Speaking of being comfortable in your own skin...the quote in the title above is from Marc Maron.

A fan of comedy, I spent the better part of yesterday tuning into the Marc’s podcast titled WTFpod. 

After tuning into a few episodes, I realized that not only was I listening to Marc interview other comedians and entertainers, but I was getting access to fellow creatives talking about their lives. For me, there’s nothing better. It’s what inspired my own podcast way back when, and it makes me want to bring it back in big way. I love the opportunity to hear creative people talk candidly about life, work and all that goes with it. 

In my two years dedicated almost exclusively to studying Improv and going to the Improv, almost every week, to see comedians perform, I’ve seen Marc do stand up several times. He’s a great stand-up. He is also an excellent interviewer. You know what makes a good interviewer? A good listener, and willingness to reveal the hard, honest truth about yourself. Because only then, when you can be totally open about who you are, can you comfortably ask those honest questions of another. And Marc asks them. He lets the podcasts run over an hour and when I tune in I feel like I’m hanging out with friends who are  having a real conversation. We need more real in this world, and I’m not talking about reality tv.

This is why I want to share an excerpt from an opening to Marc’s podcast interviewing Kevin Smith {episode #141}. The vulnerability we feel as creatives comes up all the time, in conversation with Sean, my friends, my colleagues, and in every class I teach both in person and online. Here are Marc’s thoughts on this. I wanted to keep it as accurate as I could so I transcribed it verbatim. Because the point Marc is making is about being himself, and the way he expresses himself is a big part of his persona. Oh and he curses. Hello, his podcast is called "What The Fuck?"

Truth? I curse too. In fact my favorite curse word is "fuck".  I don’t ever curse in my blog posts without putting pretty little symbols #$%*& in place of some of the letters because I don’t want to offend anyone who doesn’t like cursing, but the the hard honest truth is that’s not really me. I’m not saying I curse like a sailor over here, but I no longer want to apologize for using these words that I think, depending upon the context, can serve quite well to add some color to our vocabulary. Let me also just say that I absolutely respect that there are differing opinions on the use of curse words and well, on pretty much everything. But that’s the beauty of the world we live in today. We can choose the content we give our attention to. With that said, I’m not bleeping Marc and I’m not going to be bleeping myself any more either. 

I can only do what the fuck I do.

It’s always comforting for those of us who dedicate our lives to getting comfortable in our own skin, to know we’re not alone in our vulnerabilities. And I think it’s a great accomplishment, and a relief when we finally learn to let that shit go. It’s only taken me 38 years.