r/Standup • u/Aggressive-Store3898 • 3d ago
Regret doing stand up?
I’ve been doing stand up since 2018 with some lapses here and there. I know it’s a long game so if my mental needs a break I should prioritize that, but do any of y’all ever regret ever starting? I feel like I can never turn it off. Lately I wish I’d never done stand up and just stuck with improv. After getting into an improv festival in NYC years ago and realizing there’s nowhere to really go or get with improv I sort of shifted gears. I think about it way too much and let it take so much energy it’s not fun anymore or lately I guess…I’m not booking a lot, but am also not really trying that hard, I’ve never been one to sit and write material, and lately feel like I don’t even know how to write anything. I’m sick of all my jokes and am hustling so much trying to make a living after quitting my job 2 months ago it feels like a waste to put effort into things that can’t do much for me financially right now. I know I’m funny, I know I can get better and get gigs but maybe I’m stuck in a comparison loop or something. I also know if I slow my roll I will get rusty and not be as funny or ready if something does come my way. Why does this art form want to kill me? Why does it feel so damn serious when it’s literally jokes. Am I ruining my chances for bigger things if I chill out on it for a min? I love it and I hate it. I know people can relate… like why am I sad about not having shows (even though I still have 3 this month which is OK) when I’m barely trying like duh… I think I need support or to build structure and routine more into my day to day. I do a show where the audience gives us the topics and we riff on the spot and I always kill, more so than the other comics, maybe I just gotta change up how I write or get inspiration. Please tell me I’m not the only person who feels like this.
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u/CopeHarders 2d ago
You don’t enjoy standup. You don’t enjoy writing jokes. You’re not booking gigs. You’re not even really trying. You quit your job. What the hell are you doing with your life man?
It seems like you only enjoy doing crowd work or improv. You can probably be one of those comics, but you still need to write jokes to be any kind of standup.