How does one get into comedy or become a cartoonist? Let me count the ways. There are too many to mention and its really one of those trial and error fields. But "funny" is a must.

Much of finding one's way in comedy or humor or any kind of entertainment is to discover what feels right. Which of these genres of work can one do and feel comfortable in his/her skin. If one tries acting, and feels like a fraud, then acting might not be for them, or, they may take professional acting classes and try again. In fact, the classes are a good idea from the start in any field. I tried many venues including the stage before finally settling for humor writing and cartooning. And I feel very content with it. When do you know you've paid your dues? Believe me, you'll know it. Be sure to bring several hankies for the multiple bloodied nose experiences.

I have been a stand-up comedian in New York City, but that was many years ago, and I am the last person to ask how to master that skill. I was dismal at it. But frankly, all I did was asked club owners, if I could "have a shot at it". Some said yes and some said no. The ones who said no did me a bigger favor, in retrospect.

Keep in mind, once you are an emcee at a nightclub, you have not "arrived". You will get a lot more attention from the opposite sex (and sometimes your own), a few free meals and drinks if the club owner is generous, but not a lot more perks than that.

One of the hardest working persons in comedy, Leno, spent decades touring the country, toning his stand-up act and tweaking his delivery. That kind of experience is not mandatory, but if one ever wants a chance at such a job as his, it couldn't hurt.

Humorous acting? Classes are a great idea to start There area bundle of them in metropolitan areas I took some in New York during my short stint there. Yes, they helped, but not enough. Oh well

No doubt, the most i ever learned as a humor writer, and eventually having my own cartoon, was "being around other humor writers and actors". I was fortunate enough that a childhood friend, Patrick Weathers, had been a regular featured performer on Saturday Night Live. Patrick was my roommate in N.Y. I was privy to his friends who, were for the most part, quite witty. Humor is one of the greatest coping mechanisms whether one is in the field or not.

I entered the field of cartooning only as a humor writer and concept designer (maybe equivalent to art director in the movies). I can draw but not very well. So I recruited artists who felt they understood my concepts and writing and were willing to draw on speculation if I would continuously promote their name and art during down times, that is, of little or no income. Many artists came and went. A day did not go by in the first three years that I did not think we would have to abandon the project. But we persisted. Reading persistence and motivation self-helps literature never hurts in any field including this one.

A decade later later, it is almost unimaginable to me. We created the largest offbeat cartoon panel site on the Internet with over 8000 original images and have lured 8.9 million web surfers since we started counting ten years ago. We've opened 7 niche stores with 100,000 cartoon image products from tshirts to wall clocks. In many ways, I guess we have arrived. And if we can do it, so can you