Hey everyone, Flobo here.
I’m a polymath. A multi-hyphenate. I do a lot because I like a lot of things. To me however, all roads go back to comedy. Comedy is the dream and the goal. About three years ago, I started standup comedy for the first time. It changed my life.
I’ve had lots of ups, but the beginning of this year, I had an extended down period. Nothing happened specifically, but the bookings dried up. I was less motivated to write new materials. When I did get stage time, I kind of threw up the old material and hacked and slashed my way through my sets. People were laughing but I wasn’t feelin’ it you know?
After an episode where I had a creative nadir in Dallas, Texas I thought I was basically done. Not done in the “being done with comedy” sense as much as the “Flobito is going to be nothing more than a hobby comic” kind of done. You know, the guy who talks about “trying comedy at one point in life” and doesn’t do it because “life gets in the way.”
It started a bad cycle. I had no time to write or think about comedy and I couldn’t get bookings. Because I didn’t get bookings , I had no fire to write and think about comedy. By March 2017 I was wholly out of the game.
But something happened.
There’s a monthly show I run in Burbank, and we had a show coming up in June. I booked myself an extended set. Calling it (and taking cues from Elvis’ ’68 special,) my “comeback”, I grouped up my friends. The buzz got me two other bookings around town. I did my set, and due to a technical glitch when prevented me from getting a copy of my performance, I got the opportunity to perform my set in front a whole new group of people. Slowly but surely, I was back. Less pyrotechnics and confetti, more flickery neon sign in a sketchy part of town kind of back.
You know, nadirs are an important part of the process and I was surprised when one happened to me. Though now, I’m glad it kind of rolled up when it did. Comedy truly is the truth. Sort of like a three alarm fire to a fireman or the ocean to a sea captain, you can get a “handle” on nature in some instances but you can never underestimate it. I needed a nudge that told me that my jokes weren’t there (or at least, not as good as my implied “talent” level). I didn’t get booed out of a club, but when I couldn’t get an open mic in downtown Dallas, the message came in loud in clear.
Listen to the signs all around you. If you’re a creative, the signs can be incredibly subtle.
Flobo Boyce 