Emboldened to try an outdoor “studio”, Ted and Lisa dive into a conversation about rules and who they’re meant for (7:02), whether there are rules in mindfulness (13:06), and how rules provide structure for games, play, and community (20:29). Lisa explains improv’s “CROW” principle and introduces the Awkwardness Clause (26:59) and together with Ted wonders what [more…]
Monster Baby #6: The Power of Positivity
Inspired by a new workshop they led in western Massachusetts, Ted and Lisa explore why we should talk about positivity (1:25) in improv and mindfulness, how one of Lisa’s improv groups has learned to make positive starts (16:05), and how beginning from gratitude lays the groundwork for transformation. (22:50). They also wonder about the perils [more…]
Monster Baby #5: Aspiration and Acceptance
In Episode #5, Ted and Lisa play with the tension between accepting what is and aspiring to excellence, starting with a game of Clover (3:19) and exploring whether mindfulness and improv are easy or hard—and how “hard” often leads to feelings of “not good enough” (7:02). They discuss the importance of a strong biochemical foundation [more…]
Monster Baby #4: Shared Control
Fresh off a trip to Phillips Exeter Academy, Ted and Lisa hop on the ‘cast to explore the fun and reward of sharing control in improvisation (5:53), Line-at-a-Time Drawing and what it has to do with Lisa’s trip to Buenos Aires (11:21), sharing control with life itself (15:58) and whether this approach is an elaborate [more…]
Monster Baby #3: Do Mindfulness and Improv Breed Community?
In Monster Baby Episode #3, Ted and Lisa explore the ways that improv and mindfulness create community (2:25), whether mindfulness generates excessive self-focus (17:36), and the need for a balance between activity and quiet (20:42). From there, they consider how community provides a “tribe” of belonging (29:40), how mindfulness and improv cultivate certain values (35:21), [more…]
Monster Baby #2: Defining Mindfulness and Impulse vs. Pause
In this second episode, Ted and Lisa dive into defining (or at least describing) mindfulness (3:37), discuss what mindfulness is not (16:53) and then explore how improvisation amplifies or differs from mindfulness (21:06). They close by talking about the tension between honoring our impulses and taking a mindfulness pause before acting (42:26). Thanks for [more…]
Monster Baby Podcast #1: Intro and Relationship to Failure
A Monster Baby podcast is born! In this inaugural episode, Ted and Lisa introduce themselves and offer the Monster Baby origin story (1:10) and talk about how mindfulness and improvisation relate to failure (14:53), including whether or not it makes sense to celebrate failure (35:40). Welcome to Monster Baby—we hope you enjoy the curious romp! [more…]
Improvisation as Spiritual Practice: A Deepening Path
Want to explore all this in person? Join our Mindful Play, Playful Mind retreat in Santa Cruz this June 11-15! This fall, I had the immense pleasure of spending four days in the woods outside Montreal with a most beautiful crew of applied improvisors. We laughed, we danced, we played, we performed, we ate amazing [more…]
Judgment vs. Discernment (Part 2 of 2 in a series on How to Evaluate Choices Without Shutting Down the Creative Muse)
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…]
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