We get in a rut where we feel like things have to be done a certain way. We learn the so-called best practices of our craft, whatever craft it may be, and we internalize the idea that this is the only way success can happen.
They don’t, and it’s not!
In love, war, and entertainment, there are no rules. You can try anything. The only goal in entertainment is finding an audience. Have you thought sufficiently outside the box to find a good one?
When The Onion was becoming a household name, the online world was awash in Onion copycats. Satirists John Hodgman, Simon Rich, and David Rees each built careers doing something different. They found their own voice. Hodgman wrote a book pretending to be a learned expert on everything from hobos to antihumor. Simon Rich wrote funny short essays. David Rees pretended to be an expert pencil sharpener.
In a town awash with stand-up comedians, LA performer Lizzie Cooperman branded herself a performance artist to distinguish her comedy.
During the stand-up boom of the 70s and 80s, Charlie Barnett avoided the clubs and performed outside at places like Washington Square Park, drawing huge crowds and eventually being invited to perform on Def Comedy Jam and getting cast on Miami Vice, D.C. Cab, and even SNL.
Ryan Creamer wanted to make sketches online but couldn’t get traction on YouTube, so he uploaded his sketches to PornHub. They went viral.
Are you on a path you think you’re supposed to be on to get where you want to go? It’s negotiable. How desperate are you? How hungry are you? How willing are you to subvert expectations?
Try something. At the very least, you’ll learn something.
I need to post more on Pornhub. I’ve been slacking off.
I've been posting my sketches on Pet Finder without much luck. but my cat loves them.