We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carly Dagit. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carly below.

Alright, Carly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

The truth is I am still learning how to be a comedian and a writer. I love the feeling that I’ll never be finished because there will always be something I can improve about my craft. I also love the immediacy that comes with learning these skills, meaning the best way to continue learning is to continue doing. For anyone interested in comedy, I advise you get on a stage and try it. Watch comedians who do it better than you, and take criticism from people who do it better than you. Writing in general is similar in that you must simply begin by writing. That is the hardest part. Once you have the words, then you can go about improving the language. That also includes reading more, and accepting criticism from better writers. Doing the thing, finding people who do it better, learning how to improve— that has been my process.

Carly, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a writer. These four little words simply mean I feel the need to write, attempt it often, and crave improvement. I graduated college with a Creative Writing degree with a focus in both Poetry and Fiction. I realized I wanted to translate these skills into standup comedy after having medical issues flare up in 2018/2019. As a long time comedy fan, I turned to watching standup in the hospital for comfort and relief. I thought, “If I get out of here, I want to be this fearless.” Fearless has always been the word that comes to mind when thinking of comedians. I knew they were scared of something because that is part of being human, but when they told jokes that fear was suspended. Therefore, as an audience member or viewer my own fears became suspended. In that mental limbo, tension is able to be broken around any subject from mundane to controversial. It’s fascinating— and weird— and total magic. As a writer, it felt like the ultimate challenge. I still write poetry and fiction, but comedy is my love. My gratitude is endless for the opportunities I’ve had and the people I’ve met. Right now, I live in South Florida and am having fun performing anywhere/everywhere that will hire me while I work on my books as side projects.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think it all comes down to being open to new artists. I think artists are often under attack, not just comedians, for being controversial. The goal of art is expression, and expression is extremely difficult. When I think about where most fights are born, in all types of relationships, I personally notice they stem from miscommunication. That happens all the time between people who know and love each other, so of course it will happen among total strangers. Artists typically aim to make you feel something. The mode through which they make this attempt aligns with that individual’s skill set, not necessarily their morals. Art is risky. It is a risk to live life as an artist and it is a risk to be misunderstood by the public. At the end of the day, I can only speak for myself and these are my broad observations from being proximate to various artistic communities. So speaking for myself, I would want anyone experiencing my art to know I’m full of love and pain. I can confidently say I am not always successful in communicating and connecting with others. I can confidently say I am always making that attempt with positive intentions, from a place fueled by love and pain. What I hope is to be judged on the accumulation of these attempts rather than any one instance, and I hope that for artists across the board.

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.

Speaking for myself– I tried not to be an artist. I crave stability in my life which does not align with any artist lifestyle. There is a part of me that wants to do anything else. Unfortunately, a much larger and more stubborn part of me feels out of control when I’m not writing and performing. Sometimes I struggle to explain my choice of pursuing comedy and writing because it doesn’t feel like a choice. Of course, my rational brain knows it is a choice. No dive bar is begging me to stand in a dimly lit corner of their main room and tell jokes through a raspy sound system. I fully understand it is a choice. I also understand that my mind burns out in every other work environment, and therefore my mind is best applied in the artistic field. No matter how romantic the idea of a normal sleep schedule and getting paid in more than warm beer is, I feel unable to pivot. Maybe this feeling is similar to someone who feels strongly about medicine or law, it just looks different from an outside perspective. Hopefully reading this will give you some insight into that one weird cousin who’s like a magician or makes clay horse figurines…I am that cousin. Art is a calling, a passion, and sometimes the most productive contribution one can make to society.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @carlyhatesinsta
• Other: TikTok: carlyhatestiktok

Image Credits
Morgan Sophia Photography & various friends with my iPhone:)