Want to explore all this in person? Join our Improvisation and Spirituality workshop in Olympia, WA this March! 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 food [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…]
More Spontaneity School: Another 10 Improv Games to Enliven the Classroom or Workplace
Want to learn the kind of presence and activities described here? Join us for a residential retreat! Monster Baby: Live! June 9-14, Mere Point, ME Or subscribe to the new 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 to teach in a high school [more…]
Improv Wisdom Musings, Vol. 3: Make Bold Offers!
This post marks the third in a series of three-person explorations into the life wisdom found through improvisational theatre. You can find the first two here: Let Yourself Be Changed and Make Emotional Noises. As has been mentioned earlier, three experienced teachers–Patricia Ryan Madson, founder of the Stanford Improvisors (SImps) and author of Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just [more…]
9 Reasons Why Every Conference Needs More Introverted Experiences
Two years ago, I attended the Applied Improvisation Network (AIN) world conference in San Francisco. I had a blast: great games, provocative insights, big ideas, and loads of interaction with amazing yes-sayers from around the world. I also had trouble catching my breath. The conference designers that year had packed each day full with amazing [more…]
Paths in Parallel (Part 2 in a 3-part series on Improvisation and Spirituality)
Part 1 of this three-part post introduced a working definition for spirituality—the whole-person practice of awakening, feeling, and expressing a connection to larger Mystery and deeper meaning—and for improvisation—the in-the-moment art of active creating in relationship to the many offers coming from one’s inner life and immediately surrounding circumstances. This piece will explore some first [more…]
Improvisation and Spirituality: A Personal and Collaborative Inquiry
My friend and colleague Cort Worthington and I were delighted to offer this inaugural Improvisation and Spirituality workshop at the Green Gulch Zen Center in Marin County, just north of San Francisco. We came with some provocative questions and exercises to get us rolling and the group dove in with full commitment to find all [more…]
Cruising Toward Community
I wouldn’t normally consider myself a cruise ship vacation kind of guy. Overabundant opulence with a dash of seasickness tossed in? A confined setting where entertainment options run from smoky casino to overpriced spa? Descending upon destination harbors with hordes of other pasty-faced travelers to be met by pushy vendors selling questionably authentic goo-gaws? Toss [more…]
First Idea: Forego or Follow?
I heard several provocative guidelines for excellent design when our Applied Improvisation group toured Stanford’s graduate Institute of Design (d-School). One principle stood in particular contrast with a foundational tenet of improvisational theater. Now, a day later, I still find myself trying to make sense of the tension: should we follow a ‘first idea’ or [more…]
