We recently connected with Aniria Turney and have shared our conversation below.

Aniria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was in my early 30’s, married with a child. I came from a family that valued education and security so up to that point, I had done what I thought I was required to do. I went to college, got married, had kids and worked an 8-5 job. It was a lunch conversation with some coworkers that changed everything.

I had always enjoyed writing and at 14 I knew that I wanted to make people laugh but I didn’t know that could be an actual career. At this lunch we were discussing what our dreams were and I mentioned I always wanted to be a comedian. Someone said, “well, then do it.” That stayed with me and gave me the idea of calling comedy clubs to find out how you ever get started.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

After that work lunch, I called the clubs and one such club in Tampa told me that they offered a free workshop on Saturdays. When I attended my first session, I met my mentor, Pretty Paul Parsons. He was the teacher of the workshop and he took me under his wing on day one! He taught me how to write comedy, he included me in writing sessions with other comedians outside of the workshop, and he took me to my first open mic, gave me my first paid gig, and he also gave me my first feature (opening act) gig.

Now I’ve been doing comedy 21 years. I later pursued acting, thanks to another mentor I found along the way named Dean Napolitano. We met on a show we were in and he helped me navigate how to get into acting by recommending a class, an agent, headshots, etc. I’ve been acting since 2016 and have had the honor to have worked on TV, Film, and Theatre.

In 2020 I launched my comedy brand of clothing called ¡QUE FUNNY! and that has actually now become a show I produce by the same name. It features 3 comedians who are regulars on the bill with 1 bonus comedian each show as a guest. The regulars of QUE FUNNY are Tony Gaud, Pat Largo, and myself. I created this show because I have always been fascinated with culture. I love stories about people’s own culture and how they interact with other cultures. I always chose comedians that talk about culture in one way or another in their act.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

What is most rewarding to me as an artist is that I can express myself unapologetically and that I control how my days are spent. Stand-up is an art-form that relies on your thoughts and opinions. Sometimes we think it’s just us with those thoughts and opinions. Performing what I have written proves over and over again that you will always find people who have thought that or feels strongly about that one thing you feel strongly about also. Stand-up also gives me the opportunity to speak on things people are afraid to talk about. Someone once told me that to them, comedians bring awareness to things people don’t like to discuss but must be addressed. I’ll take that torch gladly. As a Latina doing comedy in the South, I can tell you that my beginnings were very challenging. Once I found my “tribe” of like-minded people, things really changed for the better and it expanded my writing. I also found my audience and they found me.

The other part of my answer, controlling how my days are spent, means that as an artist, I am doing what I love and my days are spent doing exactly that. I get to express myself through stand-up and I get to tell other people’s stories through acting. When you do what you love for work, it never feels like work. I have been on both sides of the coin. I have a Masters Degree in Business and worked as a Manager for a non-profit for many years. In my 40s I finally quit that grind, as rewarding as it was, and dedicated myself to my most treasured talents. I never look at the clock to see when my day ends now.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

There are many things that non-creatives will struggle understanding about creatives. Commitment is the first one that comes to mind. To this day I get people to ask me, “Are you still doing you little comedy thing?” or “still acting?” What we do as creatives is not little and it’s not a phase. To some of us it is something that we have made huge sacrifices for. For example, giving up a steady income or continuously chasing a job. I just recently relocated to Atlanta to pursue my career in Film and TV. I try to explain it best by comparing it to a job interview. Imagine if you had to interview for an employer 3-5 times a week for the rest of your life? AND as a different person each time. When someone finally hires you, it’s only for a few days or a limited time. That’s auditioning and how income works for most performance artists.

Non-creatives also don’t understand that we are ok with staying ready and working hard at our craft for that right opportunity. I’ve had fellow creatives, mainly actors, tell me stories about their families telling them they are wasting their time, that if you haven’t booked jobs regularly you must not be that good, etc. That’s how the industry works. Mark Ruffalo went on 600 auditions before he booked a job. And now he is a powerhouse. Belief is key for an artist. Trust your magic. My advice for non-creatives is support your artist friends/family and educate yourself on the journey before judging. Their journey requires mental gymnastics from believing in themselves, to working on skills to being ok with constant rejection.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aniriaisfunny.com
• Instagram: @aniriaisfunny
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AniriaIsFunny
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aniria-turney-a7981812/
• Twitter: @AniriaComedian
• Youtube: Aniria Turney

Image Credits
Credit: ANF Chicago