Check Out Camirin Farmer’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Camirin Farmer.

Camirin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started comedy about 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to that I was primarily focused on music and thought that I would be following that route. But one night a woman named Lexie Mountain overheard me yelling jokes in the bathroom of a bar and invited me to do her comedy show later that month. It was a complete trajectory change, and about a month after that show, I started hitting the mics several times a week and quickly started getting booked on shows. After a year of being pretty ingrained in the Baltimore comedy scene, I decided to move back home to LA to better center focus on comedy. I’ve had a lot of different journeys within comedy here over the last seven and a half years: stand-up, improv, sketch, clown. All of them have shaped me into being the performer I’ve found myself to be.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think that any comedian has a smooth road in the trajectory of their career. It’s inherently a job that requires a lot of humiliation and a lot of failure. It is inevitable that you will feel like a sham, or a fraud, especially in LA because the “comedy scene” is so dense. There are so many people doing so many things and so many of them are so good. I think the main thing that’s helped with like the constant doubt that comes up, is to just stop caring what the audience thinks of you and remembering to have actual fun. The whole reason I started doing this was because it was fun, and is fun, and also silly. It’s the silliest way to try and make money. It’s really easy to get competitive and comparative with your peers, but at the end of the day, there’s one me. I’m the only person doing what I’m gonna do, and I want to enjoy that otherwise what’s the point?

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a comedian, and I’d say that prior to exploring it more, I’ve always been a “clown.” I started comedy from an art and music background, and so I’ve tried to continue to approach comedy as an artist rather than anything else. I like to be pretty confrontational on stage without being too literal. I don’t like to tell the audience exactly what I think, and if I do, it’s a pretty heightened version of that. I think as a black person, I’ve been socialized to remain in certain boxes when interacting with the public, for my own personal safety AND for the “comfort” of those around me. But when I’m on stage, I confront those prejudices pretty immediately just by being brash. I don’t think linearly, and so my comedy ends up not being super liner at all. Mostly I tend to create a lot of energy and chaos on the stage, and then I do my best to recenter it or at least have a place for all of that energy to go that feels right for me and the audience. I fail at that a lot, but when that happens, it’s nice to know that I don’t have to carry on that energy by myself. Because I kind of leave a mess for the audience, and then pretty much am like, “You clean it up. I’ve done my job.” It’s nice to relinquish the control.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think because of how I behave on stage, a lot of people expect me to be pretty bombastic in real life. And I can be pretty present, I think, but I don’t think I’m so demanding as I am on stage as off. I’m not domineering, and I’m pretty private except with really close friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: camirinfarmer.com
• Instagram: @camirinfarmer
• Twitter: @camirinfarmer