It’s said over and over by anyone who has a job: “I’ve done it thousands of times.” In entertainment, it’s “I’ve performed thousands of shows” and in event planning it’s “I’ve done thousands of these events.”
It’s easy to say “I’ve done it thousands of times” but before you do, take a moment and think about how many 1000 is and what it means.
I was having a friendly talk with a fellow performer the other day I commented that I think I just hit my 1000th show and he said, with regards to his show, “I’ve done thousands of shows.” I asked if he knew how many 1000 is and then followed up by doing the math.
Let’s say you’re lucky and book two shows a week for 10 years, with some weeks having only one show and others having 3, but overall, it’s 2 shows a week for 10 years. That’s just about 1000. We can reduce the years by adding in a two or three-show-a-day residency like a theme park or theater venue, maybe that takes it down to 7 years. So, with super rare exceptions such as a 5 times a day performance schedule, you’re 1000 shows took, at the best, 7-10 years of weekly performances. And all of this is assuming you’re (more or less) doing the same show all those years. This isn’t for performances as a whole, it’s for “the show.”
We’ve all heard about the 10,000-hour rule; that it takes 10,000 hours of doing something to become an expert at it. 10,000 is much more than needed, so I propose a change to that rule, let’s make it 1000 times.
After 1000 actual performances, not practice, you have a wisdom that only comes with time. In showbiz, we call it road time. There’s an ease to the show, a grace to the performance, and a polish to the presentation that can only come with time. It’s dozens of mistakes, changes, and accomplishments. It’s a patina that is felt by everyone watching the performance.
This isn’t just true for performances. Anyone who has done something the same way (with improvements and experiments added in) 1000 times; an event, a complex surgery, or taking an order from a patron, you form a shorthand with yourself, you find ease with a job that for others is not as easy. It’s not a special power, it’s time well spent and lessons learned. You are an expert.
So no matter your profession, strive for the 1000 club – so that you can know that your experience, yes, that’s the key word, your experience has made you an expert.
About Michael Gutenplan
Michael Gutenplan is a professional mentalist, magician, and performer who has performed over 1000 actual shows!