Wow. Okay. So that's out there. On the record.
This claim, of course, will require me to explain myself. Which is good. I'm excited to, really. But I've been putting off this post for a long time. Let's clear this hurdle, and then we'll go to work, trying to figure out all the details.
But for now, here's what's up:
I started a new art form. I've been working on it for a little over two years now. In the last month or so, for the first time, I feel comfortable giving it a name.
It's called "Stand-up Philosophy."
It's still a very new and fluid thing, of course. But for anyone interested, these are the core concepts of the art form:
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The Rules of Stand-up Philosophy
1. The goal is not laughs. The goal is growth.
2. Everything that has ever happened before your set - does not matter.
3. Everything that will ever happen after your set - does not matter.
4. A conversation counts as a set.
5. Never be ashamed. Only try to understand why.
6. Make your stand-up better to connect with people.
7. Connect with people to make your stand-up better.
8. Listen to your body before your mind.
9. Rules do not actually exist.
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Got it? Cool. No? Not at all? Also cool.
Like I said, it's going to be a blast figuring this all out, in the coming days.
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| Isn't it weird that the other 5 made posters with themselves on the far right? |
Best-case scenario? From now on, people will have a new option of how to express themselves. At least a few more people will go through life knowing they aren't totally crazy. Or if they are, that they aren't alone.
Worst-case scenario? The current art form known as "stand-up comedy" gets debated and pushed forward - propelled by anyone who loves it enough to have a strong opinion about what it is or isn't, or what it "should be."
That sure sounds like a win-win to me.
Either way, I'm thrilled with how I've spent the last two years of my life, and I'm very, very proud of the risks I've been taking. I love myself, I love stand-up comedy, and if you happen to be reading this right now, I love you, too.
Bryson Turner,
stand-up philosopher
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| Not on purpose. Just next to a window. Sometimes life is funny. |
