Comedy - Back At It!

I am heading back out on tour with the Upstanding Comedy - The Circuit shows!

This time we make 6 stops.  May 30-Belleville, May 31-Barrie, June 1-Sarnia, June 2-Chatham. June 3-Guelph and June 4-Brantford.

The full schedule is here.

Why should you come to a comedy show?  Specifically, a CLEAN comedy show run by a Christian?

Well now, have you ever been so worried and bothered about something that it seemed like nothing could bring you out of a funk?  Has life been so dark that you wondered what it was all about?  In those moment, was there someone who did something goofy and you cracked a smile, and all of a sudden the world did not seem so bleak?

This is the role of the comic.  To bring levity to a whacked out crazy world.

Comedians make you look at a situation differently.  They see the funny side whereas you may only see the dark side.  They are people who have walked through life the same as you and know it's all going to be OK.

Do you need that in your life?  Do you know someone who does?  This is why comedy exists.

Hey it's just a great time to!

See you on the tour!

Creations and Relations

There are two things I have been thinking about a lot lately:

1.  Relationships

2.  Creativity

I am in a constant "daily meditation" on both of these, but I think I'll share the creative side this week.

I came across this chart on Facebook the other day and it really resonated with me.

Being in morning radio, I guess you could call me a "creative".  

There is an aspect of the job that requires certain things to be done like weather, news, announcements and liners.  Those things are vital information that we need to get out.  We do these things and filter them through our personal lens in a limited way.

Then there are other aspects of the job that allow you to let your personality shine through even more than that.

These are what we call "bits".  Bits are talk breaks between the music where we chat about a certain topic, a funny event, something in the news or something spiritual.  They last a whopping one minute and thirty seconds!  Within that time frame we have to engage you, the listener, make our point and move on to the next thing.

We get many ideas for bits during the day.  We have to filter them and pick the ones we think will be the best on the air during a morning radio show.  We want to be encouraging, relevant, relate-able and real.

Sounds easy right?  Try it.  Maybe you are a natural.  Great!  I have to work a little harder.

Creative ideas are interesting, and this is why I found the chart so fascinating!  It's so true!

Stage #1 - This is awesome!

This happens to me very often.  I get a thought or concept and get very excited about it!  It seems like the greatest thing ever!  You can hardly believe that this idea came to YOU!  It's revolutionary, it's hilarious or it's intensely thought provoking.

Then you share it with someone...

Stage #2 - This is tricky.

The idea you fell in love with now seems like the most complicated thing to do since the 12 sided Rubik's Cube.  What happened to just doing something?  Why does there have to be so many moving parts?  Why do so many people have to be involved?  Why does everyone have to share their opinion on your brilliant plan?  Why did I even bring it up in this staff meeting?

Stage #3 - This is crap!

I wonder if Steve Jobs ever thought the iPhone was a crappy idea.  I wonder if Thomas Edison was discouraged by the opinions of others.  If he was we would all still be using whale oil in our lamps!

I have been here many times.  This is the stage where you actually hate the thing you thought of.  It seems that you were temporarily insane when you spoke up about your plan.  What was I thinking?  You feel like apologizing to the world and hiding in a cardboard box under the stairs in the basement.

Stage #3 - I am crap.

Be careful here!  This is where you can begin to rationalize.  You think "The reason I have no good ideas is because I myself am no good.  I am worthless to my family and my company.  I am the problem."  As Christian people, we are NOT immune to this!  I was once so discouraged that I asked God to remove me from the earth!  Crazy!  If this is you right now...STOP!  There are over seven billion people on the earth, we all have something to contribute.  God made us all with love and care.  You need to forget about those feelings RIGHT NOW and get ready to move to the next stage...

Stage #4 - This might be OK!

At what point do you allow your idea or concept to be shaped by others?  When do you begin to see that the opinions you heard were valuable feedback?  At some point you have to boil it down to the basics.  For us in radio, we have to do this ALL the time.  We have to ask ourselves "What is the point of what I am saying?".  When we do that, we discover that a bit or interview is all about "encouraging someone through a hard time" or "parenting is tough but rewarding".  Now the picture is becoming clearer!  Now you see rays of hope shining through the darkness of uncertainty!  Here we go, get ready for...

Stage #5 - This is awesome!

Aha!  Now it all makes sense!  Something vague is now something with a sharp focus!  It's connecting in a new way.  You can see the big picture.  There is hope!  It was there all along!  It's fun to share your idea because now it's not just yours...it belongs to everyone!  The phone rings in the studio and someone says "What you guys were talking about REALLY helped me!" or "That guest you had on had a similar story to mine and now I know I am not alone!".  The reward of knowing that those connections are being made is priceless.  We also know it happens whether we hear about it or not.  

YES!  You can't wait to do it all over again tomorrow!

Just be ready....

NEXT WEEK:  Relationships! (Oh my!)