I’ve been writing a bunch about entertainment and noticing how irked I am by so many things in this field that I chose. I’m seeing there’s a reason.
I don’t pursue what I love.
Doing Scot Nery’s Boobietrap for 5 years has given me the chance to meet so many amazing entertainers. I mean, I met a lot before, but Boobietrap has connected me with over 700 international acts. I get a close look at what drives them. I’m fascinated by passion. We did 18 episodes of podcast about it.
This one concept has not really landed in my head because it’s so contrary to the alleged storyline for creative people. The storyline goes… “I am drawn into the emotional treachery, the financial instability, and the social stigma of my creative career because I LOVE MY FIELD.”
There’s a part of me that believes that storyline. This part of me is constantly rejecting the possibility that…
The opposite is true
Over and over, in frank conversations; film makers tell me they don’t watch films, ventriloquists tell me they hate ventriloquism (at least I think it’s them saying it). So many entertainment greats hate the field that they’re in.
I generally hate hosting and juggling and contortion. I watch them for work, but I don’t usually watch them for pleasure because that stuff sucks. And this is exactly the point where it comes together.
Just not in “the arts”
Richard Branson started Virgin Airlines because he didn’t like flying. You’ve probably heard of people who vow to be doctors when their parents die of messed up diseases. Entrepreneurs and people in normal careers often get in to scratch an itch — to fix a broken system.
Entertainers are problem solvers by nature
I’ve said it before, I don’t think entertainment is an art. It’s a craft. It’s an objective-driven pursuit. So, just like being a doctor, when an entertainer sees something not being done well, they jump in to help.
I think there’s a certain guilt that comes with this — a guilt because “I don’t like what I’m supposed to like. Maybe I’m not real. Maybe I’m not good. Maybe I’m not true to myself and my purpose. Everyone thinks I’m following my heart, but my heart isn’t in this.”
My message to you people: you have passion. You might hate drums, you might hate beats, you might puke recording and getting on stage. You might not care about applause, but there is something genuine in there. For me, it’s the feeling of serving people and repairing the energy of a room.
What about love?
There also may be people reading this who really love their genre. I think of these people as artists. They are the magicians who expand the possibilities of magic beyond what has ever happened before. They make up the most intricate skateboard tricks that a lay-person can’t discern. They push the boundaries of a form… but it’s very unlikely they’re the most entertaining. I love that these people exist too!
The point
If you love something, let it go. Then, work on something with potential that nobody’s fixing.
If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. If you hate it, you’ll work tirelessly until it’s tolerable.