Recommended reading - Born Standing Up - A Comic's Life
I recently finished this Steve Martin autobiography, and I highly recommend it, especially for those of us in the creative fields. The book focuses on Martin's rise to fame as a standup comedian in the 70s, how he built his act and why he ultimately chose to walk away from it. Even if you're not a huge Steve Martin fan you'll find there's plenty of insight into the creative process, the development of craft, and the choices one makes throughout life. It's a good, quick read, worth your time.
An interesting point Martin makes is to "be so good they can't ignore you." In other words, if you're the best at what you do people will seek you out, which is much easier on you than having to go door to door selling your wares. Most of us land somewhere in the middle, of course, but it's an interesting philosophical point. Do you want to be known as "the best in town," or "the cheapest in town," or perhaps "the best value in town?" Each option has ups and downs, for immediate and long term growth. When you're starting out it's easiest to be cheap, especially when you don't have much to show. But having a reputation as "the cheap shop" is very tough to shake off in the long run. Food for thought.
Also worth checking out is this interview from The Charlie Rose show. Jerry Seinfeld is first, followed by Martin.
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