We had the good fortune of connecting with Amber Harper-Young and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I have a healthier relationship with risk now that I’m older and more confident. In October I went full-time comedy which is very tricky within the Canadian Comedy scene.  I’ll soon be co-producing a monthly Stand-Up Show called, “Cool Fun” Feb 16th in Vancouver, as hopefully a stream of income that I can somewhat control.  Bigger leaps are still something I’m pushing for artistically.  It’s hard to be risky in every aspect at once, it feels dangerous. And when it comes to money hahah I have to say I have a squeamish reflex being raised by a single mother with 3 sisters in low income housing. With money I’m pretty risk averse, we’ve sunk a lot of money into this upcoming show which triggers that past but we need to try to make an income and I have 100% faith in our commitment and abilities. So I push past the past. The pressure of having to pay yourself is very motivating actually. My family always had food and shelter growing up but how low income was it? In our complex trees fell on the houses crushing roofs in, the windowsills had recurring mould, and the housing project was built on a swamp.  So safety was a bit of a delusion growing up, never mind the then socially accepted child abuse. Recently with finances I’ve started differing my revenue streams from radio play to album sales/TV tapings and Live Performance; half of that just in the past year, which helps. It feels like a miracle when money flows in from your art. At first Stand-Up was starving (and not telling anyone) living in apartments the size of closets, working doubles (half the week) as a strip club waitress then not being paid for years for the crazy amount of sets I would hustle, the other half of the week. Now I’m relaxing but the transformation, it feels miniscule still compared to the childhood ingraining. I can be frugal as a past reflex but I encourage myself to make smart investments in me and as I become more skilled and see those past decisions paying off I get sharper in my abilities to recognize a good purchase or career move. I have lost a total of probably $80 gambling in my whole adult life and always think afterward that that could’ve been groceries. The last time I hit that slot machine with my best friend though I really tried to enjoy losing $20 as a rewiring attempt. In business there will be loss, in Stand-Up there will be failure, it’s all a matter hedging your bets with the knowledge you’ve acquired and continue to learn, so you can gamble even more career wise, artfully and with money in the future. Betting on your skilled self makes those wins empowering. I’m competent in taking care of myself now, I have nothing to fear, there are no falling trees surrounding my regular sized apartment, I’m funny, likeable and smart, these are the affirmations that a once poor girl says to herself in hopes of becoming a successful class jumper.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets me apart from other comedians is sensitivity. It can be debilitating and back fire but can also work for me. I’m an half introvert half extravert who’s sensitive/emotional and empathetic, sometimes so much so that I occasionally wonder whether I should carry on with continually making myself vulnerable on stage. I know what is going on in a room when it is subtle sometimes . It can feel quite raw at times especially when I’m pushing my edge and not taking proper care.

I worked the past 6 years with a population of women without homes and or that were drug users and or suffering mental illness, sometimes their circumstance was all of the above. This is work in my life that I’m most proud of so far overall. I had to respond to overdoses, break up fights/deescalate, run the drop in and respond to other terrible crisis’. It gave me perspective and Stand-Up wise there’s a bit of cross over. Some stories from that work made it to the stage, that’s some of the material I’m proudest of since it is quite dark but it informs and works. I create awareness and make people laugh, wow, never thought I was capable of something like that.

12 years ago I started stand-up after doing a bunch of improv and acting. I just kept trying different types of performance and Stand-Up stuck. Making people laugh was the way I made friends and I was obsessed with jokes and comedy from a early age, being funny helped with household tension too.

This has NOT been easy but you commit to doing stand-up cause you’re a passionate person who wants to stay stimulated in their creative endeveours, you like the challenge. And I love humanity and I want to take peoples heaviness away for 1-40 mins. Also I need to connect and to feel better about being imperfect myself.

Lessons I have learned are take care of yourself or you won’t be able to properly help others. If you can help others do that, it feels good. Try not to judge (it is in our nature) but we have a higher intelligence to override that. I want the world to know we can change our trajectory together you got to put the love towards yourself first and let it spill out and over. I had it backwards for the longest time and was depressed, ill confident and depleted.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My sister Jennifer Snyder helped to raise me through a tough childhood. She advocated for me and made sure me and my other sisters weren’t treated badly, if she was around. As an adult she has supported me through my difficult endeavors with performance, she’s been a huge support after my mom passed away and she had a big hand in helping me to quit smoking as she is now a very gifted wholistic nutritionist. Jenny has no idea what she’s contributed to my life and well-being

Website: www.amberisfunny.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberdalsey/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amber.hy/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH6zybvg4ir5RHzmSVitohA

Other: My Comedy Album FREE https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKvOL5FGREdPYXajXQ4ywJYEchgLFrkXd

Image Credits
4 pics= 2 backstage photos and 2 Denched Album photos by Skye Portman (Inital First blue and white stripped turtle neck) Photo by Jessica Chin King

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