Tonight, Thursday, June 27th, 9 pm at 354 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Hi y’all!
A little under a year ago, I was in one of the worst places I’ve been in my adult life, Brooklyn Heights (nah, I’m kidding, I mean I was very depressed.) A big project I cared very much about fell through, I was burnt out in my job, and I felt like my career had plateaued. About a few weeks later, I was hired as a headline contributor for Reductress, and I immediately cut things off with my drunk-driving coworker who I was sleeping with (yeah, no, I know, see the first sentence where I said I was in a bad place) (also wasn’t immediately, I did wait until his last day at work which was a week later, but my heart was there!!).
It was validating that I had been chosen by this publication run by women and nb folx not because they needed to fill a ratio of women, a category I usually fall into, but because they thought my work was fire.
Now I can’t stress enough: I’m still, like, not famous. I make ???? a year juggling babysitting, writing gigs, graphic design, and anything that will get me cash (if you’re hiring). But yeah now I write for magazines, sell jokes, and have created and expanded my portfolio. I’ve been hustling at comedy for about 6 years, and after 4ish I began to navigate where I wanted to go. Someone whose encouragement stood out to me was my friend, very funny comedian, and SNL writer Vannessa Jackson, whose genuine belief in hard work paying off made me feel like I wasn’t on a road to nowhere.
Also- the job didn’t solve all of my problems (you knowww I’d never give all credit to capitalism). Being open about my depression with my supportive friends and Dad healed me.
If I could talk to myself from a year ago I would say “Don’t stop trying because something will one day come of it, cut out the things in your life that bring you pain even if they make you money- you can find something else, stop sleeping with that guy- you literally hate him, you’re just already depressed and don’t notice that he’s making it worse and also you’re gayer than you think you are (this one might have just applied to me, sorry), don’t buy those Steve Madden sneakers because they’ve kinda got lifts in them and it feels like you’re walking in heels all day, and please don’t stick and poke your left arm, I’ll forgive you if you do, but it might be cool to let a professional tattoo you there instead idk (this one still applies to you, creatives in BK).”
Don’t give up on your dreams even if they’re super unrealistic <3 you can achieve so much if you’re as delusional as I am!!! (check out my most recent GO Magazine article here)
And please, don’t give up on Drule! I know we didn’t have a show last week because I was at a WNBA game (gay pass, allow me, it’s pride) and we won’t have a show next week because it’s the Fourth of July, but we’ve got a HOT show tonight!!!!! And I want to see your ass there!!!
Love you, See you soon,
Claire bear
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