We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erica Benefield a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Erica, appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I started comedy late. I was 36. On the one hand, most comedians at my age have 20+ years more experience than I do at this point. On the other hand, I’ve lived so much more life that I can draw from as I learn. I’ve spent the past 20+ years of my adulthood experiencing the events that led me to where I am today. A corporate career, a divorce, being a single mom for a minute, a re-marriage, blending a family, and all of the things that go along with those huge life events brought me one step closer to where I am and building a comedy career. It’s a dream I didn’t even know I had until I had it. If I’d started sooner, I may not have all the personal happiness that I have. I wouldn’t change a thing. I think I’m right where I need to be.

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

I’m a standup comedian, show producer, and podcaster. I got into comedy through an evolution after I had my second baby. I realized that the career I’d spent 10 years building wasn’t fulfilling. I was totally replaceable. Every day I was leaving my babies for other people to raise while I worked for a company that didn’t care about ME, just that my job was completed. There had to be more out there for me. I started a blog, writing about my experiences of being a working mom and wife and I noticed that a lot of readers told me that they enjoyed reading because I brought them a humorous perspective. Compounding on that feedback, I focused more on the funny observations of every day life. Eventually, I felt compelled to do even more than write. I had an itch to perform. I’d always been a performer, competing in pageants as a kid, taking acting classes through school and in college, and taking a few improv classes but stand up comedy never crossed my mind. But, with a new interest in pursuing laughter as a way of giving back, I eventually decided to give it a try. I thought about it for about two years but once I told my first joke that got some laughter, I was hooked! I’m most proud of every laugh I give. Not many women are in the stand up world but I’ve seen that start to change since I started. Even so, each of us are different. And, what sets me apart even from the other female stand up comedians who are moms and wives, is that I tell jokes and stories from my life. I draw from my own life. I’m southern, my parents are hilarious and crazy, my kids are both beautiful disasters of chaos, my husband thinks I’m crazy but loves me anyway, I love my chihuahua waaaay too much… no one else has my exact story but everyone has a story. Maybe through hearing my take on life, they can see that they aren’t alone and it’s all gonna be ok.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A few weeks ago I had a really bad show. I’d left my kids & my husband at home to drive an hour to perform for an audience that I, for whatever reason, just didn’t connect with. My jokes fell flat. The same jokes that received laughter the show before got nothing. It was humiliating because I had to finish my set. I couldn’t just walk out. I mean, I guess I could have, but that’s not what I do. I got home deflated & embarrassed. Some people may have quit & figured that they weren’t cut out for comedy. But after the sting of the bad show goes away, that dream is still there. After the strong feelings subside a bit & I get some perspective back, I still feel like my purpose on this Earth is to give the gift of laughter. It may be insanity or a lack of self-awareness, but I like to think it’s resilience.

Resilience is probably the one quality that ties all comedians together. Every time we go on stage to tell jokes that WE wrote ourselves, in front of an audience that doesn’t know who we are, we have to prove ourselves. There may be patrons who get up and leave in the middle of a set. I could get “boo’ed”, I could get cold silence. Jokes that get huge laughter one night may not get any laughter the next. And every bad set could be a reason to quit. There’s no one pushing me to keep going except myself. The only thing keeping me going in comedy is me, my dream.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of having a creative career is being in control of what I present to the audience and having immediate feedback. There is no one telling me what to do or how to do it. The lack of direction can definitely be intimidating and scary but it’s also exhilarating. There are so many possibilities. The same premise can result in a thousand different jokes. When a joke that I write gets laughter, I know that I did that. I wrote the combination of words that caught the emotion I wanted to put in a box, wrap in a bow, and give to the audience. It’s just the best, most rewarding job.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ericabenefield.com
• Instagram: @leasturpretty
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Atleastimpretty
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC66B9l_92nh7rX9oSCYQ3kA

Image Credits
Kristen Haggard, Roman Campomanes