We recently connected with Crickette Gill and have shared our conversation below.

Crickette, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

The first dollar I ever earned was at a local improv/comedy club in Chandler, Arizona called Improvmania (now known as Mic DropMania). It was for their 2021 Mother’s Day weekend show and I was lucky enough to have landed a spot on the show with an all female lineup. It was by far one of the best moments of my career.

Crickette, 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 standup comic, writer, and owner of AlligatorCigs Apparel. I actually got into standup thinking it could help bring awareness to my T-shirt brand. Hahaha nope, instead I just do more standup. I have fallen in love with the ebb and flow of standup and I feel obsessed!

I’ve been performing standup since June 2019 after another Phoenix-based comedian named Dana Whissen suggested that I give stand up a try. But my launch into comedy was cut short by COVID and all the comedy clubs and bars shut down. Arizona had a curfew – it was a mess.

Then I met Tony Vicich. Tony is a tenured professional comedian who teaches comedy here in the Valley. He began offering virtual comedy classes and I signed up immediately. Once the pandemic restrictions lifted, I also took Tony’s in-person Advanced classes.

Fast forward a couple of years and there’s still so much to learn, however, I am enjoying the process.  The way I see it, as long as we’re having fun I’ll keep going up on stage. Right now I’m primarily performing in Phoenix but I travel to L.A. as often as possible to perform there – most notably at The Comedy Chateau – and I am planning on hitting Vegas, Chicago, NYC, Columbus, and other towns/cities as I continue the course.

You might say I’m an optimist, but as a psychic once told me, “You are an Irish Wolfhound who thinks they are a chihuahua”. I don’t know if she meant I need to shave and lose some weight but nonetheless, I try not to think small.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing about being a creative for me is the freedom to create and express myself. I enjoy entertaining others (it’s my way of people pleasing) and I feel good when I hear that the audience enjoyed my performance . If I hear that, I know I’ve fulfilled my goal – to bring happiness and joy to others. We are not here to have a good time but a GREAT time.

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

One of the biggest challenges for me was making the transition from working a stable corporate job to focusing on contract freelance writing and standup. As a woman this can be incredibly difficult especially if you have a family that relies on you for financial support. In the beginning it was a struggle and I was close to being homeless too many times for comfort. I even had to ask for help (which is hard to do, but most of us will do anything for our family. Most of the time I was focused on living day to day and standup.Things are better now, of course, but it is a time I will never forget. It taught me that I am stronger than I realized.

Contact Info:

• Website: linktr.ee/Crickette
• Instagram: aliensdontlikehotsauce
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliensDontLikeHotSauce/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AliensDontLikeHotSauce/featured

Image Credits
Jennifer Giralo Joshua Boyle of (HeavyFeathers Productions NM92 Art by Christopher Jimenez