaboration, and thanks to my years of improvising, I cannot think a better way to do it.
2. You have to fail more than you succeed
One thing I have learned doing improv is that when you’re doing something creative, you fail far more then you succeed. That's how it works.
You don't have to like failing, you just have to accept that it’s part of the process. When you can do this, you will start to look at failing as way to get closer to succeeding.
When I’ve done stand-up, I’ve done gigs where I have driven for three hours just to end up bombing miserably. I don't know any stand-up who hasn't. It's a right of passage.
I’ve heard both improvisers and stand-ups say you learn more when you bomb than when you kill. Today, when I fail on stage, (as I still do and will continue to do), I am kinder and gentler with myself than I was in the past, and I remind myself that it’s just part of the process and I am getting better.
3. Take the Pressure Off
Pressure comes in many forms: It could be a self-imposed deadline, it could be trying to be the funniest one in a show on any given night, it could be because you want to please your parents who are in the audience. But nothing kills creativity faster than putting pressure on yourself.
When I am performing, I am at my best when I am relaxed. That’s probably why I’m my funniest when I’m hanging out with my friends instead of on stage.
I love what comedy legend Bill Murray says: “The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything: The better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with your enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself.”
3. Compare and Despair
After about seven years doing improv, a lot of people I started out started to become famous. When I compared myself to them the fun stopped.
Comparing yourself to other people is the meanest thing you can do to yourself. It's a subtle form of beating yourself up without leaving any finger prints. Nothing will poison your creative juices faster than comparing yourself to others.
If writing makes your soul sing, write. If singing makes your soul sing, sing. Don't compare yourself to Stephen King or Taylor Swift. Your soul doesn't give a shit that you’re not a New York Times best selling author or on the Billboard Top Ten. All that it cares it that you are doing it.
4. Love the F#@king Process.
If you don't love the creative process, you will not survive in a creative art form. Every project I do, I have an expectation that this project is the one will make me rich and famous – which is a bad idea. As you can figure out, it hasn’t happened yet. Yes, it’s good to goals and a vision for your career. But remember that you do not have control over the results. The opposite of this is loving the process. If you want to really let yourself be as creative as possible, stop worrying about the results. Just fall in love with the process, and have fun making whatever you are making. It works every time.
5. Talent is overrated
I hate hearing stories about someone who became an overnight success or about a person was discovered by an agent by just waiting tables and now they are a star in this summer's blockbuster movie. I don't find that inspiring; it’s discouraging.
Yes, it makes a good story in People magazine, but it's not true 99% of the time. It's a myth that does more harm than good.
I am inspired by the people I knew starting out in improv whom I thought weren't very talented but who ended up being really successful, because I feel if they could do it, so can I. That is called hope, and if you are a creative person, it’s something you can never have enough of.
How many times have you wanted to give an improviser a compliment, but, out of fear, you didn't?
Or have you ever been performing and one of your teammates has been glued to the backline for the entire show and you were afraid to pull them out?
Or you’ve had a thought in your head to say thank you to a coach or a teacher who gave you advice that really turned things around for you, but you never have quite gotten around to thanking them?
I have been guilty of all these things. I am not perfect, as you know.
Kindness takes courage. For some reason, and I don’t know why, it feels hard to make yourself vulnerable enough to be kind to someone else.
In improv, we think it’s supposed to be easy to be kind to others and it’s to happen automatically, because we are there to “make our partner look good” and be supportive of one another. But sometimes it doesn’t happen.
Improv can be competitive, and in comedy, sometimes being funny is valued over being kind.
But recently, I took a risk to be kind that felt really good. I was taking Betsy to school last week and it was her principal's birthday. She’s very attentive to the kids. She remembers every kids’ name and keeps tracks if they have been out. I wanted to give her principal a box of candy for her birthday, which we had already bought. I put it in a gift bag and I asked Betsy if she wanted to sign the gift tag. She said she didn't want to give it to her, because no one else in her class was going to get her a present.
I said, “You know, Besty, sometimes it takes courage to be kind." I don't know how that came to me. That’s one of those things that happens by accident when you trying to sound like a "good parent."
But it’s true. I had never thought of it that way before. But really, being kind does take courage, especially in today's world.
Giving someone a complement or saying thank you seems so simple, and if I’ve had a bad show myself or a bad day, it the last thing I want to do.
Yes, it can be scary and awkward to be nice to someone else, and sometimes I don't even like the response I get back, but 98% of the time, when I am kind to someone else, I feel better.
So I took the box of candy to school, even though Besty did not want her name on the card. But when I dropped Betsy off at the back door of the school, the principal was standing there. She greeted Betsy by her official school name (“Elizabeth”), and was glad to see her back since she had been out sick for few a days.
I handed the principal the box of candy and felt even better than I usually do, since I realized kindness, today more than ever, takes courage, and I was glad on this morning I had enough to do it.
I know that 2023 has just started, but before we jump too far into the new year, I wanted to give you my 5 favorite things in entertainment, including books, podcasts, shows, stand-up specials and more, from 2022. I hope you find them as entertaining and as inspiring as I did.
Here we go.
My Favorite Book of 2022: (tie) Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon and Comedy, Comedy, Comedy, Drama by Bob Odenkirk
Hello, Molly!
This memoir, written by SNL’s Molly Shannon, hooked me from the first few pages, when she talked about her mother, sister and cousin dying in a car accident with her dad at the wheel when she was only 4 years old. Her story is gripping and brutally honest as she talks about her relationship with her father, as well as her struggle to get cast on Saturday Night Live.
She shares with the reader all the range of emotions she felt being on the show and the reality of show business. She is reflective about her time on SNL as well the tough decision she made to leave the show and that there is more to life than having a successful career.
I highly recommend this compelling story filled with so much heart and humor.
Comedy, Comedy, Comedy Drama
I wrote about this book last year, and it’s worth bringing it up again. In this memoir, Odenkirk looks back at his career in show business, and it’s not only inspiring, it’s downright funny, too. At one point in the book, I actually laughed out loud, and I rarely laugh at anything, let alone something written. What I really liked about this book is that it highlights both his successes and failures, making the subtle point that you have to have a lot more failures than successes to succeed in show business.
Odenkirk talks about creating the iconic SNL sketch with Chris Farley where Farley played the motivational speaker, the hard work that it took to get the cult classic sketch show Mr. Show on TV, and how he originally turned down Better Call Saul.
One of the themes that was prevalent in both books is that making it in show business takes a lot of hard work, perseverance, and being willing to fail and get help from others. A good lesson for all of us.
My Favorite Podcast of 2022: Conan O’Brian needs a friend
Conan has become funnier, wiser and more thoughtful in his old age, and if you haven’t heard his podcast yet, I highly suggest you check it out. The free-wheeling podcast format serves him even better than the confined late night talk shows because he has more room to rif. Plus, his great supporting cast of Matt Gorley and Conan's long-time assistant, Sona Movsesian, aren't afraid to team up on him and call him on his shit.
The interviews are revealing, as he gets some of the biggest names in comedy to share inspiring stories about their career struggles and their creative process.
Favorite Documentary of 2022: Stutz (Netflix)
In this documentary, Jonah Hill interviews his therapist, Phil Stutz, who also co-wrote the book The Tools and is a shrink to the stars. Although it’s shot in black and white and it’s just the two of them talking, I found it riveting. Stutz demonstrates some of his techniques and shares his unconventional philosophies. Stutz is also dealing with Parkinson’s Disease, so we see him willing to be human and vulnerable with Hill. Hill is open about his relationship with his weight and career and explains that his success did not bring him the happiness he thought it would. I found that Stutz’s Tools were very helpful for any of us seeking a bigger life. It's really quite a beautiful piece of work.
Favorite Streaming Show of 2022: The Bear (FX/Hulu)
This one wasn’t even a contest. Hands down, my favorite show of last year was The Bear. This series is definitely binge-worthy. I should know, I speak from experience. It's a Chicago story about a master chef's brother (Jeremy Alan White) who takes over his family’s beef stand after his brother commits suicide. The beef stand is in bad shape when he takes over, so he tries to make changes and is met with resistance from the skeptical staff and his hot-headed, alpha-male cousin, perfectly played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
This feels like an ensemble and the other actors are perfectly cast and totally believable.
The way the food is shot and how they capture the frenetic pace of the restaurant is a work of art, not to mention the acting, writing and directing. It’s really a perfect show that captures a slice of the city that feels familiar and authentic, and along with the music and images of Chicago, it plays like a valentine to the Windy City.
Favorite Stand-Up Special: Blocks (Netflix)
Neal Brennan is probably best known for being the co-creator of the Dave Chappell Show, but in this stand-up special, he really establishes himself as an innovative comedian.
He first came to my attention with his first special, Three Mikes, which I thought was quite good.
And what I liked about this special is it does a great job of mixing both observational and personal comedy. When it's over, you feel you got to know his struggles in life. In traditional stand-up specials, the comedian typically ends on the funniest bit. But in this one, that was not the case. Instead, he went for more pathos, which I thought was brave and fulfilling, plus there was plenty of hard laughs along the way.