We were lucky to catch up with Lmfao Slim recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lmfao, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I’m Haitian, and hard work runs in our genes. My work ethic comes from my dad, he’s diligent. He was in the military in Haiti, he was like the house’s “drill sergeant”. He built discipline in me through tasks. He’d always yell at me if I didn’t fix my bed. My dad owns a local contractor business, every time I needed money he’d always make me work for the earnings. Many days he’d give me speeches. He looked like Optimus Prime at the end of the Transformers movie. He went through a lot and despite it all, he’s still going. For me to witness that every day truly is an inspiration. He did a lot and built a purpose for himself, now I believe it’s my turn to pick up the torch.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Lmfao Slim, I am a comedian and actor. What I do is make people laugh so hard that their underwear changes color. I’m from Boynton Beach, Florida. I started doing comedy when I was 17, I performed for the first time in Delray Beach, Florida. I have always been the class clown in every class I was in resulting in me failing my classes. During my senior year of high school, I didn’t meet the requirements for graduation and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I prayed to God for direction and he pointed comedy. I started to do skits on social media and hit the stage. I give my glory to God, he gives me direction. I went to see Emmanuel Hudson’s show and he said “I give glory to the man upstairs so I would like to say a prayer” he then said “A prayer”. it was enough to inspire me to give glory to God before I proceed with any material. I bring people together and give them a moment to enjoy with their family, spouse, friend, or even their side piece. God blessed me with being able to give people a moment to let go of their stress for a moment and smile. I feel that what’s most exciting is getting to go on that stage and grab the mic. It’s special when you see what sits under the surface. It’s an art, being able to take an experience or idea and convert it into a vivid performance. You can’t physically grab the image but you start to imagine and picture what us comedians are telling you, that the art in it.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Confidence, when the lights hit me my first time on stage harder than a kid getting spanked. That could be enough to through people’s confidence. plenty of times I’d be on stage thinking the joke I’m going to say is the funniest thing ever and nobody laughs. you must be confident enough to keep the show running with the same energy you had before.
Character, it took me time to figure out my character. how do I react to this, am I expressive, what tones do I speak in? All types of elements build your character. nobody wants to watch a show or movie when the main character is in grey tone and speaks monotone. Character gives me my flavor, once I figured out my character it was a difference in my performances.
Public speaking, I took a public speaking class in eighth grade. Being able to be understandable and understand when and how to speak is very important. If you don’t want to speak over the crowd’s reaction, take a break until the silence slowly arrives. public speaking taught me not to use words and phrases like uh, um, and um to improve professionalism when speaking. you can see the benefits from it as you apply it to your work.
I’d advise people early in their journey to just do it. you won’t be confident until you are confident. It’s kind of like when you go to the club and the first girl who rejects you then you realize rejection isn’t as bad as you thought. Character comes from you, are you calm, full of energy, always angry, or always complaining? Take note of everything you do and build off that, or create something entirely different as your alter ego. Public speaking, you can take classes or study YouTube videos.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I take deep breaths and pray. God is the only one who can truly heal. I would also worship, sing, and praise God will uplift your spirit keeping you focused. Bible verses as a reminder that you are capable and will prevail! God is real and he heals! Doctors study the body and medicine but can’t truly heal. no medicine, antibiotics, or vitamins will aid like God. Jesus died for us and he wants to uplift you in times of overwhelming.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Lmfaoslim.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lmfao.slim/
Image Credits
Ohwassupsaint
