We recently connected with Matt Baker and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Matt thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned from taking risks, failing, reworking and trying again. For some it’s 10,000 hours, for me it was 10,000 fails. I am still learning every opportunity I get. I try to not get complacent and satisfied so that I can constantly be pushing my work. I try and add tools to my artistic tool box as much as possible. As for speeding up my learning, I don’t think there is a way to speed up the learning process in creative work. If someone knows that cheat code, please share it. Possibly using technology to pin point my failures a bit faster, or taking more classes and studying but nothing can substitute for putting in the time.

I think one of the skills that I think is essential to stage work (and life) is improv. Being able to say “yes” in every conversation and go with what people give you. Being willing to go on the journey with an audience not knowing where it will end up, but confident it will end up somewhere satisfying for everyone. I tell everyone, take an improv class or just start playing with your life. Make up weird stories, use different accents, try on being an art snob for a day. You learn so much more from doing things differently than you do just being the same person every day. I also tell people if they want to get over stage fright to go sing Karaoke and be ok sucking in front of people. If you can do something badly on stage without caring what people think, you won’t be afraid to take risks on stage.

The obstacles that stood in the way was my own laziness. Nothing makes people more complacent than success. Once you start making money with your art form it’s easy to coast. Take gigs that are fun that don’t pay anything to work on new material. Find a regular place that it’s safe to take risks on stage.

Matt, 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 learned from taking risks, failing, reworking and trying again. For some it’s 10,000 hours, for me it was 10,000 fails. I am still learning every opportunity I get. I try to not get complacent and satisfied so that I can constantly be pushing my work. I try and add tools to my artistic tool box as much as possible. As for speeding up my learning, I don’t think there is a way to speed up the learning process in creative work. If someone knows that cheat code, please share it. Possibly using technology to pin point my failures a bit faster, or taking more classes and studying but nothing can substitute for putting in the time.

I think one of the skills that I think is essential to stage work (and life) is improv. Being able to say “yes” in every conversation and go with what people give you. Being willing to go on the journey with an audience not knowing where it will end up, but confident it will end up somewhere satisfying for everyone. I tell everyone, take an improv class or just start playing with your life. Make up weird stories, use different accents, try on being an art snob for a day. You learn so much more from doing things differently than you do just being the same person every day. I also tell people if they want to get over stage fright to go sing Karaoke and be ok sucking in front of people. If you can do something badly on stage without caring what people think, you won’t be afraid to take risks on stage.

The obstacles that stood in the way was my own laziness. Nothing makes people more complacent than success. Once you start making money with your art form it’s easy to coast. Take gigs that are fun that don’t pay anything to work on new material. Find a regular place that it’s safe to take risks on stage.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal has always been to push my own creativity. What can this weird creative part of my brain come up with? I love dipping into anything creative. Visual art, spoken word, singing, screenplays, video editing are just a few of the things I have played with. It’s fun to grow your creativity and see what you can do when you work it out everyday.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing about what I do is being able to make stuff that comes from me. I can look at something and say, “I made that. That came from my brain.” I love that. It’s so much fun to make stuff (even if it fails miserably). Also, being able to give the world something unique from you. To give people fun, joy, laughter, new ideas that they did not have before they met/saw you. Also the people I have met a long the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.comedystuntshow.com
• Instagram: comedystuntshow
• Facebook: mattbakercomedian
• Linkedin: comedystuntshow
• Twitter: comedystuntshow
• Youtube: mattbakerjuggling
• Other: I also host two podcasts: – Moisture Festival Podcast – Odd and Offbeat Podcast

Image Credits
Lorenna Watters John Cornicello