In his groundbreaking book, Outliers, Malcom Gladwell popularized the theory of the 10,000 hours, the well-researched idea that practicing something for 10,000 hours (roughly 10 years of obsessive focus) will make you a master.
Does that mean you can seal yourself in a cave and write, draw, or play the bassoon and come out a master?
Not exactly. There’s an additional component needed to go with the “deliberate focus” Gladwell talks about.
Anders Ericsson, the psychology professor who co-authored the original study Gladwell sites, explains that you also need to have a good teacher.
Gladwell uses the Beatles as an example, but they’re widely known to be self-taught, so what is Ericsson talking about?
When it comes to entertainment, a teacher isn’t necessarily a teacher. It’s an audience. A creator has to get in front of audiences and test material to learn what works.
After 10,000 hours that included countless performances in small venues, the Beatles learned what audiences want, and they became masters.
Bill Burr didn’t have a comedy teacher, but after performing stand-up in front of paying audiences almost every day for 10 years, he learned what makes people laugh, and he became a master.
Put yourself out there obsessively. Get your work in front of real audiences every chance you get. Listen to their unvarnished feedback. Learn and improve.
If you don’t let the audience teach you, your 10,000 hours don’t count.
I agree stage time is King although where I am it is hard to get...In Ireland there are a lot of standups for a relatively small number of spots.
I have found recording my rehersal sets and watching back has been a useful second best. I used to do this every day. It's something I should get back to particularly as I have a brand new baby who is determined to end my comedy career.
I try to learn from my audience, as small as it is at the moment.