Meet Katie Novotny

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katie Novotny. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katie below.

Katie, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

I have generalized anxiety disorder, depression, PMDD and PCOS and it’s been a challenging couple years (I’ll get into that below). I’ve been going to therapy since 2016 when my Creative Director (shout out Louis), noticed I was struggling at work (an ad agency). “How you doing?” “Not great, Louis. Not great.” He proceeded to explain how therapy had helped him as a creative, and how important it was to be in therapy, especially in a creative field. He said, “Our days are spent pitching ideas and getting told no. That’s our job. And you’re choosing to pursue something creative as your hobby as well. That’s a really hard combo cause when we hear “no” it feels like “not you.” We have to learn how to find self-worth outside of our ideas, in order to stay alive in this business. Best advice I’ve ever gotten. Louis, if you’re out there, thank you.

Also meds. Meds are good. I was hesitant to get on them because of the fear I would be attached to them for the rest of my life. But therapy wasn’t enough, exercise wasn’t enough, reading, meditating, all my usual tools were not doing enough for me. My therapist at the time, Jill (god bless Jill, Jill also crushed as a therapist), said, “You are dealing with a new set of incredibly hard circumstances. It’s time to bring something new to tackle them.” It was the pandemic and I had lost my job and apartment and had to move back in with my parents, causing a rift in the life plan I had just put into place. Jill you’re a real one.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a copywriter, standup comedian, actor and writer. I used to be embarrassed that I had a day job while pursuing my passions but as I’ve gotten older the more I realize that my day job allows me to pursue my passions and teaches me a lot about business that directly applies to comedy.

Monday through Friday I create websites, product packaging, emails, social media content, and anything else my job needs of me. I do open mics after work, stand-up shows whenever the standup gods book me, and use my PTO when I book commercials.

This year, I was accepted into 9 comedy festivals across 9 different states, and despite what it looks like on social media – you have to get yourself there the majority of the time. Having a Big Girl Day Job has allowed me to say yes to all of these opportunities and further my comedy career. It’s not for everyone, but I’ve been pursuing comedy alongside my day job since I started working in advertising in 2011, because I truly believe Real Artists Have Day Jobs (a killer read by Sara Benincasa for those who want).

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Stay curious.

There are so many roads I went down before finding stand-up. I started with improv, then sketch, then I made a web series, and then the last piece of the puzzle was stand up. I needed to explore all those different venues to learn what I was good at, and more importantly, what I was not good at. But along the way, I learned a ton of skills that made starting stand up easier, and has made me the comic I am today.

I like telling younger comedians to “stay curious.” I find this means more than “just keep going.” I’ve sat through too many panels where people in positions of power tell the creators in the audience to “just keep going.” I don’t think it’s helpful because what does that really mean? “Try stuff until someone pays attention to you” is no way to pursue a career. When I say, “stay curious” I think it speaks more to the creative pursuit – what do you like to make? What do you want to figure out how to make? Are you a drama writer, comedy writer, sci-fi writer? Do you love making absurd sketches? Or do you gravitate towards slice of life? You have to follow every question, every nugget of ‘what if’, allow yourself to create and fail and create again and succeed, and create again, again and again and watch yourself gain skills, confidence and suddenly you have taste and a point of view and all the while you’ve “kept going.”

2. Treat yourself like a small business.
What? I don’t want to own my own business!! I want to be an artist! None of us do, but we are in the business of selling our ideas and ourselves and if you don’t treat yourself like the precious start up you are, someone else will come in, buy you out, and change what you loved about what you’ve built.

It’s a lot to take on, but it’s the only way to manage your own expectations on this journey. Learn how to brand yourself, learn how to sell yourself, learn what you’re worth, learn who’s not worth it, learn when to say yes to opportunities and more importantly when to say no. Learn how to take feedback graciously and apply it – whether that’s in an audition setting, a pitch, or a reaction from the crowd. Being a Creative means being a good collaborator, and I think most of us want to be in entertainment to work with other brilliant creative minds. So learn how to hear the word ‘no’ and not throw a temper tantrum. Because some of our ideas are bad, and that’s ok.

3. Take classes

I think I’ve taken the equivalent of a Master’s Program in Comedy. Improv, sketch writing, late night writing, pilot writing, stand up class, stand up class, stand up class, commercial acting, audition technique, workout acting class, the list goes on. I don’t have a BFA or an MFA – I have a Bachelor’s of Journalism and a minor in Spanish and went to one theatre audition in college and left halfway through.

Classrooms are the building blocks of comedic growth. They’re a place that gives you structure, a place to experiment, a place to make mistakes. It’s a way to gain a skill set you didn’t have before, and to get better at something you love. It’s where I met some of my best friends and where being myself was not only demanded, but celebrated.

I had someone ask me how I booked my first commercial and went through the list of classes and steps I had taken and their response was, “Oh hmmm, I don’t think I need to take a class.” Don’t be this person. This person just wants the end result without putting the work in.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

My health. Last year, I was diagnosed with PMDD, which stand for premenstrual dysphoric disorder) and is a chronic health condition that causes depression, anxiety, insomnia, anxiety attacks, extreme fatigue, joint pain, nausea, and insane cravings during the luteal phase aka the 2 weeks leading up to your period. So I was averaging two good weeks a month, and then the second half of the month I would be couch bound due to extreme physical symptoms as well as depression and anxiety. I would have to cancel shows, social hangs, trips, and couldn’t hold a full time job cause it would exhaust me too much. It made it incredibly hard to write new jokes, work on stand up, do any type of new comedic project, or even make videos for Instagram.

Since going on Zoloft, my quality of life has greatly improved and my symptoms are way more manageable. However, I still have to be super careful with the week leading up to my period – I say no to shows and don’t go to mics, prioritizing sleep, cooking a healthy meal, and keeping my plate a little less full. I also try my best to communicate with any creative partners what is going on so they know if I am slow to respond to a question about a project, it’s because I fell asleep again in the middle of the day, had an anxiety attack, or am too tired to type.

Recently, I was diagnosed with PCOS which is another layer and hormonal disorder, and a lot of women with PMDD also have PCOS. (And I might get lucky and get endometriosis too, the big three, but I have to wait till March to get into that doc). I’m trying a bunch of new meds and supplements and again, I have to make sure I prioritize taking care of myself instead of pushing myself to go to an open mic cause I feel like I have to.

A lot of comedy’s perception centers around being out and being SEEN, and it makes it so difficult when your body physically won’t let you leave the house. Extremely related – I try and stay off Instagram during these times as much as possible cause seeing other comedian friends posts just gets me in comparison mode and makes me feel like I’m not doing enough – even though I’ll be editing an episode for my upcoming book show, Fingering the Page, while curled in a ball in my bed. #mentallyill

I’m working on accepting my limitations and remembering that if I don’t take care of my body, my body can not be on stage. And remembering that the adjustment period of a new diagnosis and treatment is temporary, and the goal is to be able to manage it so I can keep doing what I love.

Oh, and I also sprained my ankle getting off stage in October and of course this was the ankle that I sprained so much that I had surgery on, so I’m just falling apart over here.

But comedy will never happen in a vacuum. Life’s conditions will never be perfect. It’s so important to learn how to compartmentalize Life Things from Comedy Things because more often than not, there will be a Life Thing playing in the background while a Big Comedy Thing is happening. And I think the secret is being present in the moment – and allowing myself to leave life for a second, and disappear into the performance.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Kiel Phillips
Tall Small Photo

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