Creative Mondays #047 – Some people won’t like your art.
I have something to tell you and I’m not sure how you are going to take it. You may want to sit down. No, forget that, you don’t have to sit down. Why? Because it is an ugly truth that just about everybody on the planet knows. It is simply:
People are going to not like what you create.
Now, of course, I’m not talking about everyone on the planet. I’m talking about some people. Some people are going to see what you create and just simply, not like it. And, that’s okay.
You know this, but I think it is good to remind yourself about it now and again so that it stays clear in your head.
Some people are not going to like what you create and that is okay. Some of those people are going to be vocal about not liking what you create (in reviews online, in second hand word of mouth, to your face). And that’s okay, you know, as long as they are polite about it.
I worked on the Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd for years. When that show ended and I went on to another project, Did This Happen?, I thought for sure the audience from Dr. Floyd would follow me to that project. A few did but the majority did not.
The, in 2013, when I debuted The Adventures of The Thunder Crester, I thought for sure that that would recapture the Dr. Floyd audience. It did not and, in fact, one longtime Dr. Floyd fan sent me an email telling me that not only did he not thing Thunder Crester was funny, he did not like it at all.
I will tell you right now, that email crushed me, as it would anybody. It sucks bad when people don’t like the things you create, but when have to remember when you put your art out there…some people aren’t going to like your stuff…and that’s okay.
After reading this email trashing Thunder Crester I had to remind myself…I like Thunder Crester. I think it’s really funny. I think the cast is amazing and they work together so perfectly. I also had to remind myself…everyone is entitled to their opinion and just because they don’t like something you created that doesn’t make them wrong or a bad person.
I also put it in perspective, just because someone doesn’t like something and is vocal about it doesn’t mean that what you have created isn’t going to be successful. I haven’t watched a single episode of Seinfeld or Friends. They just weren’t my cup of tea. I don’t think Jerry or Jennifer are losing any sleep over the fact that I don’t like their shows.
Cripes, look at the vitriol that came out against the Twilight books. Did that stop the author? Not at all, she loved it all the way to the bank.
So, from time to time, remind yourself, some people are not going to like the things you create. And that’s okay. You just keep on creating it because at the end of the day if you like it, that is all that matters.
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What are some of the techniques you use to deal with folks who don’t like your stuff? Let me know in the comments below.
Puppet Up! San Francisco Tour Diary – November 16, 2014 – Goodnight San Francisco
Before I talk about what we did today, I wanted to say one more thing about last nights 9 PM show. During that show I did my jamboree song improv. I think this was the best one that I haven’t done yet. It is also probably only about the eighth or ninth time I’ve ever done it.
The song was about a guy who was sitting in the second row named Carl. Carl is a theater director. And I got off the best first verse that I ever have in the history of doing this song.
On the day Carl was born,
His parents were feeling fine,
Cause the first thing he did when he popped out
Was orginize a doctor chorus line.
They did their dance and people loved,
They got a standing ovation
Except for that one nurse who kept asking,
“What’s my motivation?!”
The rest of the song kind of fell apart after that, it wasn’t a total disaster, and the audience love the rest of it. I’m just eager for the day when the whole song will be as good as that first verse.
Now onto the events of today. I slept in a little bit this morning. Then got up and did my usual morning workout. After a shower, I headed out to get some lunch at a barbecue place named Memphis minis on hate Street.I may have found a new favorite barbecue restaurant in San Francisco. This place was fantastic.
After eating my fill of barbecue, I walked back to our place and just relaxed for a little bit.
There’s a couple of cool puppet up fans, Connor and Melissa, who are in town to see the show and I headed over to the theater a little bit before our call to hang out with them.
Tonight’s show was really great. So many fantastic, laugh out loud, moments for both the cast and the audience. We saw the Noir film The Orange Bicycle, the Hot Dogs went to Burning Man, and I rotated back into Alien Barbershop.
I just had surgery,
The bill gave me a scare.
Then I remembered,
It’s free with Obamacare!
Just a fun, fun show and a good show to go out on. I love performing with this group and throwing Brian Henson in the mix only makes things sweeter.
After the show we hiked, literally, to The Tonga Room for a closing night gathering. If you haven’t been to the Tonga Room in San Francisco, go. It’s indescribable and incredibly fun. We had fun just relaxing, unwinding and chatting.
The fantastic Krystle, who ran the box office for most our shows, came along and we chatted most of the night. She’s totally great, even if she thinks I’m a nerd.
After that, it was back to our respective homes via Uber to hit the sack for the trip home. Gonna miss doing shows, hopefully there will be more scheduled in the near future!
Huge thanks to the Puppet Up Crew who had things locked down and ready to go for the cast. Cameron, Ry and Aaron are the tops and we are so lucky to have them on board. Thanks to the local crew at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre as well, Tig, Martine and Greg. Our show is unlike a lot of other shows that come through theaters and this crew was not only at the top of their game, they were super friendly and enjoyed working with us.
Finally, big thanks to the rest of the cast, Colleen, Ted, Michael, Peggy and, of course, Brian Henson. It’s always such fun to be able to work with such talented people and I, honestly, do learn something new about improv and puppetry each time I do this show. And, thanks to Patrick. Our fearless leader. Able to roll with whatever bumps in the road arise and lead us through it with a smile on his face, and a can of Red Bull in his hand.
Unless something unexpected happens, these shows will be my last for the year 2014. And what a year it was. Local shows in Los Angeles, a mini Tour of the US, the amazing Australia run, a Pasadena Playhouse show and this San Francisco run. Thirty eight Puppet Up shows for the year. I couldn’t be luckier. I look forward to the adventures in 2015.
Puppet Up!
Puppet Up! San Francisco Tour Diary – November 15, 2014
It is Saturday! That means we are having two shows today. One at 6 PM and one at 9 PM. So our call to the theater was a little earlier than normal.
But before heading to the theater, I got up early and met Patrick Johnson, our puppet wrangler on this tour, at the Walt Disney Family Museum. As a Disney nut, this is something that I have wanted to see for a while.
The Walt Disney family museum is on the Presidio in San Francisco. And it’s really just a beautiful area to hang out and even if you don’t go into the museum. But we were there to go see the museum, so in we went. Patrick’s wife Carrie is a member of the museum and so we got in for free. Excellent.
The exhibits at the museum or pretty amazing. I was most impressed with the first known sketch of Mickey Mouse, yes, they actually have it there. And this giant model they have of Disneyland. The model was just amazing. I wanted to buy it and take it home with me. Just truly fantastic.
They also had a special exhibit of all the Walt Disney trains. It was cool to see concept art and models of trains that eventually wound up in the park. My favorite part of that, was the concept art for the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. One of the original concepts would have had jungle cruise boats and the Disneyland Railroad coming through the Indiana Jones attraction. It was pretty amazing.
After checking that museum we went over to Industrial Light and Magic and checked out the famous Yoda fountain. Then it was time to head to the theater. We had gotten there a little early so we walked around downtown San Francisco for a bit including a brief stop in Chinatown. But then it was time to get to the theater.
The 6 o’clock show was a lot of fun. And the crowd it was great! There was a lot of wackiness amongst the cast in the show and when those sort of things happen, those shows are always a bunch of fun. I had some family members at the show too so that was cool as well.
After the first show was over, we took a little dinner break, and then it was time for the 9 o’clock show. This show was even wilder than the first. Lots of fun suggestions lots of fun sketches. One of my favorite moments was when I forced Brian Henson to attempt a cart wheel with his hotdog puppet. It was a lot of fun. I felt a little guilty afterwards, but not too much.
This show meant a lot to me, because one of the teachers from my old high school was there. He was an English teacher at my high school even though I never had him for English. We were still great friends. He was the first person to introduce me to Spinal Tap. It was great to have him at the show and then to hang out with him afterwards.
After the shows were over we hung out for a bit at a pub next door to the theater. After a bit of carousing, it was getting late so it was time for me to head home. One more show tomorrow. This trip has flown by so fast. I can’t believe it’s almost done. I am going to savor every moment left.
Creative Mondays #046 – Mundane tasks
When do you get most of your creative ideas?
I’m sure that for you, as like for me, creativity can strike at any moment. Anywhere, anytime. However, for me, I often find that I get a lot of my creative ideas when I’m doing simple, boring, mundane, completely uncreative tasks. Tasks that are so easy that I don’t have to put much brain power towards. Tasks I can do with my left brain tied behind my back. This can include, laundry, cleaning dishes, vacuuming and exercising.
For me, exercising is a big one. I’ll be running, headphones in, listening to music or podcast and then suddenly realize that I haven’t heard the last three songs or last 5 minutes of the podcast because my mind has been working over some new idea. Most times, I’ll have to stop running and quickly start entering the ideas into my iPhone in order to make sure I don’t lose any of them.
The thing about looking for these moments where you can put your ‘thinking’ brain to rest and just use your creative brain is that it can actually make these ‘mundane’ tasks fun. I can, truthfully, look forward to washing the dishes if I know that while I do it I can let my mind wander on some creative thought or another that I’ve been thinking of. You’re working on your art and getting housework done at the same time! Bonus!
Of course there are times where you’ll want to be one hundred percent focused on your art, that’s great. But don’t let these little moment slip away! Often times you’ll come up with some of your best stuff when you mind is wandering.
I want to point out that, yes, I also come up with a lot of ideas while driving. Mostly on long car trips when the road is stretched out before me. BE CAREFUL! Keep your eyes on the road! You can’t create if you’ve been cracked up in a car wreck!
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When do you find you come up with most of your creative ideas? Let me know in the comments below.