Being involved and seen on campus is one thing, but consistently standing in front of crowds and performing stand-up comedy is another. For Richard Clow, a senior from Walpole Massachusetts, this is the reality. Richard is a fixture on Loyola’s campus, he is a member of SGA, the president of the investment club, and a vital member of many other clubs across campus. He is thoroughly involved in every aspect of life at Loyola. How can he be so involved? It is because he faces his fears and performs in front of comedy fans in Baltimore and Massachusetts regularly. “Stand-up is a lot, it's frightening every time I get up there. I’m performing in front of strangers and strange people and you never know what kind of audience you’ll get,” said Clow.
Stand-up is analogous to life in a lot of ways. Taking risks and putting yourself out there is a daunting task but it can be rewarded. Richard has gotten better at dealing with his expectations, saying, “I have to go up there and rip the bandaid off. I have to be confident with what I say. If I get up there and no one laughs, that’s okay too.”
As time goes on, Richard has grown his skills as a comic and grown as a part of the stand-up community, much like his involvement in Loyola’s community. While most people do stand-up comedy for the laughs or attention, Clow enjoys the camaraderie between comics, “I love seeing other comics work, I like to see how comfortable they are on stage. It’s also great to see other comics get better, it’s the same people who perform and you get to see them often.”
Overcoming the fear of crowds and failure is essential to performing stand-up and branching out and joining new communities. “I’ve always been involved throughout my life and I do the same here. I love meeting people and doing cool things and this campus provides me with so many opportunities,” said Clow. His outlook is a very positive one, “I have nothing to lose, whether it’s stand-up or joining a new club, only good can come from it.” Clow has come to enjoy performing at comedy clubs that might be even more intimidating for a new stand-up comic, “My favorite venue is Helix, back home next to Gillette Stadium. It’s a rough venue and people won’t hesitate to heckle you and you can fire right back, it makes it a lot more fun overall.”
While he seldom talks about his stand-up, comedy is a large part of Richard’s outgoing personality. Speaking with Richard his love of funny bits is apparent, “I love sketch comedy and that bleeds into other parts of my life, I like doing little bits with my friends on the quad and we all get a laugh. I think being out on the quad, always having fun helps with Loyola’s community.”
Though it might sound odd, stand-up comedy has helped him turn his summer internship in the finance world into a full-time job offer, “I think stand-up helped me find a job, anyone can crunch numbers and do analyst stuff, that’s all teachable. What’s not teachable is people skills, and doing stand-up gives you better communication skills and makes you more adept at reading people and their reactions.”
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