Most people think of comedy as a performing art.

But consider the process:

  1. Think up something you think would be funny
  2. Tell the joke to an audience and get feedback
  3. Incorporate feedback to either scrap the joke or make it better.

Contrast this with what Clark Beckham describes as the process of art: having a clear vision, and then building the skills to express it so that you feel what comes out is true to your vision.

An artist would say whatever is in them, even if others don’t think its funny.

A comedian is more like a software developer building features for an audience.

Get feedback, tweak, deliver, tweak again. And once every part is working, ship it as a new product (a new comedy special).

Pixar does the same thing.

Like for Toy Story 3:

  1. First draft of script; shoot, edit, and produce actual animation of it
  2. Screen it (to a small group) and get feedback from the audience
  3. Repeat this process 7 to 8 times, until the final piece gets the reaction they desire.

Comedy (and the Pixar process) isn’t really a performing art. It’s a lot more like performing entrepreneurship.