NCEC in the News!
High Point Humorist Turns Storytelling into Full-Time Career: Kelly Swanson
Researched and written by Diana Interlandi
I've always loved comedy,” says Kelly Swanson. While growing up in the south she was inspired by actress Carol Burnett and television sitcoms such as The Cosby Show. After graduating from Appalachian State University in 1990 with a BA in English and a minor in music, Swanson took a job as a secretary at a doctor’s office. Later, she became a part of her father’s family business as an office manager. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” says Swanson. At the time, Swanson felt like her passion for comedy and writing was more of a personal interest and hadn’t seriously considered following it as a career path.
While Swanson was working as an office manager, she enjoyed storytelling and writing on the side. In 1993 she decided to become a professional storyteller to make some extra money. When she first started as a professional, she was hired for storytelling festivals, school shows, retirement homes, churches, and private parties. However, before making any money in storytelling Swanson points out, “I understood that I had to do a lot of stuff for free to get good at what I do,” and she adds, “When you’re free that’s what you’re worth at that point.” She explains that doing shows for free gave her the experience she needed in order to grow and fine tune her talent.
Swanson married her husband Bill in 2000. Even though many people had always told Swanson how talented she was, it was her husband who encouraged her to begin her entrepreneurial endeavor as an artist. As a web designer, Bill helped her set up her own web site. In addition to a web site, she also had her own business cards made. When asked what her primary motivation was for starting her business, Swanson stated, “To get to do what I love to do and to get paid for it.”
When she started seriously working as an artist it was under the title of “professional storyteller.” One of Swanson’s biggest resources was a group of professional storytellers who made up what is known as the Storytelling Guild. “You need to find a group of your peers,” she says, “people who are doing what you want to do.” From her peers in the Storytelling Guild, Swanson learned about where to find storytelling jobs. She also learned more about her business by attending workshops and retreats.
During 2004 Swanson found the audience that she wanted to which she wanted to sell her talent: corporate businesses. When Swanson performed at the Best of Our State magazine storytelling festival in 2004, she met a fellow performer who is now one of her biggest resources, humorist Jeanne Robertson, a legend in the speaking business. The experienced Robertson advised Swanson to take her talent to the corporate speaking world. Swanson did exactly that. With this change, Swanson was able to make a decent living, and she was able to do what she loved. “Never underestimate the power it will have when someone else sees themselves in you,” Swanson remarks, “there are many arms waiting to give you a hand up.”
Swanson emphasizes the importance of knowing whom you serve. When starting out in the corporate business world, Swanson marketed herself as a “professional speaker.” She explains that this title was the “language” that the corporate business clients would understand. Swanson further explains that if she had held on to her ambiguous “storyteller” title no one in the business world would have known what to do with her. She began referring to herself as a “speaker” because this was a more defined term that strongly appealed to her new market.
Although Swanson changed her market, she never changed what she loves. She explains that you can take what you’re good at, find a place, and make it work. For Swanson, it was all a matter of changing what she called herself. Today in the corporate business world, Swanson is hired as a motivational speaker at conventions during which she delivers her client’s message but she presents it in her unique, comedic way. Swanson’s humor is what sets her apart from the rest. She encourages aspiring artists to figure out what makes them different from everyone else and how they can use those characteristics to their advantage.
Swanson makes it clear that everything she does is learning process. While starting out as a speaker she had trouble deciding on how much she would charge her clients for her service. Swanson felt that she would always underestimate what she was worth. “Don’t think your gift is worth so little that it can only be given away for free . . . you can do something they can’t and that has value,” she says. Swanson stresses the importance of courage and confidence. She says you must have the courage to know that you belong and that your talent was given to you for a reason. As for confidence, Swanson has learned that “you have to have confidence and own what do. You can’t wait for a big break. You have to work and make it happen.”
During her spare time, Swanson mentors aspiring artists. She strongly believes that along with her successes she should give back to others. Swanson says that some of her biggest opportunities have come from the people whom she helps. Although helping others can be beneficial, she clarifies that you have to help someone because it comes from your heart and not because you expect something from it.
When asked what her greatest and worst moments have been, Swanson smiled and said that for her, “The greatest moments are when they laugh. . . . When you have a room and it’s sold out and there’s people everywhere and they laugh. I can’t explain it, but it’s like a high.” As for the worst moments, “the worst moments are when they don’t laugh!” jokes Swanson. She also adds that the negative comments are the worst. “That really stings.” Swanson explains that you will never be able to please everyone and that you need to have tough skin in order to take criticism.
If she could go back and do it all over again, Swanson says that she would have taken business courses and that she would have had a business plan laid out when she started her venture. Other than courses, Swanson believes that colleges should provide student entrepreneurs with workshops and consultants and that the students should make the most of these opportunities.
Today, Swanson believes she is successful thanks to her courage, drive, and passion for what she does. She also believes that networking has strongly aided her in success. In addition to these things, Swanson stresses the importance of studying other genres. She explains that she is constantly learning and making herself stronger by taking comedy classes as well as acting and writing classes. Swanson gives excellent advice when she says, “Being good at what you do, even being better than most people is not enough--that is just your ticket in the door. It’s about being unique.”