Do you feel stuck in your comedy career?

No matter what level you’re at, it’s likely you’re going to encounter those moments in your career where you feel like things have gone stagnant and you don’t know what to do to get to the next level and start getting some momentum going again.

Here’s a few suggestions for things you may want to try to get yourself back on track…

1. Create New Content

I’ve written before about the power of momentum and creating new fresh content is one of the best things you can do start building some momentum again for your career. Don’t worry about the results of that content, and don’t get discouraged if people aren’t viewing/reading it. Just keep creating it. Whether it’s a blog, podcast, video series, or new jokes for your standup act, focus on creating more stuff and you’ll likely find that it leads you to some new progress in your career.

2. Try Something Different

If you feel creatively stalled one of the best things you can do is explore a new comedy path – whether it’s acting, writing, sketch, improv, whatever. Step out of your comfort zone, learn a new skill, and explore things you haven’t tried before. Often times, it will lead to new opportunities for you in your career.

3. Work Harder

If things aren’t going well for you, it might be time to ask yourself if you’re really working as hard as you can be at your comedy career. If you’re honest with yourself, the chances are that you probably could work a little harder. And the chances are that if you do, you may start to see better results. Need a little inspiration to work harder? Then watch this video:

4. Network With More Established Comics

One of the best ways to generate new opportunities for yourself is to develop better relationships with comics who are more established than you and can serve as mentors or resources for you. Other comics can help with everything from advice about your act, to booking gigs, to making introductions to agents, managers or bookers. The time you spend developing strong relationships with comics who have advanced beyond where you are can really be time well spent.

5. Network With Less Established Comics

It may seem less obvious, but it’s just as important to connect with comics who are less established than yourself. You never know who is going to know who and who is headed to what level of success – comics that may seem behind you today might be able to help you tomorrow…and they’ll remember how nice (or awful) you were to them back in the day. You’ll also probably find that comics that are less established than you are will be eager to work with you on projects that may require collaboration.

6. Educate Yourself

The more you learn about the art and business of comedy, the more likely you are to identify opportunities that can take you to the next level of your career. If you’re “stuck” at the moment, take advantage of that time to learn as much as you can however you can.

7. Broaden Your View Of A Comedy Career

There’s a lot more to comedy than just stand up. If you’re banging your head against the wall trying to build a stand up career, it’s probably time to explore all the other options available to people interested in a comedy career. If you start to look for opportunities beyond 5 minutes of stage time, you might find there’s a lot of other ways to use your comedic skills to establish a career than you realize.

8. Get A Comedy-Related Job

One of the best ways to generate new opportunities for yourself is to put yourself as close to the business as possible. Get a job at a comedy club, or writing for a comedy website, or interning at a booking agency, or go work for a social media agency, or anything that you can find that’s related to the comedy business. You’ll learn more about how the business works and make important contacts that can help you jumpstart your career.

9. Focus On Why You Wanted A Comedy Career In The First Place

Do you remember why you first decided to pursue a career in comedy? It’s real easy to get distracted and forget the initial things about comedy that you loved. Try to think back to those and focus your efforts on that.

10. Spend Time On Things You Can Control

Most comics spend too much time focused on things they can’t control – getting people to book them, pay them, or hire them to produce work. That’s a recipe for getting stuck because so much of that is out of your control.

To jumpstart your career, instead focus on a project that you can completely control without anybody else’s permission, money, or input. It won’t be easy, but putting your effort into something in which your success depends entirely on your own effort can be a really powerful experience.