I couldn't recommend more that people put themselves in a situation where they can see a lot of work that they admire, and for free. Mike Birbiglia More Quotes by Mike Birbiglia More Quotes From Mike Birbiglia I can always go back to waiting tables, but I won't be very good at it. I'll never be good at it. Mike Birbiglia very-good be-good waiting You're always on duty because you're in a constant state of observation. That's one of the challenges of being a comedian. I think one of the other challenges is that, whether we like it or not, it's a profession that requires failure. It doesn't just encourage failure. It requires it because it's all trial and error. You need to know what doesn't work to know what works. Mike Birbiglia comedian challenges thinking My writing process is very feedback based - I listen to the audience. I try to understand what's connecting, what's not connecting... and then rewrite, and rewrite, and rewrite. Chris Gethard and I have been on the road a lot together. When we get on the bus at night, we talk about the jokes that didn't work and the joke possibilities that could work. I think this is a little different from other writers. Mike Birbiglia writing night thinking When I'm taking the subway to my improv shows I will be writing in my notebook different actions that I see people doing on the train whether it's eating yogurt or looking at where their stop is, or tripping or holding a baby. It's not preparing scenes and ideas as much as it is stoking your brain to think observantly. Just to place observations in your head, so that they are available somewhere. Mike Birbiglia notebook writing baby I figured out in my thirties it was about 'what can I contribute'? And what I figured out about that is creating something from scratch, and connecting it to people. Mike Birbiglia scratches creating people I actually love 'Saturday Night Live,' like a sports fan watches their favorite team to see how they're doing. I know the players and the writers, I've known several people on that show for a number of years. Mike Birbiglia team player sports In our culture right now, I want to take on this notion of what a singular success means. We think success is one thing, but it's actually a spectrum of where our life takes us. Mike Birbiglia mean culture thinking I wrote on my desk wall when I was writing the film...'Art is socialism, but life is capitalism.' That's the hard thing in all of it if you expect to make a living. Mike Birbiglia wall writing art Gillian [Jacobs] is brilliant, and it was Lena Dunham that recommended her. I didn't see her in the part, but Lena told me that Gillian can do anything. It turned out to be true. Mike Birbiglia jacob being-true brilliant In my twenties, I thought it was getting a sitcom. Then I got a sitcom pilot in my early thirties, and realized I didn't want it. It was a rude awakening. When it wasn't picked up, I was crushed, but then in retrospect I've made two films and produced three one-man shows since then. It's the luckiest thing that happened in my life. Mike Birbiglia rude men two I think our culture views success as visibility, being seen as being successful. Whereas I've learned that success is rooted in helping and connecting to other people, and knowing where you can contribute. I've kind of spent my thirties doing that, because in my twenties I was seeking any kind of success. Mike Birbiglia successful views thinking Elia Kazan. He wrote my favorite book about filmmaking, 'Elia Kazan: On Directing.' There is a thing in the book that I do every time, it's part of my production structure. He said when you're hiring an actor, ask them what draws them to the project, and don't lead them to the answer. Mike Birbiglia actors answers book You can express love by calling out the truth out of the situation as opposed to dancing around it. Mike Birbiglia situation dancing calling I think the cleverness is inadvertent. Mike Birbiglia cleverness thinking I think Mitch Hedberg is one of the great comedians of the past 20 years. Mike Birbiglia past years thinking The key is to do what you love. Mike Birbiglia what-you-love keys Success is fleeting. It may not have to do with you but how your work is received. Mike Birbiglia fleeting may I think sometimes you don't understand how to convey an idea, depending on the moment you're living in. Mike Birbiglia sometimes ideas thinking Art is socialism but life is capitalism. Mike Birbiglia socialism life-is art Life is unfair and improv is a great metaphor of that. Mike Birbiglia life-is-unfair metaphor life-is
