Being a performer can be an exhilarating experience, it can also be a roller coaster of emotions where one day you’re riding on the crest of a wave and the next gig, you feel like you’re sinking.
Over the past decade I’ve experienced both the former and the latter however, overcoming a bad gig can be extremely difficult and being able to ride out the storm is what makes successful performer. Here are 5 tips that I use to overcome bad experiences:
Have a good support network
It’s important to have people around you, who you can trust and who have your back. I’m lucky to have a supportive partner and children that are there to offer words of encouragement and comfort particularly when it’s needed most. I also have several other acts who I can contact and have a good debrief with following a flat performance.
I can’t stress how important it is to have a good support network around you. A problem shared is a problem halved.
It might not be as bad as you think
I’ve had a few gigs where I’ve come off stage thinking that I’d been awful. I’ve then had members of the audience come to find me to tell me how much they enjoyed my performance. One gig in particular was at a Working Men’s club, I finished my set and hid behind the DJ booth before realising I’d have to face the music to collect my fee.
As I was standing at the bar, I had several members of the audience approach me to tell me how good they thought the show was.
We’re all guilty of being our own worst critic, thinking we could have done better or perhaps we’re not up to it.
Always have something else in the diary
It’s important to have a number of gigs in the diary even as a new performer. Having other commitments have in the past, been the sole reason I’ve kept on performing. My worst ‘death’ was at a large chain of comedy clubs where I left the venue after 2 horrific gigs thinking ‘Maybe this isn’t for me?’ I remember on the car journey home thinking ‘I’ll see out the gigs I have left in the diary and then I’ll call it a day.
By the time the next gig came around the death was a distant memory.
Sometimes it’s not you
Remember, sometimes it’s not you… It’s them!! In all seriousness, there could be a multitude of reasons why the performance doesn’t meet up to your expectations. The venue may not be right, the audience might not be on your wave length or there could be technical issues that affected your performance (dodgy microphone comes to mind).
Don’t Dwell on it
It’s easier said than done but, try not to dwell on it. Many comics are aware of Millican’s law and I also follow this rule. Comedian Sarah Millican famously either celebrates a good gig or allows herself to dwell on a bad gig until 11am the day after the performance, following which it’s done and she’s over it. The next time you experience a bad gig or a good gig, try this technique you’ll be surprised at how effective it is.
I hope you found this blog useful, feel free to get in contact if you have any topics you’d like me to cover.
Jason Simmons is a Hypnotist, Comedian and Magician and has been performing for more than a decade.