For Part 1 of this series, “Unleash the Hounds!” click here. An improvisor who wants access to a free flow of ideas needs to unleash her creative imagination from the shackles of self-judgment and self-censorship. He needs to let go of worrying what others will think of him. As the renowned improv teacher Keith Johnstone [more…]
Unleash the Hounds!!! (Part 1 of 2 in a series on How to Evaluate Choices Without Shutting Down the Creative Muse)
In many ways, the spontaneity of improvisational theatre compares with letting a pent-up dog off-leash. For one, there’s a risk involved—no matter how well the dog has been trained, you’re simply not sure what’s going to happen. Even if your dog tends to stay nearby on its walk, you always have the uneasy sense you’ll [more…]
Return of Spontaneity School: A Third Set of Improv Games for the Classroom and Work Environment
Use improv games to develop mindful presence–for groups and for you. Check out the new Playful Mindfulness book! And for “a curious romp through the worlds of mindfulness and improvisation, subscribe to the Monster Baby podcast by clicking here! Over the last few years, this blog’s most-read post has been the original Spontaneity School: [more…]
Who Needs the Title? Wakesurfing, TAGteaching and the Sweet Spot of Skilled Instruction
Title, schmitle. You don’t have to be a capital-T teacher to make a great instructor. My tech-industry buddy Dave Treadwell showed me that just a few weeks ago when he got this old dog up and steady wakesurfing after two short sessions. I’m almost always considering what makes for great teaching and learning but the [more…]
Pause (a new poem)
Practicing mindfulness has taught me that taking time to pause–in a moment, with a decision, for a life transition–draws out wisdom that remains unavailable when I scurry around with self-declared important busywork. I started working on this poem–or it started working on me–when on a silent meditation retreat, itself a valuable window of observation. Pause [more…]
AI-AI-AI!!!: The Applied Improvisation Definition Generator
You may have heard too. Just as with mindfulness outside the meditation hall, lots of folks have caught on to the transformative power of improvisation in arenas outside the theater. Business, health care, education, disaster relief, even the military: everyone needs nimble thinkers and flexible collaborators in this time of uncertainty. Everyone sees the value [more…]
From Fad to Fact: Bringing Mindfulness to Wider Circles
Mindfulness has emerged from obscurity and has begun blooming in far-reaching fields. Whether in business or education, health care or athletics, law and criminal justice or any number of spiritual communities, increasing numbers of voices promote the practice. Better results through deeper presence, you hear. Success through non-striving. A practical panacea. These are heady times [more…]
Lighthouse–A new poem
Sometimes, insights come through straightforward experiences. This poem voiced itself as I headed up the lighthouse tower in Bill Baggs State Park at the tip of Key Biscayne, Florida. Some of my fellow climbers–a curious crew of kids and couples, old-timers and polyglots–may have wondered why I was pecking away at my phone keyboard on a mid-tower stair landing, but there you have it. The park ranger at the base of the tower enjoyed the poem. Here’s hoping you do as well!
AAAACCKK!!! Here’s a Wince-Worthy Example of How NOT to Use a Clicker
Ah, the sting of watching a beloved technique get twisted into a pain-producer. One of the most effective tools at the disposal of positive reinforcement is a clicker, a small device that generates a clearly audible “click” for marking a particular behavior in a particular moment. It doesn’t carry any of the emotional variation of [more…]
More Spontaneity School: Another 10 Improv Games to Enliven the Classroom or Workplace
Use improv games to develop mindful presence–for groups and for you. Check out the new Playful Mindfulness book! And for “a curious romp through the worlds of mindfulness and improvisation, subscribe to the Monster Baby podcast by clicking here! The fall of 2014 marked the first Labor Day in twelve years that I hadn’t been gearing up [more…]
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