We were lucky to catch up with Trey Mack recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Trey Mack thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Comedian FunnyMaine Johnson gave me the best advice I could ever receive when it came to perfecting my craft as a standup comedian. He said “The more you do anything, the better you will get at it.” That’s it. There’s no shortcuts. No cheat codes. No secret methods. Simply daily opportunities to fail forward, try new things, and get a little bit better. The skills I find the most essential to my development are humility and boldness. Humility helps you to focus on the things that matter, the craft, the work, the art. And boldness is extremely beneficial for growth because it allows you to try new things that you’re unsure of. Sometimes its beautiful. Oftentimes its really ugly. But I think its beauty in that too. Fear stands in the way of my learning process more than anything. I fear failure. I fear embarrassment. I fear mediocrity. The thing that is really scary however is that these are all necessary experiences in order to evolve. Knowing this pushes me to go on anyway, even in fear.
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
My name is Trey Mack and I am a stand up comedian from Adamsville, AL. I feel my story is unique because I was never the class clown, I was never the funny friend, in fact I’m a very shy and reserved person. My dad put it this way “If someone was to sit you in a room with other people they would think you couldn’t talk. Then you turn around and tell jokes on stage in front of 100s of people… I don’t get you.” I don’t get me either. I truly feel my call in life is to show how God can literally use anyone. The more unqualified the better. So when asked what I do, I can pretty much sum it up by saying I show people what God has done for me, and what he continues to do every time I get an opportunity to share this gift. Most importantly I get to be an example of how He can do it for you to. Since my start in 2012, I have been featured on Kevin Hart’s “Hart Of the City” on Comedy Central, recorded a comedy special called “Have Fun” that can be seen on Amazon Prime, won Comedy Prize Fest in Shreveport, LA, and traveled the world using this dope gift.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
There’s a story in the bible about how a master left his servant with talents before he went on a trip. When he returned, to the ones that used the talents and multiplied them he called Good and Faithful. To the one who hid his talent he called Wicked and Lazy. The thing that drives me on this journey is knowing I don’t have an option. This talent was given to me, therefore I have a responsibility of being a good steward over it for as long as I live. When I took away the option of quitting and looked at it from this perspective it made the hard time more bearable. It’s not easy, but I’m determined to have a good report when the Master returns.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist to me is that we have the precious privilege of being able to live for a living. How cool is that? In an interview my favorite comedian Karlous Miller expressed that the more things you put in your head the better comedian you become. Basically he was explaining how life experiences, numerous and varied, give you more colors to paint from. So living for an artist is not even an option really, its a necessity. It gets me out of my comfort zone, and keeps me open to new things. Deon Cole said if you keep doing the same things, eating the same foods, and traveling the same places, it’ll be hard to create something new. The fact that being a creative forces me to experience life, places, and people is the coolest thing to me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treymacklive/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TreyMackLive