Kevin Hart: Immerse Yourself In Your Craft

Kevin Hart was spending nights in local Philadelphia comedy clubs hashing out new jokes and bits. There was a dream he was after, a port he was sailing toward, but uncertainty loomed.

Did he have the talent? The guts? The skill?

It's the thought that goes through the mind of the ambitious. Is the dream too big? Is the goal feasible? Is the vision within reach?

It's uncertainty that can only be answered with time. But whatever you're after, whatever you're chasing and working toward, you can take an important lesson from Kevin Hart.

In the early years of his comedy career, as Hart was still trying to break through, a comedian told him he should make his way up to New York—the mecca of comedy on the East Coast.

Not to perform. 

Not to make his name.

Not to take over the city.

But to immerse himself in the craft. 

For the next few years, Hart made the trek from Philly to New York a couple of times a week. He never went on stage. He just watched, observed, and soaked it all in.

He learned how comedians commanded the stage. He picked the brains of those who had been in the game for a while. He asked questions and acted like a sponge. 

It's all about what music producer Rick Rubin said, 

Whatever you choose, it’s helpful to have fellow travelers around you… Creativity is contagious. When we spend time with other artistic people, we absorb and exchange a way of thinking, a way of looking at the world.

Whatever your craft is, immerse yourself in it. 

People.

Books.

Documentaries.

The history of it all. 

When you immerse yourself, you see what it takes. It changes your standard. It resets your bar. It gives you a better understanding of how to make it.

Surround yourself with greatness. And little by little, you’ll rise to meet it.

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You can learn more about the life of Kevin Hart here

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