Notes from a Successful Failure
I'm a Juilliard-trained violist turned stand-up comedian. While at Juilliard, I dealt with crippling performance anxiety and a repetitive stress injury in my wrist, both of which contributed — along with an awkward childhood — to my eventual pursuit of stand-up comedy.
I’ve felt like a failure at many points in my life (and sometimes still do!) But out of these “failures” have come experiences and opportunities I wouldn’t have pursued otherwise: I’ve done stand-up on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, was a New Face of Comedy at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival, and now I regularly tour the country as a headlining comedian (sometimes bringing my viola into the act). I love it. And I also love writing!
I'm fascinated by the creative process, the transferability of discipline, and what it takes to be truly satisfied in life. A lot of what I write comes from my own struggles and the thoughts I’ve had that have ended up helping me feel better or at least make sense of things — and I want to share those thoughts with those who might benefit!
I’m also trying to rely less on fast-paced, impulse-driven social media platforms as ways to get my work out into the world. With this newsletter, I can take time to formulate my thoughts, while also keeping readers up-to-date on my whereabouts and goings on without an algorithm potentially keeping posts from being seen.
Free subscribers get:
Weekly-ish posts.
All updates on my projects and tour dates (never more than once a week — I’ll never spam you).
The knowledge that you are supporting an independent artist (yes, a free subscription is a great way to support me and I’m so grateful!)
Paid subscribers get all of the above, plus:
Special posts for paid subscribers only.
The ability to comment on posts.
The knowledge that you are supporting an independent artist financially, which makes you very cool.
Thanks for being here!
