We were lucky to catch up with Tara Brown recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tara, thanks for joining 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.

Back in 2014, I was looking for something fun to do, so I decided to enroll in a six-week comedy class at The Comedy Zone in Charlotte. It was there that I learned the fundamentals of comedy and how to write and structure a joke. I’m a native New Yorker, and there are times that I wish that I had begun my comedy career when I lived there, but I’m a firm believer that all things happen at the time that they are supposed to, so, I have no regrets about when and where I began my comedy journey.

One of the best things about comedy is that you never stop learning…and watching. Not only do you watch other comedians (both the professionals and the ones who are on their way to getting there) to discover ways in which you may be able to enhance your own performance; but you learn new things about yourself after every show. Comedians are encouraged to tape their sets, and this is a great way to see how you came off on stage; and improve those things you should.

Also, if you are going to pursue comedy as a full-time career, you have to learn about the business aspect of the profession. Many people tend to focus on themselves as performers, but you also need to look at yourselves as an independent contractor and do the things you need to do to promote and protect your business and brand.

The skills that are most essential in this space are the ability to be teachable, adaptable and open to feedback. Also, understand that comedy is a marathon and not a sprint, so, if you’re serious about a career in comedy, know that it won’t happen overnight and be okay with that.

The only obstacle that can ever stand in your way is you.

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 who performs clean and family-friendly comedy across the country. I have been featured on Dry Bar Comedy and “Stand Up Nashville.” I am also the most recent winner of the Jeanne Robertson “Comedy with Class” Humor Competition. I’ve been named as “Comedian of the Year” (2019) by Queen City Nerve; and CharlotteFive.com named me as “One of the Comedians You Need to Know in Charlotte. I began performing comedy in 2014; and I count it a blessing to be able to perform in front of a variety of audiences. I always like to say that I never know what a person has been through when they walk into the venue, but I hope that a joke I tell, or something I say can help them to feel better as they leave.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is to be able to connect with audiences, in a personal way. My style of comedy is observational and self-deprecating, and I always love when people come up to me after shows and tell me that they can relate to something I’ve said in my set.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I continuously have to unlearn is to not allow negative self-talk to pervade my thoughts. Oftentimes, we can unnecessarily be our own worst critics. Also, everyone’s journey is different, so never compare your career trajectory with someone else’s. As everyone shows you their best self on social media, you can easily fall victim to feeling jealous of seeing something happen for other people that you wish were happening for you. What you have to remind yourself is that if you put in the hard work, you will get those things that you are supposed to have, regardless of what other people are doing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tarabrowncomedy.com
• Instagram: @TaraBrownComedy
• Facebook: @TaraBrownComedy
• Twitter: @TaraBrownComedy
• Youtube: @TaraBrownComedy