As you know, jealousy and self-defeating attitudes are something that has plagued me for my entire improv career. For years, whenever someone else got something I wanted, I judged them for it, and whenever a new opportunity presented itself to me, I would immediately assume that I wasn't good enough to get it. Oy. Courtney […]
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Mike Birbiglia is the writer, director and star of his latest independent film, "Don't Think Twice," about a popular New York improv group where one of the members gets his big break. Jimmy talks to Mike about some of the themes in his film, like jealousy, self-sabotage and fame. Mike discusses falling in love with […]
As artists, improvisers and human beings we all get jealous, some of us worse than others. Saying you never get jealous is like saying you never get angry or you never get sad or afraid. It's part of the human condition. With jealousy, the only thing we can hope for is that the duration doesn't […]
Accepting other people's success is not easy. Sooner or later it will happen to all of us: One of our friends will get ahead while we are left behind. It’s always hardest with the people we are closest to. You may start out in improv classes with people, and some of them will end up […]
Last week, I outlined the first five points of my ten-point plan for getting ahead in improv. Read last week’s blog here. This week, I’m back with more of my favorite pieces of wisdom. I hope this helps you, and if you have any questions for me, please email me at jimcarrane@gmail.com. 6. Everyone says […]
Do You Have to Be The Funniest ON YOUR TEAM? I have recently discovered a flaw of mine that is impacting my improvising -- and not in a good way. Since I started improvising, I have always strived to be "the best improviser." You might think that would be a good thing, but in fact, […]
3 Tips for Letting Go of Jealousy Jealousy exists, especially among improvisers and actors, though no one really wants to talk about it. It's part of the human experience, much like anger or sadness. But we think it’s too ugly of an emotion to talk about, something we’re not “supposed” to feel, so instead, we […]