The year started off with performing in my first Helium competition. I did not advance which did feel disappointing and I wondered at the time if this would mean I would see my bookings dwindle. Spoiler: it did not. Ultimately, I was proud of the performance & I got a great tape out of it. And that’s a win! In a week from today, I’ll be tryin’ again up there and I think my jokes are stronger, my stage presence is bolder, it is still impossible to know what will happen. Which is doing wonders for my anxiety.

Back to the recap... July I had plenty of shows but plenty of self doubt. And then I had a really fun, kickass set at Laugh Basement and I was ready to take on the comedy world.., but don't worry life quickly knocked me back on my ass

At the end of August, I lost a job I loved and the comedy community was there for me in a way I did not expect and I am very grateful. Ultimately, (are we gonna end every blurb with some kind of wiser wisdom saying “ultimately”?) this cleared the runway for my success in the rest of the year in comedy. I put everything I had into this silly little gig and I don’t regret it.

September I hosted the one year anniversary of my show You Oughta Know and it was a truly great time. We had one more October show at 4th Wall which was such a great note to go out on there. I’m so grateful for that space that allowed the show to become the really great thing that it is! (Yes I’m giving props to my own show!! Whatever!!)

October was the first Foolish Games show where I put on an elaborate “game” of Clue it was wildly chaotic but so much fun and everyone at that show were little supportive angels (who were also suspects in my murder) October was also the first time I did over 20 minutes and in November I did over 30 minutes. It was such a great opportunity to stretch the muscle and it did feel really natural & both sets went decently well which I’m happy about but it also confirmed that I want to focus my energy on crafting & honing my 10 & 15 minute sets so that they are the perfect mix of playfulness & sharp writing & confident performance.

November was a big month honestly! I performed in my first booked show at Helium - it was okay but not as strong as I wished. But from that five, I expanded it into a really solid 10 minute set. I was also in my first comedy festival Haha Harvest Fest and it was awesome. I did host a version of You Oughta Know for the fest but honestly it was a bit of a hot mess because of where my head was at. I feel bad about that still to be honest! I don’t like that in November especially my mental health got so in the way of being the producer I want to be. But it was so great to have the festival as this thing to hold on to and to revel in the joy with so many comics!

The stand out highlight from December? Performing with my improv team, Little Treat. I had forgotten just how magical improv can be, it is such a great workout for my joke brain, such a great release getting to play the silliest characters like Young Hot Santa & Abacus, the dog factory mutant. All of the shows I did in December were actually so fun/such good learning experiences. I rank every stand up show set I do on a scale of 1-10 and in December at Haymaker I had a 10/10 sets - which only happened twice this year (I am very resistant to ranking myself highly bc I want to make the really good ones COUNT!)

January was a BIG month for producing. I was determined to get it right, to make up for November & December. 2024 started off with a bang with a very fun set at It’s Gonna Be Okay one of my fav shows to do. I did my second show at Chill n Fill and it was such a good feeling to come back and conquer (ok hate that word but idk how else to put it) that room where frankly I flopped hard the year before.

February was super fun because I got to play with my character Tilly Driscoll a bunch. Also continued playing with Little Treat and reveling in the joy of improv and making new friends. I also felt less confident in my material this month though, doubt seeping in. But! This was also the beginning of Tits Up - something I am SO proud of, creating a space that fun while being safe, encouraging, and focused on women? That’s the whole potato baby.

Then March was chef’s kiss. Got to do a longer set at Defiant Joy (and frankly could have gone on forever in that room it felt so good), hosted a great You Oughta Know at Curious. Then I had the best fucking weekend at Comedy Fort, my first out of town comedy festival. I mean what AN INCREDIBLE TIME gave me so much confidence to keep up with the incredible caliber of performers there & also hung out with new out of town comedy besties and had a few of the best nights of my whole year frankly!!

April I think reality sunk in that uh comedy is hard and not every show is gonna be like the shows I did at Treefort… that sometimes you just can’t make it work. Sometimes you play the comparison game and feel like shit because why doesn’t Top Comedy Man think I’m funny enough to do his show etc etc. Sometimes a crowd just doesn’t like you and your humor - and boy does that hurt. But plowing forward regardless because… I want this more than I hate flopping. I ended the month with a soul healing show at Be Gay Do Crime

May was frankly lovely. I had significantly less shows this month but the shows I did do went so good that it made everything feel so sparkly and enriching (is that the right word? Or is that just for bread flour?) I started teaching my first stand up class and I got SOOO lucky with this group they’re so fucking rad and funny and unique I can’t wait to see them bloom and kill it in the scene.

This weekend I hosted You Oughta Know for @kickstandcomedy debut and we had a packed room and the vibes were frankly immaculate. This show has had several venues and I think I found the perfect place for my passion project I’m so excited for the next one.

And now it’s June 17th. And year 3 of Portland comedy begins tomorrow… my goals are high, my intentions are front of mind, and my love for this community burns bright. Sometimes it fucking sucks, sometimes I want to scream at all of you to shut up, touch grass, and maybe do anything other than comedy for a hot minute. Sometimes, increasingly lately, it feels like the world is too heavy to continue making dick jokes. But comedy is both a balm and an accelerant - makes me feel calm & also so damn alive.