What If Your Comedy is Meant For Future Generations?

"Maybe God made me a painter for people who aren't born yet." 
~ Vincent van Gogh "At Eternity's Gate"

Too often the laborious task of creating art can become emotionally, psychologically, and financially draining. We drive from gig to gig, mic to mic, place to place, all in hopes of getting our big break or maintaining the breaks we've earned. Yet most of us never seem to enjoy the fruits of our labor the way we hoped. Yet, what if your art isn't all meant for the current audiences you perform in front of, but something for future generations? What if you doing stand up comedy or the eventual things you'll create are meant to inspire people you'll never meet or ever know in anyway? Once you see your art and your career through the eyes of eternity, you might find more strength and desire to pull forward than if you're looking for the instant success you might have wanted when first starting. And that can be the most comforting thought of all. 

Time is Circular - Not Linear 
So much of the western world is about getting ahead. We want to reach the highest heights. Sometimes its internal, in that we truly strive to be the best at something. Rudyard Kipling wrote about this idea in the poem IF: "And so hold on when there is nothing in you/ Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’"

Not everyone wants this beyond the dream of it. Most people want to be a millionaire. Yet most of those people don't want to put in the hours it takes. Desire cannot be confused with effort or determination. Desire fuels determination, it doesn't replace it. 

If you find yourself wanting something more than you're willing to put in the work, then you have a "desire outweighing your commitment to excellence" problem. 

The reason I bring this up is because people think A has to happen before B, and that's not true. You don't HAVE to get a million followers and then you'll be successful. The idea that A has to happen first implies that A is a noble and/or attainable goal to begin with.

Let's say you need 100,000 followers to get to a level of success, but you never get past 10,000. Well, then you might as well quit. But what if I told you out of the 10,000 followers you have, one is a national touring headliner who wants to bring onto his next gig, and then you meet someone...and see where I'm going with this? 

You have to stop thinking you are running out of time. It's not about time. Time is an abstract idea. You have to think in terms of unlimited opportunities. You can get one gig, then another gig, and maybe you'll meet the right booker or comic or even audience member who can set you up. Stop worrying that you're running out of time - you still have an endless amount of opportunities.     

Time is a liar. Time tells you you are too young, too old, etc. You have to look at your success as something that can happen, will happen, already happened. A sort of of Zen comedy philosophy must take over your psyche before you can truly enjoy the journey or see how your journey is helping others. 

I've Seen My Own Fingerprints On Timelines I Didn't Expect
When van Gogh questioned if his art was meant for future generations, I felt that in my bones concerning my time as a coach. I coached wrestling between 1999 to 2016 and now I'm seeing my athletes coaching their kids. And their kids are way better than they were. Because of the conversations I would have with my wrestlers, they took that life advice and ran with it.

Now my wrestlers from 20 years ago (2007 graduates) are coaching their kids, building off the skills and philosophies I taught them while they were hard headed teenagers. Seeing them coach at such a high level inspires me, and watching their kids get national rankings is a wonderful feeling, knowing I started that journey with their pops two decades ago. 

The truth is, you don't know how much you are influencing someone. And while you might not feel like your career is where it should be, you don't realize the people you're influencing. From family members now willing to try a new thing from a stranger in the crowd who saw you and now started writing their own sketch. 

If I told you your influence would be discovered by strangers but undiscovered by you, would you really want to stop?  

Being "Ahead of Your Time" Puts You in Great Company
There are many artists who were "ahead of their time" we cherish today. Andy Kauffman was a misunderstood comic who trolled his audiences and created experiences more than steps and punchlines. Now people like Sacha Baron Cohen has made a career based on the same comedic sensibilities Kauffman was criticized for. Today, many comics credit Kauffman for being the type of comic (brave and fearless) they want to be. While his style hasn't been the most copied, that spirit has become the template for which standups aspire to copy. 

The film The Big Lebowski was a flop back in 1998. Coming off their Oscar winning Fargo, the Coen Brothers went back to their "idiot" film themes (Raising Arizona) and found little fanfare. Today, the film has become a cultural milestone inspiring a religion, a festival, and midnight screenings all over the country. Endlessly quotable, the film is considered a cult classic now, cementing both Jeff Bridges and John Goodman's national treasure status. 

Vincent van Gogh was a painter in the late 1800's who died broke, in a mental institution, wondering what his life was meant for. Today his paintings sell for millions, and his artwork has been merchandised by many on shirts, canvases, and jewelry. While he didn't see the impact of his work in his life, his fingerprints are all over the world today. The film "At Eternity's Gate" explores the madness of knowing you're doing something that may not be appreciated until generations later. 
Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick. The urban legend goes he died so broke his family couldn't afford the final "e" on his tombstone. A man who wrote the most epic of man v. nature novels found little success in his life and now every kid in high school know his name. They might resent it, but that's a different story. 

Final Thoughts
You don't know how your comedy or bits will affect future generations. With YouTube, TikTok, and podcasts, there might be a person not even born who discovers you years from now and your old clip keeps them going.  

Back in 2015 I went to see Jim Gaffigan and his opener Ted Alexandro talked on stage about being a school teacher who did stand up comedy. At the time I was a teacher, and it was that piece of information that inspired me to start this crazy journey. Ted has no idea who I am, but his story inspired me, and then I have had the privilege of mentoring thousands of comics over the years. In a weird way, Ted is a part of your journey too if I ever taught or booked you. 

​Life is a complex collection of experiences that tie together through the different fabrics of interconnecting lives. Don't ever think your journey is less significant than someone more "successful" than you. Because maybe your comedy was made for future generations you've never met. And that is a comforting thought.