S6E6 - Feed Drop: Creativity Found
For the first time on More Than Work, the podcast is doing a feed drop! This means that another podcast is dropping into this feed. Welcome Creativity Found podcast! The host and creator of Creativity found interviewed the host of More Than Work, Rabiah Coon, and that episode is featured here this week. We get into a few things I don’t get to dive into much like why I started comedy, where my creativity stems from and why I started this podcast!
Note from Rabiah (Host):
I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know Claire over the past year or more. She has a special podcast that gives a lot of inspiration and it was an honor to be her guest. I am glad to share this episode with you and will be back with a regular interview next week!
Claire (Oxford) welcomes Rabiah (London) onto her podcast, Creativity Found.
Transcript
Rabiah Coon: [00:00:35] This is More Than Work, the podcast reminding you that your self worth is made up of more than your job title. Each week, I'll talk to a guest about how they discovered that for themselves. You'll hear about what they did, what they're doing and who they are. I'm your host, Rabiah. I work in IT, perform standup comedy, write, volunteer, and of course podcast.
Thank you for listening. Here we go!
Hey, everybody, this is gonna be a quick intro because we are in a heat wave in London. So it's, I don't know. I can't remember the Celsius temperature, but it's been about 86 today. And there's no air conditioner here. I mean, I bought one, but just because I need to, I can't for health reasons get two overheated for too long, but man, it's been crazy.
So, uh, I I'm actually sharing an episode [00:01:35] where I'm the guest and someone else is interviewing me. I was on the Creativity Found Podcast a while back. And then more recently, Claire, the host of the podcast invited me to join her at the podcast festival in London. And so we hung out there, recorded in the Shure
audio booth and did another episode. What I'm gonna do now is a feed drop. So I'm dropping one of her podcast episodes that we recorded together, I guess last year actually, into this episode. So you're gonna hear her interview me. I'll talk a little bit about comedy, the podcast, and some other stuff. And next week I'll be back with me interviewing another guest, but this was a good opportunity to share Claire's podcast with you and just, I don't know, maybe you wanted to learn more about who you listen to every week.
Enjoy, definitely follow Claire at Creativity Found Podcast and enjoy this show.
Rabiah Coon: [00:02:35] That it lit something in me where I was like, wow, you can write about fishing and it can be this incredible. You're trying to match what you think people want versus doing what's true to you. So it's weird cause it beats you up, but it also gives you confidence. Just giving myself time to do these creative things and not just one, but several.
And that's, that's kind of nice. And I'm very organized, so I like to have an organized set and I've been complimented for my organization. I don't know if they think I'm funny, but they think I'm organized... which is kind of nice.
Claire Waite-Brown: Hi, I'm Claire, founder of Open Stage Arts drama and singing classes for adults. For this podcast, I chat with people who have found or refound their creativity as adults, we'll explore their childhood experiences of the arts, discuss how they came to the artistic practices they now love [00:03:35] and consider the barriers they may have experienced between the two.
We'll also explore what it is that people value and gain from their newfound, artistic pursuits and how their creative lives enrich their practical, necessary everyday lives. For this episode, I'm speaking with Rabiah Coon who gave herself a mission to do one particular quite scary thing before she was 40.
It was originally a onetime ambition, but thankfully Rabiah has continued with her new creative release even after moving from the us to the UK, right before a global pandemic hit.
Hi Rabiah.
Rabiah Coon: Hello.
Claire Waite-Brown: How are you?
Rabiah Coon: Doing well. Thanks for having me. It's nice to see you virtually and hear you. So yeah.
Claire Waite-Brown: Yeah, you too. So tell me what your newfound creative outlet is.
Rabiah Coon: It's I there? Well, I'm kind of one of those [00:04:35] people who tries to put my hand in a lot of different things, but comedy's the main one right now. And then I have a podcast too, but comedy's been like a big focus.
Claire Waite-Brown: brilliant. Okay. I'm looking forward to hearing more about how that came about.
Let's go back. However, did you have a creative childhood?
Rabiah Coon: Well, I would say that my childhood, I would do some writing. I was always kind of bashful about sharing it and I feel like when I tried to share it, no one was really that interested so it was kinda like, oh, well you read this paper. I wrote and stuff and I would write poetry.
And so I've always written things, but more privately and for myself. But I didn't really have anything where I was gifted artistically or something. It was more just kind of, I don't know, academics and reading more than anything, right? And then I would write, but just not realize it was something I might be decent at.
Claire Waite-Brown: Yeah. Yeah. So how did your education and then career [00:05:35] progress?
Rabiah Coon: Yeah, so, I mean, a teacher in high school really influenced me. I mean, I always did well in school. It was just kind of one of those things that I did. I worked hard, but I did well. And so I was in a advanced English class. We have these things in the US called AP tests and they're just advanced placement and you'll get college credit if you pass a certain standardized test.
And so I took writing and I, from what I remember is the only person who passed in our class, the standardized test, but that teacher. It just had a real impact on me. And then I didn't really do anything with writing though until college again. I mean, actually I remember I wrote for the school newspaper in fourth grade, but that was the closest I got to doing anything.
And then in college I took, I kind of went through some stuff and just some depression and my uncle got sick and, and passed away and I got, I got sick for a little bit. And then I ended up just this one quarter in college taking writing. I was kinda like screw it, I'm [00:06:35] not gonna focus on my major, which was political science, just gonna focus on writing.
And I went into this writing class and we read a piece in the New Yorker by this author, Jack McPhee. And it was about shad fishing, this kind of fish. And I don't care about fishing. I still don't really know what a shad is, but the way it was written was so incredible that it lit something in me where I was like, wow, you can write about fishing and it can be this incredible.
And, it changed me. It changed the way I looked at writing and the way I looked at writing nonfiction. And it's when I started reading the New Yorker. And I, I have to say I've probably skipped most articles in the New Yorker versus reading them, just cause I haven't ever been able to force myself. I had one year in New York City when I was living there that was commuting on the train.
I could, I could get through, uh, an issue a week for a little while, but, um, it changed everything and I think, but it didn't change enough because then I still was scared to do it for a living. I mean, I wanted to, and so I would take, like, I took screenwriting [00:07:35] course right after college, but I just kind of ended up working.
I ended up working in IT pretty quick after college and I'm still in it. It wasn't until about two years ago, I took a writing class at Esalen, the Esalan Institute and Big Sur in California where I'm from. And that lit the, the spark in me again that did it.
Claire Waite-Brown: Okay, well, that's brilliant. Why, why political science do you think?
Rabiah Coon: I was always interested in politics.
I always admired for better or worse, I admired the people in government. I don't know. I mean, I admire people who serve , you know. I think there are people who serve and they spend their life in service of others and that can be in the government or otherwise. And so I admire those people. And I admire the parts of them that are doing that, but I just, I was always interested as a kid.
I don't know why, cause it certainly isn't for my family. My, I mean, my family's pretty engaged now or they have been for the last like four or five years because of what's been going on in the us, but I was [00:08:35] always, and I always thought it was so important to vote and I had this kind of resolute attitude about that.
And so, and I thought I wanted to be a lawyer and that was the path. I really wanted to be a prosecutor actually. and then. I realized I didn't. You know, life happened and things happened in my, my black and white views changed to a lot of gray. And I just was like, oh, I don't wanna do that anymore. But yeah, PoliSci was the path to being a lawyer.
And that's what I thought I wanted to do. Plus I thought law was success. I thought that was gonna be me being successful, you know?
Claire Waite-Brown: Yeah. Interesting.
You said you fell into jobs then after college, what kind of thing came about and how did that lead to, uh, what you do now?
Rabiah Coon: Just, some people know. I mean, I, I just left a role as a project manager in IT, which I've been in for five years and I started a marketing role.
and how I got into that role is very similar to how I got into my other roles. And so right after college, I had been working in, it could sound [00:09:35] fancy and say housing and dining. I worked in the cafeteria serving fries. , you know, would you like fries with that and other things. And I, I was a student manager eventually and helped with training programs.
I've always been kind of a person who's curious and who tries to do a little bit more and that can. You know, when you grow up the younger sibling of someone like me, it's pretty annoying . But, um, I, so in college, when I was working at the cafeteria, I, I ended up doing some training programs and stuff that helped the HR department.
And so then this woman was going on maternity leave and they asked me if I'd fill in, in the HR department, helping coordinate training with people who are English as the second language speakers and coordinating all the trainings across the department and just doing other admin kind of things. And. I also, wasn't getting student loans anymore and I really needed more money cause I needed to start paying them back.
And when you're working in those low wage jobs, , it gets, it gets real, very fast after college. And so I [00:10:35] took a part-time job in a call center and I was working, selling flowers, basically. It was a flower company and I asked for more things to do. I would work overnight. So a lot of times I would work during the week, you know, at my job, eight to five, then I'd go to the other job from like six or seven to 11 or 12.
And then on the weekend, I'd get the overnight shift. And so, wow. I ended up becoming a supervisor and then someone saw like, Hey, this isn't working out. You keep trying to do these other projects, kind of operations stuff. And I never had labels for things. I just was kind of trying to improve processes.
So I moved in operations, then warehouse management and product management. I just kept saying yes to things and people kept offering them. And that's kind of like, I became a product manager in the mobile and webspace, and that's what led me to where I am, because I was, it was again, Hey, do you wanna do this or try this?
And sure. And I worked [00:11:35] all over. I worked in New York City, in Dallas, and now I'm here in London, but I just kind of kept doing a good job and asking questions and being curious. And I moved around and, and so now with my current role after being in it for almost 20 years, I was asked if I wanted to try out the marketing side and that it, it, it's been hard to reckon with cuz someone's actually just recognizing who I am and what I'm good at.
And it's giving me a chance to do it professionally. And that's insane to me. And it's in a different, it's an in the context of it, but it's, it's amazing. And it's, it's kind of applying my creativity to work and I, I didn't think that would ever happen to be honest.
Claire Waite-Brown: That is amazing. So can I ask how did stand up comedy start coming into your psyche?
Rabiah Coon: Yeah, so, you know, I, it's funny. Um, just this weekend I had this epiphany, I was out, I was out having beers with a mate as one might say here, and I just remembered [00:12:35] this guy, Victor Borge, he's this comedian and piano player from Denmark. And I remembered it suddenly and it just came flooding back. And I sent a video of the guy to my friend and he goes, well, I can see where your humor came from and I'm not silly the way he is, but there's a, there's the writing.
So I, I would watch out with my grandma. So I just, over a time writing my sets, I realized more and more how much of an influence my grandma's been and it's kind. It's just interesting, but I think I've always liked comedy. I mean, I always watched Dave Letterman growing up and I'm not a comedy nerd, so I can't name every comedian.
Like some people can, but I just, I always wanted to try it. And it was this thing that I didn't articulate for a while. And then finally, like I was around 30 or so, and I said, oh, I'm gonna do comedy by the time I'm 40 and I'm the friend in the group that everyone said, oh, you should do comedy or do you do comedy?
And you know, it doesn't translate from being just a smart ass among your friends to the stage always. It really doesn't. I mean, it's kind of a thing people don't get, cuz you're not being [00:13:35] yourself really at that point when you're on stage. And so I, um, I just said, well, by the time I'm 40, I'll do it. But then it became this statement I said that I had to stick with cuz it was like the only time I've really stated, like by the time I'm X age, I'll do something. So I waited. I mean, I waited until I was 39 , you know, the eve of my turning into an adult, you know what I mean? But I, like I mentioned, I took that writing course at Esalen. I was this, this kind of gift I gave myself to go to this beautiful place and, and write, and that wasn't comedy writing, but it was more narrative writing.
And I just, I was like, oh, I held my own with these people who are, some of them have been writers for their whole lives. And I had real writing instructors and it informed me that, okay, I could do it and I could write in a funny way, but I have a lot of serious things to write about too. And so then I took that kind of momentum in 2000 into 2018.
And on 2019, I signed up for a comedy class and I paid for it and I was like, all right, now I have to [00:14:35] go. And then I took the stage for the first time in March of 2019. And I turned 40 in May. And so I, the deal was I had to do it once and then I just kind of, I kept doing it and I kept... the writing doesn't come as easy as I'd like it to, but it comes.
And the part that excites me the most is that, and the part that excites me even more than that is putting together a set and having a line that goes through things that don't seem related and then saying, oh, that word didn't work. But that word word does. All of it. And so, yeah.
Claire Waite-Brown: Speaking of which, what is your style and how do you go about preparing your set, but also getting yourself out there and getting booked and putting yourself on stage in front of people?
Rabiah Coon: So it's, well, first of all, it's more admin than I thought. I mean, I did not expect to be, to have to project manage my comedy, but I do. So as [00:15:35] far as writing and writing a set, I mean, some people carry a notebook.
I, I might do that or I'll just put it in my notes on my phone. I just read an article about how people use notes for everything. It's almost like a, a journal of their stream of consciousness at this point, but I use a notes application on my phone and if I just, something makes me laugh and I'll put it in there and sometimes it'll be six months and I'll go back to it and say, oh yeah, I'll just scroll through and say, oh yeah, that's funny.
I can do something with that now. I try to just find something I find funny or a premise that I like and then build on it. And so I do a bit about, I choked. I choked in a restaurant. I needed the Heimlich. I truly did. It didn't work out. I mean, it was, it was. But I found a way to exaggerate a few things and interpret a few things that, that make it funny.
And so I ended up writing about it six months later. I didn't write about it right away. I was kind of scared actually at the time when happened. So there's things like that, or I'll just see. Something occurs. And I'll [00:16:35] just think, well, maybe it's a throwaway joke or maybe I'll turn it into a bit. And so I'll put it together, a set just in that, based on like different things I've worked out and try to throw a new thing in to test it out while I'm doing old stuff. So you kind of are safe cuz you do old stuff that works and then you do new stuff that you don't know what's gonna happen, but you can recover from. And then just with booking gigs, I mean in London, It's a lot of work.
I mean, you have to email people, talk to people, fill in Google forms, hope you get on. Make sure you update your calendar so you don't double book yourself cuz a lot of people do that. There's this idea of a bringer where you have to have someone with you so that you can perform, which is really hard when you just move to a country.
But it's even hard. If you've been doing comedy for years. Your friends don't wanna go see every single, see you do the same bit, the same set you did like 50 times before. So I get, you know, I just book gigs and I talk to people and try to build relationships with people when they're the people I wanna be involved with creatively. [00:17:35] There's different types of humor, different types of comics but I found that I've been able to build a really nice community here for myself now, at least a friendly face. When I walk into most gigs, I'll usually recognize someone and they'll recognize me. And hopefully I didn't do anything to upset them last time I saw them. I don't know. I mean, that's possible. Um, and I just try to like, not be too self deprecating with myself just because I have done a lot of therapy so I know , I know where that comes from. And I know it makes people, it's funny sometimes, sometimes it makes people uncomfortable. When you say things that are clearly untrue about yourself, that you just have a bad self image versus you're being funny and exaggerating something. So I try to be careful about that, the subject of myself and other subjects too. I know everyone's complaining about "woke" stuff, but it's like, I don't know if you have to say something racist, then you probably just need to find something else to say, honestly, like, you know, that's my opinion. So say what you want, but just know someone's gonna talk about it.
And [00:18:35] I, I watch it too, cuz I mean, even as someone who considers themself pretty, pretty woke and pretty aware, I learn every day I learn something I think about who am I making fun of in my jokes? And am I making fun of someone I don't wanna make fun of? So that's when you turn it on yourself, kind of but it's interesting though, to put it all together, I really love doing it though.
That's the part that I find the most interesting. and I'm very organized. So I like to have an organized set and I've been complimented for my organization. I don't know if they think I'm funny, but they think I'm organized. which kind of nice.
Claire Waite-Brown: yeah. Brilliant. You've mentioned about coming to London. It wasn't, it wasn't that long ago that you came coming to London, how has that kind of affected your comedy side of things?
Generally your resilience, cuz you came here at quite a tough time.
Rabiah Coon: Yeah. Yeah. I arrived in January of 2020 at the very end of January too. I like to say that cause it's not like I got that extra month. People might think I got, I got, [00:19:35] you know, a couple days in January. and then yeah, I got around a little bit right before, before lockdown, the initial lockdown.
So I got to meet a few people and started to see how things worked. When I moved here. And I, and people might relate to this when they are trying a new thing or whatever, but I tried to fit what I thought they wanted to hear. And I think that could apply in any way, like you you're trying to match what you think people want versus doing what's true to you. And so I try to change my jokes or I try to write new jokes for London audience. Like I just made up what I thought they wanted. And, and really I had this kind of moment where I said, all right, you're not, nothing's working. You've done three gigs. Nothing's working. and maybe you should just try what, what was working and then change it if you find there's something there.
And so that little, like six weeks time gave me that opportunity. And then we went into lockdown and so, uh, some of us transitioned onto zoom and we did zoom comedy gigs. And, and I actually just met this weekend. Um, a [00:20:35] woman that I had met online that was in, in a zoom comedy room, like on a gig. She was funny.
She thought I was funny. We just connected she's from Alaska lives in Germany. I'm from California live here in London. She came here for a contest and stayed with me for two nights and it could have gone either way, but it went really well. And I've had a few people like I've met now in person. We met online, we did in person and now we're back online.
I think the most shocking thing has just been everyone's height. really funny. and I've surprised people with my height. I think I, I come off as shorter on online for some reason, but that's what I, the feedback I've gotten. But I think it really, the connection that was built and also just the ability to keep doing the comedy, the people who organize this, organize these gigs.
It takes a lot of work. They gave everyone opportunity to connect and to keep working on their stuff. And so I think participating in that really helped me a lot. It helped me build a life within [00:21:35] a studio flat that was everywhere. It's been weird to transition out, to be honest with you. Like the more I go out, the more odd it is because I kind of knew what my life was for a year and a half.
The only life I knew in London and now it's changed so that's a bit jarring. I think people aren't talking about that too much, but it's happening. But, uh, moving to a new country and then in that situation really made. Appreciate the fact that I had these creative outlets to, to do things. And I started podcasting that time too.
Like I, everyone did fine. That's all right. We're both but we have something to say and we have people on who have something to say, I don't wanna be too defensive, but, uh, but yeah, it's just, I don't know. It just helped build like my ability to say, okay, I saw life as one way now it's another way I can adjust.
And that's been really, and now I'm doing the same thing again. I think everyone is we're adjusting again. It's cool.
Claire Waite-Brown: Yeah. What are the differences and what are your preferences [00:22:35] with performing online and performing in clubs, which I know you are doing more of now?
Rabiah Coon: Yeah, well, I think buttoning up your jeans, you know, that's a little bit
no, but, uh, so online. So yeah, that's actually, it's interesting because in person you are, if you do well, you do well, right? You know what that is. But when you don't, oh man. I mean, they're just there. Their whole body is there. So you're not even just seeing their face, not like you, but you're seeing their whole body just kind of reject you and you know, but it's kind of nice because after a performance too, you get the hangout and talk to people and see each other. So that's a little different. Maybe someone might come up and say great job or whatever. They just might ignore you when they walk by, which is fine. So in person, I think there's just the energy is there and, and you, you can [00:23:35] detect it and you can play off the room a little bit more. And, online,
I think it actually helped me because it, I got used to silence and not because I wasn't funny necessarily, but just because people are muted, you know. Or they're not even showing their camera. And when I was comfortable with my material, certain of it, then it's fine not to be conceited, but I know what's funny.
And I know some of mine's not, and the stuff that I know is funny, I'm okay. If I don't hear anything, uh, the stuff that's not, I become very uneasy, but it made me deal with it a little bit. So now on stage, a little easier. Not much easier, but a little easier to deal. The online you had the camera to play with in a different way, which was fun.
But I mean, I prefer in person for sure. Um, but online was good because also you didn't have to commute. I mean, you saved a lot of time. It was more accessible. I think what opened my eyes a lot. And even when I did a show in Camden fringe, like the venues, aren't accessible to people who have mobility issues. And [00:24:35] even if they're hearing impaired, they're not necessarily accessible where Zoom has captioning and people can just see it in their living room. So I think that that's something that needs to be addressed more. And I think we'll see more blending of online and in person because of that so that was something I wasn't maybe aware of just because it's not an issue I have to deal with, but yeah, so I like both, but they're very different.
they're very different
Claire Waite-Brown: creativity found dot co dot uk (creativityfound.co.uk) is the place to go to find workshops, courses, supplies, kits, and books to help you get creative. So, if you are looking for your own creativity, found experience, go have a brows to see what's on offer so far. And if you can help adults to find their new creative passion, please get in touch on social media or through the contact details on the website
So stand up, obviously you are very organized and you are scripted, but [00:25:35] you are not completely tethered by a script as you would be in a theater production. And obviously when you're out there in real life, audiences do react and that plays a big part in the performance. Have you learned any lessons or developed in confidence with regards to dealing with your audience there and then, and maybe dealing with what you've heard or what you felt after the show and your own kind of resilience and acceptance?
Rabiah Coon: Yeah, actually, I've learned a lot and I, and it's iterative. Like I learn it and I forget it. And then I learn it again. But I think a couple things, I mean, typically I don't get heckled, which is good. I have, and I've handled it poorly where I try to just get them back and I've handled it better where I just kind of throw it away and it's better to not, if I wanna do my set, then I need to have respect for myself and my time and not spend it on those people.
If I wanna make them the focus, then I can do that. And I think [00:26:35] that maybe if I had more experience, I would make them the focus sometimes. But if I have only five minutes on stage, I don't wanna spend three of it with these people. Yeah. Um, if people don't laugh and stuff, I try, I, I work really hard and I'm not good at it yet, but to not internalize things while I'm on stage, because one thing I've found and is I'll record my sets a lot.
I don't hear clearly when I'm on stage. So I am busy trying to figure out what I'm saying and trying to react to things, but I might not hear as many laughs as I got. And so when I listen back, I'm like, oh, okay. That didn't go as badly as I thought it doesn't feel as gross. And sometimes it does and sometimes like, okay, well what didn't work?
And then it'll, I'll have to try to remember well, yeah, cuz I started feeling really badly at that point, so I didn't deliver the next thing. Well, and so it's this thing. Trying to almost realize when I'm not present and then to remember the next time to stay present. And I don't know if that happens with you with performance, but I feel like being present really helps [00:27:35] even when you're having to interact and feed off of audiences.
I think too, it's not Shakespeare, you know? And I've, I've told this to other comics. I don't know if it ever helps them, but they go, oh, I I'm gonna forget my line and I'll do the same thing. Oh, I forgot one of my punchlines. And it happened to a friend last night and I'm just like, yeah, but no one knew, you know what I mean? Cause if I can't imagine doing Shakespeare, there's all these experts sitting there going, oh, they didn't do this right. You know, but no one knows our stuff so it's, it's kind of like a freedom in that. And you know, if you mess up, you just do the next thing. The one thing I did learn, and I don't know if I learned it from someone or I made it up, but I don't think I did I'll I won't take credit for making up was no matter how my set today goes, my next steps are the same.
It's to reflect on it either if it goes badly or, well, I'll still reflect on it. And then it's to do the next show. If I did badly, I don't skip the next show. And if I did well, I don't skip the next show. I just do it and then I'll do badly or well, the next time. So that's kind of freeing in a way.
There's no real consequence, unless, I mean, [00:28:35] if it's a contest, you don't win it. Well, whatever, but it takes a lot and it's just, um, I have to remind myself constantly, cuz I, I wanna quit like once a week.
Claire Waite-Brown: Oh.
Rabiah Coon: just because I'm like, what am I doing this for?
Claire Waite-Brown: yeah.
Rabiah Coon: You know, so, but then once a week, I think, oh, maybe I'll make it too, you know,
Claire Waite-Brown: But, do you see a relationship between you mentioned at the very beginning of this episode, about the new role in your day job?
Rabiah Coon: Mm-hmm
Claire Waite-Brown: do you see a relationship in perhaps gaining confidence through doing the comedy that has somehow, maybe subconsciously filtered into your day job?
Rabiah Coon: Yeah, sure. In my day job in general, I mean, I'll have to, I'll have to really think on my feet well, and I have to do that in comedy. And then I have to speak confidently about whatever it is and speak with the client and speak with different people I might not expect to. And a lot of times speaking and giving presentations really intimidates people, but it's like, I've, I've had to present some of the [00:29:35] toughest stuff I I'll ever have to on stage because it's just really hard to just go and talk to random people who don't necessarily want you to succeed, you know. So I think it's helped with that. And yeah, it's given me a little bit more, just self confidence. It's weird. Cause it beats you up, but it also gives you confidence because it tells you that yeah, you can do it. So even if a meeting goes badly, I can go well, okay. I can just, at least . With a meeting, you can go have luxury of emailing the person and saying, Hey, Hey, that did part didn't go, well, I want to reticulate this. Like in comedy you can't email the audience and, well, Hey guys, no, I'm really funny. I really am. Here's how the bit was supposed to go, come back. So, um, but yeah, it's helped me with work for sure. And it's given me, it's kind of made me more efficient at work in a way, because like, if I have something to do after work, I can't sit and work for 12 hours because I've gotta leave at 6:00 PM to get to my gig. So now I have to get my stuff done by six, where I would say before, I mean, I do work hard and I [00:30:35] did work long hours, but sometimes I would probably say unnecessarily. And I think a lot of people do that they don't time box themselves. So they go, oh, I had to work a really long day. It's like, well, did you, or did you kind of not value your time, right? And sometimes we have to work a 12 hour day and sometimes it's like, well, we put it on ourselves. And, and so it's made me see that.
Claire Waite-Brown: Talking about the young Rabiah who liked writing, but didn't feel confident enough to share that writing you are sharing your writing now by performing it. And do you feel that you can do more with your writing and have the confidence behind that, that you might use it elsewhere?
Rabiah Coon: Yeah, absolutely. I, a dream would be to like get published in the New Yorker, you know, ultimately, right? That, but that's, I don't know. That's a lot of people's dream, but I think also I wanna do more spoken word kind of things if I could, I've [00:31:35] written a lot of poetry over the years. Now, some of it I will burn if I ever find out like, this is the date of your death in the future, the day before, there will be some things gone. Some of them will be my poetry because there's no way. But yeah, I mean, and I've shared some of that too here and and that's tricky that that really makes me feel vulnerable, sharing that more than the comedy. And then writing, like I'll write things in my blog and I'm trying to write more like the other night I just, I was supposed to do maybe some schoolwork and I was also supposed to do, I just thought, oh, I have to get all this admin done and whatever, but I was really wanted to write something about an experi-
I wanted to see a concert and I wanted to write about that. And I. It respected kind of what I was thinking about and just did it. And it was partly because I had talked to my therapist the day before, just about some things and I thought, no, I'm gonna listen to myself and do it. And it felt really good.
And I, I think I wanna do that more, uh, because I think I can write and I think [00:32:35] I have things to say that aren't just on, on the comedy stage. So it's getting me more and more into like, giving myself time to do these creative things and not just one, but several. And that's, that's been kind of nice.
Claire Waite-Brown: You mentioned about your time and respecting your time. And that's a really good thing that you can do now in a way that you can think that you can allow yourself to do more writing. Because quite often my guests, we talk about that balance and it can be the admin side of running a creative business is way more than the actual, lovely, creative time you get to do it.
Rabiah Coon: Yeah, I've heard your guests talk about that. And it totally resonated with me because, so what I've tried to do, and it's not look, it's not always working, but I try, and my friend told me this. She said she does defensive calendaring and you know how Americans talk funny anyways. So now we're but the [00:33:35] idea, and I guess you would call it di diarying
I don't know. That doesn't really flow. So maybe you guys should change things to calendar, but basically the idea is that she'll just block time in her calendar where no one can book anything and it, nothing can be booked because then it gives her time to do what she needs to do. And, you know, I have to do that with my podcast.
Like I don't wanna record or do comedy every single night, so I block time. So then it gives me time and then I can say, yeah, alright, what do I have to get done today? And I get those things done. What would be nice to get done and what can wait. And I just kind of try to organize things that way, do admin for 15 minutes and just get it knocked out versus try to write and do admin and watch TV and do this all at the same time. And I, I get my mind works that way, where I think of all the five things I need to do, but it's like, all right, no focus on one for this amount of time and get it done. And that's been helpful, but it's hard. It's really hard.
And people they're being business people and being creative. And it would be nice if we could all have an admin to do this stuff for us. Honestly, I [00:34:35] wish I could have an admin do my work.
Claire Waite-Brown: So tell me about your podcast.
Rabiah Coon: Yes. And you're a guest on my podcast. It was a fun episode, but yeah, my podcast it's called More Than Work and this isn't the first time I podcasted, I interviewed bands about 15 years ago and that was cool, but we didn't know how to monetize. So Marc Maron won that battle, but my podcast now I'm passionate about kind of like you like sharing other people's stories to help others really.
Service is something I'm passionate about. And one, one way I see people not serving themselves is just by making their whole self worth based on their job and their job title and working at kind of a, a startup that grew really fast in my twenties. I saw it happen in myself and to my friends over time where we thought we actually, we were really good at our jobs.
We thought we were nothing. If we didn't have those. And we were nothing. If we didn't [00:35:35] work the crazy hours and we were nothing, if we. Had to leave the job and go somewhere else. And it got really tiring. Seeing people go through that and going through it myself and not seeing myself as a full person outside of work.
And so I developed a podcast or produced it, I guess, to kind of tell the stories of people who either found work that's meaningful. That's kind of representing their values too. Like people working nonprofits and stuff often it's reflecting their values as a person. but then also people will find things outside of work.
So creative things are otherwise like, and just talk to them. And it's been really, I don't know, it's been so great. I learn so much every time. And then like you, I edit my own thing. And so I listen to it again and, and learn so much and get so much out of it. And it's just been really awesome to have so many people willing, be willing to talk to.
Yeah.
Claire Waite-Brown: Yeah. It's really sociable. Isn't it? I love talking to meeting people and hearing their stories and having a good chat. What's your podcast called? [00:36:35]
Rabiah Coon: More than work podcast.
Claire Waite-Brown: Yeah. Brilliant and Rabiah, generally, how can people contact you?
Rabiah Coon: Yeah, you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn. TikTok, which the TikToks are really boring that I do. I don't do funny ones. I just post my podcast there but yeah. And it's rabiahcomedy or morethanworkpod or rabiahc in any of those places. So I'm pretty Googleable as one might say, if they're, again, making up words. Yeah.
Claire Waite-Brown: Like the Americans do, we'll just make up a new word for it.
Rabiah Coon: Yeah. new word.
Claire Waite-Brown: Oh, that's brilliant. Thank you so much, raver. That's been absolutely superb.
Rabiah Coon: Cool. Thank you. Thanks for having me on.
Claire Waite-Brown: You're welcome.
Creativity found is an Open Stage Arts production. If you are listening on Apple podcasts, please subscribe, [00:37:35] rate, and review. If you would like to contribute to future episode.
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Thanks for listening. You can learn more about the guest and what was talked about in the show notes. Joe Maffia created the music you're listening to. You can find him on Spotify at Joe M A F F I A. Rob Metke does all the design for which I am so grateful. You can find him online by [00:38:35] searching Rob M E T K E.
Please leave a review if you like the show and get in touch if you have feedback or guest ideas. The pod is on all the social channels at, at more than work pod (@morethanworkpod) or at Rabiah comedy (@rabiahcomedy) on TikTok. And the website is more than work pod dot com (morethanworkpod.com). While being kind to others, don't forget to be kind to yourself.
