Profession: Business Consultant. Specifically I help creatives reach their business goals in a way that makes sense for them.
Purpose: What drives you? What gets you going? Everything! Bioluminescent plankton, friendship, the secret language of trees and the fact that giraffes know it, human progress— life is GD miracle!
What role do the performing arts and art in general have in your life? I guess it’s my whole life. If I’m not working on my own creative endeavors, I’m helping other creatives work on theirs. I personally write, make visual art, play music (though not so much lately), do graphic design, and perform comedy.
How long have you been a comedienne (do you prefer comedian?)? I definitely prefer comedian, because comedienne is a pointlessly gendered word. I tried comedy in my late teens and early 20’s, but my very insecure and fragile ego could not handle it. Then when I turned 37 I decided to give it a shot in earnest.
How do you work on your craft? Do you work daily? Do you wait for inspiration to strike? Do you work at home? In a studio? Has your working style changed over the years? When I bought my home I finally had a space to create my own studio, and I had all these romantic notions of wearing kimono robes and drinking coffee up there while observing the subtle changes of the light and being wildly inspired to create. But the truth is, I work wherever, and my “studio” currently houses all my weird stuff (I’m a maximalist! A collector!) and serves as a playground for my cats. Currently, I’m in bed still (it’s noon) drinking coffee and working on a drawing. I’m kind of an all or nothing person, I’m either working obsessively or doing nothing. The thing that has most changed for me over the years is learning that deadlines don’t care about inspiration, so you just have to push through.
What do you love about being a comedian? I’ve never done anything else that makes me both love and hate myself in equal measure with such ferocity. The best thing about performing comedy is connection. When you are able to connect with the audience and share that experience together, man, there’s nothing like it. Obviously, the pandemic changed comedy. So it’s been weird shifting to virtual platforms. I spent the first half of the year doing nothing, I was resistant because it felt like virtual shows lacked that connection. But now I perform improv virtually with a great indie group, Short Jorts (shameless plug, check us out on socials), and I’m on the comedy podcast, Wingin It (available wherever you listen to podcasts, winky face emoji). And I’m performing with comedians from all over the world to audiences from all over, meeting people I never would have otherwise. How cool is that?! The connection is still there, I just had to reframe my definition of it.
What do you feel you are expressing through your work? Good question, haha! In comedy I mostly just talk about my experiences, and I hope that by sharing my point of view I can make us laugh at ourselves and maybe relate in a way that makes us feel less alone and more connected.
Who/What inspires you? I’ve recently been reading about the Vikings, and boy! It changed my perspective on current times. 2020-2021 doesn’t seem so bad comparatively! I’m sort of kidding, but really, human progress, the ability to endure, that’s been pretty inspirational to me lately.
Favorites:
Favorite Book: Amanda! You might as well ask me what my favorite sunset is! I love to read. I generally read a book per week. One of my all time favorite authors is Richard Brautigan.
Favorite Destination: Any place I get to be for the first time.
What gets you through the day: Real talk? My husband Dan. He’s my best friend and supports all my crazy ideas relentlessly. Without him I wouldn’t do all the things that I do.
Favorite musical artist: Amanda, I’m going to ask you who your favorite child is! I’ve been listening to a lot of Yé-Yé lately.
Favorite song(s): This time of year it’s nice to end the day with Sarah Vaughn’s ‘Round Midnight
Favorite Quote: “I’m serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer.” -Snap, Rhythm Is A Dancer
Morning and/or Evening Ritual: My evening ritual is passing out on the sofa watching Law & Order after eating too many Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Favorite Movie &/Or Netflix Series: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, but also Showgirls.
Impactful Childhood Memory: When I was four I snuck out of the house by myself and joined the choir at the church across the street. We weren’t members. I guess I just wanted to sing. Also, why did they let a four-year-old sign up for anything without a parent?! That’s the 80’s for you, I guess.
What do you, in the words of Oprah, “Know for sure:” That nothing is real and everything is possible.