Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada

I’ve been lucky to play in a variety of different venues for a variety of different clients for a whole lotta years. I count myself very lucky to have been able to find something I enjoy so much and can make a living at. Over the first few months of this blog I discussed various venues and offered up information on some of the ways to get into these venues be they Cruise Ships, Street Performer’s Festival or other venues… Perhaps even before you start trying to get jobs as a performer, you should examine what you’re version of success is so you can set the wheels in motion to achieve your goals… This may well mean that you gravitate towards a certain kind of venue more than others and to a certain extent dictate how you conduct yourself in all aspects of the business…

Many moons ago I was working at an Expo in Japan and was one of several entertainers hired for the job. At the time, The Passing Zone were just getting started as a team and took the gig as a way to keep working on their show and as an opportunity to travel to Japan (I guess). They later went on to perform on the Tonight Show, America’s Got Talent and have a resume a mile long of REALLY GREAT gigs that they’ve done.

I remember thinking when we were working together at that Expo in Japan that they were destined for great things… Why? Well, I just saw them building material that was TV friendly and that was catering to a certain career path. They lived in LA a the time. They were making appearances at the Hermosa Beach Comedy and Magic Club, they were playing the game to take what they did to a level of success, or perceived success, that would allow them to write their own ticket in terms of the fees they charged and the sorts of gigs they wanted to do.

From the beginning it felt like they had a destination in mind. They had a version of ‘success’ that they were aiming to achieve. If you check out the Passing Zone’s promotional video It’s a remarkable testament to what perceived success in the United States is all about. Appear on the biggest TV shows, Work for the largest corporations, deliver a very specific kind of performance. I’m a HUGE fan of their work and love that they’ve achieved all that they have.

Is it for me? Well, that version of success was never the target that I set out for myself. It just wasn’t what drove me to perform or do what I do. I recall being asked the question – “What do you want to be when you grow up” – and always answering “Happy!” I have no doubt that I’ve achieved that!

I scratch my head sometimes and wonder if (career-wise)I might have been able to achieve a degree of perceived success that of The Passing Zone have, had I set my target accordingly earlier in my career, but it’s a completely rhetorical question because it wasn’t my goal. It wasn’t the destination that I was shooting for. Some might say I should have set that sort of goal because they view success in the same terms that the Passing Zone do/did or in fact that North American Society does, and that’s fair enough. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I just don’t think it was for me.

Choose your target carefully because once you’ve picked your destination, you might be amazed with how quickly you get there… Just make sure you’re going to be happy when you do.

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