thicker skin
The other nite at Nationals Park, I had a reporter ask my opinion on what the hardest or worst (I can't remember exactly how she phrased the question) thing about comedy was. And my answer was that for me the hardest thing and the best, most awesome thing about comedy are one in the same.
Having to define and prove yourself on a nightly, shit, a minute-by-minute basis is not an easy thing to do. But it's also what keeps you on your toes, working hard to get better, write better stuff… The 10:00 crowd doesn't give a damn if you crushed at 8:00. If I can quote my favorite Miss Jackson, it's a very "what have you done for me lately" kind of thing. But its also awesome that you start with a clean slate every show. I mean in what other kind of job does it not matter at all what you did just an hour before? "Oh so you lost a 5 million-dollar account? OK, well go have a few drinks and lets give it a go again when you get back."
Doesn't happen.
What I didn't talk to her about is something I've had to deal with more and more recently… and that's folks who go out of their way to say mean things in print or on the Web. It's funny, I've always enjoyed reading celebrity entertainment blogs. But until you've had some really evil shit said about you by people you've never met and probably will never meet, you can't really understand the impact that those blogs can have on the folks they're ribbing. By no means do I mean to suggest that I'm anywhere close to being in the same league as some of the celebs that are talked about ad nauseum on those sites, but even way down here on the Z-list, there are folks who go to extraordinary lengths to say hurtful shit.
I've never been an outwardly emotional person, but I think the people in my life that know me well, know that I am affected a lot by those things. The more and more these incidents happen, the easier it becomes to deal with it. But there have been times when I've been brought to tears by something an anonymous poster wrote on a blog or a message board or a Youtube page.
Comedy, or maybe I should say the entertainment industry as a whole, has helped me to thicken my skin. Learning to hear and accept "No." or "You're not ____ enough." or "You're too ____" and not take it as a personal insult or an attack on your character can be tough. But I'm thankful for the lesson.
My friends are quick to call these writers and posters 'haters' and while I think that's true (You see me… Hi hater), they're also motivators. Sometimes when the comment won't allow me to just ignore it, instead of responding with what my sarcastic comedic instincts beg me to write, I just post a simple "God bless you too." or "Thanks so much for sharing your opinion."
Katt Williams said it best I think:
August 16, 2008 motivationcelebrity blogs, haters, thicker skin View all 2 comments