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Hi! ...and [br]welcome to Everyday, Extraordinary Women.

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This is Jessica Lynn Johnson.[br]Hello.

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And I'm so excited to have her here today.[br][Music.]

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Welcome back. We have our tea here.[br]Cheers.

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Cheers.[br]To a good show. [Laughing.]

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So, I wanted to just know more about[br]how you came across solo theatre

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Like how did you get started in it? [br]What were you thinking? Were you crazy?

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When I got started with solo theatre,[br]that was, it was right when I, uh,

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moved to New York City. [br]You know, essentially I was like,

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I don't want to wait [br]for the phone to ring.

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I want to be generating material.[br]But I had no idea what I was doing.

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I just knew that I could play characters[br]and I was a writer.

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Ok, I'm going to use these talents and[br]and put something up on stage.

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So, I wrote my first show,[br]"Oblivious To Everyone."

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I toured that show for about a decade.[br]and it grew and changed.

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Like it started out as a [br]20 minute version.

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And then it grew to like 70 minutes.[br]

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You...obviously did not [br]give up on that project.

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Yeah.

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Like you kept going and tweaking it.[br]

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And I had to keep making it [br]interesting for myself.

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Like, I had to keep discovering new things[br]about the characters,

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or...um...that piece was all about[br]...um...racism, homophobia, uh...

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uh...just predjudice of [br]...uh...materialism

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all kinds of different things.[br]So, that was always changing in society

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and how the media was portraying it[br]was changing too.

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So, there's always new material[br]to add to the show

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and to adapt it.[br]Honestly, I just kinda, you know

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it became...it was like ok[br]it's time to move into,

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into something new.[br]And that's when I created my second show,

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"Z"

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"Z"

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...so...yeah...

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Alright. And was that [br]here in Los Angeles?

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That was here in LA.[br]With...uh...Terrie Silverman.

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Um...who was my director.[br]I took her master class.

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And it was a six-month[br]process of developing that show.

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and that's about...um...[br]the LGBTQIA community.

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and also...um...[br]healthy spirituality.

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So, that's what that show explores.

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Oh yes.[br]I wanted to know how you

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made the switch from a performer[br]to being a teacher / coach?

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Cause you solely do that right now,[br]right?

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I guess that started with [br]David Magidoff.

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I think he's the first person that[br]pops into my mind.

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David was very passionate about[br]creating free improv

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and community through[br]the arts.

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um...and so, he approached me [br]and asked if I would do

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my solo show...uh...class.[br]Under the umbrella of Monkey Butler.

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and I...he asked me [br]like six times.

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And I said no [laughing].[br]I said no over and over and over again.

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Not because I wasn't in cahoots [br]with his mission, but

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because I didn't have faith in myself [br]as a teacher.

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I was like I...[br]I'm a performer and I can teach

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for like a day.[br]But I'm not a teacher.

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Like I don't teach.[br]So that finally I was just like

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ok, yes, if you'll leave me alone.[br]I'll do it. You know.

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And then when I, when I did [br]my first twelve-week course,

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we set it up for twelve-weeks[br]of free classes.

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I just fell in love.[br]I fell in love with, with teaching

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and with the student's stories.[br]And...um...and there's something

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so magical about creating [br]community like that through the arts

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that is free.[br]So that money is never a hindrance.

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Because everybody has a story[br]worthy of telling no matter

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what their monetary situation is.[br]Um...so, I came alive in that process.

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I was wondering if you could just [br]share with us like one or

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(well as many as you want) but,[br][Laugh.]

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Five million.

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Five million obstacles that [Yes.][br]you had to overcome?

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in answer to, like obstacles. [br]Well, I'm my own obstacle

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when I have limited thinking[br]or negative thinking

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or I'm trying to control...um...[br]the way that it should play out.

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So, for me it's a daily practice of... [br]of waking up and, and giving my

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day to God and surrendering.[br]And just being like, I'm a vessle.

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And show me what to focus on today.[br]And if that's submitting to acting jobs,

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great. If that's, you know, [br]doing principle work on acting job, great.

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If it's teaching, great.[br]You know, and just...um...

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staying open to that kind of [br]divine leading.

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I'm very woo-woo.[br][Laughing.]

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If you haven't picked up on that already.[br]Um...I am, I'm very spiritual and woo-woo

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and I don't pretend not to be.[br][Laughing.]

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It's too, too who I am. [br]So...yeah.

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Share with us, what is the biggest [br]thing you've learned

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as a solo artist and teacher?

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So, I, you know, I've said this [br]to my, my students that

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with solo theatre, I think,[br]it's very unique in the sense that

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you have to show up for yourself[br]in a way that you don't have too

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in any other genre.[br]You know if you're in a

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a, a play that has a huge cast,[br]you're gonna show up because

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you have, you know, ten other [br]people relying on you.

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And a director, and all the tech people[br]and, like, you know,

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a whole production relying on you.[br]And for solo theatre,

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you have to show up for yourself[br]everyday. You have to show up

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and make you make sure you[br]wrote that script and you're

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rehearsing your lines, and [br]you're working on your characters,

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and you're doing the research,[br]and you believe in your story

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enough to get on stage. [br]Or you don't believe it in it,

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but you're gonna do it anyway.[br][Laughing.] Whatever it is.

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And so, for me,[br]that's been the biggest lesson,

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is just showing up for myself[br]and saying you're worthy of this.

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[Laughing.][br]Just say, you know,

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"Fake it 'till you make it."[br]Believe that.

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You know, and get up on the stage[br]and share.

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Are there any other ways[br]um...in addition to when

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we wake up in the morning,[br]like telling ourselves that,

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that we can show up for ourselves?

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uhhum...I don't even want to see [br]the tapes of my first performances

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of "Oblivious."[br]It was probably so horrible,

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but whatever! [br]You know, I got up and I did it!

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and so that's an accomplishment[br]in, in itself, and I didn't do that

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I wouldn't have gotten to... [br]to do my show now.

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Or any of the other different[br]accolades that came my way,

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because I had to mess up.[br]I had to fail. I had to, you know,

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work my way through it.[br]So, I think, just having grace

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for ourselves.[br]That it's a journey.

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It's a process. [br]We can change and grow along the way.

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It does not have to be perfect. [br]In fact, it's never going to be perfect.

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What is perfect?[br]Right?

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um...so, just to allow ourselves[br]that grace. To be like, just play!

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Well, I love how you brought up[br]the idea of surrendering to like

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something new. Even if it's[br]not what we expected.

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Yes.

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Because, I feel like that has been my [br]journey this year.

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about, you know, taking those [br]leaps of faith when our inner knowing

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told us to do something.[br]and a lot of times it is scary stuff

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and it doesn't make sense and [br]the best things in my life have come

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from that space of listening[br]to my intuition.

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Even when it was scary,[br]even when it didn't make sense,

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when it led me into the unknown.

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What advice would you give to[br]um...any artist out there

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who are watching, or who will watch [br]later on the YouTube show

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um...if, that are thinking about starting[br]or writing a solo show...

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uhhmm...

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What would you say?

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Well, first thing, if you're, you know[br]in Los Angeles, come to my class!

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It's free. So, you can e-mail me at[br]soaringsoloartist@gmail.com

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or jessicalynnjohnson.com and sign up [br]to be on my mailing, my mailing list.

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um...and just come to class.[br]It's free.

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um...if that's not, you know, feasible [br]for you, I do Skype sessions as well.

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But, I think the important thing,[br]whoever you work with

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is just starting. Just start.[br]Somewhere.

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I think that's the biggest obstacle[br]for so many people is they

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just never start. [br]They conceptualize ideas about what

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their shows going to be about.[br]and they talk about it alot or

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they write something and [br]shove it in a drawer, and it's...

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Just start and, and let it reveal itself.

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Anything else you would add to [br]anyone watching that has like this

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germ of an idea?

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Yeah.[br]um...well this is a little bit of a

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different angle. [br]I just sent out this email the other day

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about how we're all snowflakes.[br]A little bit cheesy, but, you know,

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I'm, I'm pretty sappy if you [br]get to know me.

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[Laughing.]

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um...but, but it's true, you know,[br]like we, when you have this idea

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of blaze your own trail or[br]go a different direction,

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trust that because you are,[br]you're as intricate and unique

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as a snowflake. And yet you are[br]part of a beautiful winter

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wonderland of snow.[br]You know, we're, we're all

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unified, but we're all unique. [br]And so, I think, again, yeah,

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trust your intuition and those[br]uh...that trailblazing idea that comes up.

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uhhmm.[br]Follow it.

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Follow it.[br]It's leading you to...

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to your path. [br]To your highest path.

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To the next thing.[br]Oh. But why, that?

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Why is that the hardest thing to do?

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Right?[br][Laughing.]

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Well, greatness isn't easy.

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I know, right?[br][Laughing.]

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So, I just wanted to give a special [br]shout out to Jessica for coming on.

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Taking time out her busy day [br]to share with us. um...

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And thank you to you[br]for having me!

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I was so, like, nerdy, excited [br]about this...I was like aww...

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and then the flowers on the wall[br]match the flowers on my dress,

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I was like it's meant to be!

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Yes!

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Bye![br]Bye!

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[Music.]