Joe Kowan: How I beat stage fright
جو کوان: ما څنګه د سټېج نه یرې ته ماتې ورکړه
By day he's a graphic designer, and by night Joe Kowan is a quirky folk singer-songwriter. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
same house made me uncomfortable.
just writing songs wasn't enough.
and I wanted to share them with people,
this wave of anxiety just washed over me.
your sympathetic nervous system kicks in.
your heart rate increases,
to shut down, like digestion. (Laughter)
away from your extremities,
your Spidey sense tingles,
(Laughter)
to performing folk music.
the stage, I start my song,
comes streaming out.
like an opera singer has,
is clearly uncomfortable,
as a solo singer-songwriter.
I had the tiniest little glimpse
I had to get past this nervousness.
I would go back every week
thing happened every week. (Laughter)
don't have a lot of epiphanies. (Laughter)
that exploits my nervousness.
half-octave higher than normal,
what was happening to me,
for me because I was nervous,
uncomfortable family. (Laughter)
by embracing and exploiting my problem,
that was blocking my progress,
was essential for my success.
me get past that biggest issue
and play the rest of my songs
have to play the stage fright song at all.
nervous, like now. (Laughter)
stage fright song for you?
you all without clothes. ♫
scares me more than anyone knows. ♫
so much, you'll be great. ♫
help me when I sing. ♫
these things right now, ♫
you're in the crowd. Hi. ♫
unnurtured, irrrational fear, ♫
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joe Kowan - Musician and graphic designerBy day he's a graphic designer, and by night Joe Kowan is a quirky folk singer-songwriter.
Why you should listen
Joe Kowan is a Boston-based musician and graphic designer who has been struggling with stage fright since he first started writing songs at age 27. Despite his adorably expressed fears, he charms audiences with his own style of quirky folk and acoustic hip-hop, by turns poignant, salacious and comical. In 2009 he released the gangsta' arts and crafts video for his original song “Crafty,” and in 2011 he was a finalist in the USA Songwriting Competition.
Kowan is a senior graphic designer on State Street Global Marketing’s Brand Strategy team. With a BFA in sculpture and design, his work explores diverse areas of design including scenic, print, environmental design and wayfinding.
Joe Kowan | Speaker | TED.com