If you’ve ever been to a taping for a television show like Dancing with the Stars, you know that they have a warm-up comic whose sole job is to keep the audience excited and enthused about the performances during the taping.
He works to get you on your feet, yelling and cheering and clapping, during the performances, the scoring and any other time that seems right. During the taping breaks, he continues to keep you warmed up by interviewing individual audience members, while cracking jokes and handing out free T-shirts.
Keeping an audience of several hundred people wildly enthusiastic for TWO HOURS is not easy. In fact, I’m surprised he didn’t pass out from the effort, because I know I was ready to pass out after cheering and yelling for two hours.
The length of time wasn’t the only thing that was a challenge for him and the audience. As you can imagine, some performances, like Bristol Palin’s, were flat and uninspiring. Others, like the 2-step done by Sabrina Bryan were so magical that the audience spontaneously cheered and clapped. But maintaining a certain level of enthusiasm was his job, no matter how well the dancers did.
Why? Well, for one thing, it made the show more exciting viewing on your TV screen. But, also because the audience enthusiasm fed the performers’ enthusiasm for what they were doing, kept their energy levels and excitement high.
Think about how much work went into creating and maintaining enthusiasm. It wasn’t allowed to happen at will but rather was worked for with as much effort and commitment, perhaps, as the dancing. And in that lies at least three lessons for our own creative work:
- Start with enthusiasm. Even before the taping began, while the crew were figuring out camera angles, running power lines, and placing props, the warm-up comic came out, introduced himself, laid out some guidelines and signals for the audience. Then, he brought five guys down from the audience, introduced them, including a boy who was about ten, and then had them do their best dance moves. This, of course, got the crowd laughing and cheering before the show had even begun. So start your creative work time with enthusiasm. What activities will generate enthusiasm as you enter your work space? A cup of your favorite tea? Putting on some rockin’ music? Reading a motivating story or essay? A short phone conversation with another creative friend? Use whatever gets you pumped up and ready to work.
- Keep your enthusiasm nurtured during the process. The warm up comic had the audience standing and clapping throughout each couple’s dance in order to keep the couple’s energy and performance high. Maintaining your enthusiasm is important for the energy of the work itself. If you feed your enthusiasm throughout your creative process, then you are more apt to create something that has power. Face it—it’s hard to write a great love scene when you are bored or tired. So, how can you keep yourself fired up when you are creating? More tea? A change of music? A quick break for a walk or some stretching?
- Get support. The audience was spontaneously enthusiastic after excellent performances, but no so much after lackluster ones. The warm-up up comic would then run to the front of the audience clapping and waving his hands for us to cheer louder, clap more. He coached us on how to clap, when to stand, and then set the example each time. It’s important to have someone in your creative life who can serve that role for you, whether that support is a coach, a professional group, or just a close friend or family member who loves cheering you on. It is hard to maintain enthusiasm by yourself, so look for support.
Remember that saying that to feel confident, act as if…? The same is true about enthusiasm for your work. Act as if.
After all, enthusiasm is contagious…like clapping.
So keep clapping and cheering for your work and yourself.