Day 004 of 100 | Leaning into our intuition for creating movement
#100DaysofWonder | What does improvisation teach you?
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PROMPT | DAY 004
What does improvisation teach you?
MY REFLECTION:
I improvise in painting all the time. For me it is a leaning into my intuition, especially as to what supplies I decide to use. One of the many reasons why I like multimedia art so much. If it stays still long enough around me, it gets painted.
When we really think about it, anything we explore through creating without a clear plan or structure is a form of improv.
Improv teaches me flexibility, trust in the process, to reimagine and roll with “mistakes.” These things are invaluable in learning to follow where curiosity leads.
Traditionally, improv has been the purview of theater and music. I did a little wandering online, reminding myself of some core principles of improv in theater tonight. (Grown-up theater kid here.)
Here’s what stood out to me1:
Focus on the Present: A scene is about the people in the scene. The change, the struggle, the win or loss will happen to the characters on the stage. Focus on what is going on right at this moment. « That’s a pretty good rule for creativity just in general. Be in the moment.
Establish Geography: Good scenes (and stories) take place somewhere at some time. They do not take place on an empty stage. « Our stories and creative expressions have contexts that are powerful foundations to build on.
Be Specific: Details move a scene forward. « They also move paintings and writing forward.
Change is a Sign of Life: “Improv is about character change. The characters in a scene must experience some type of change for the scene to be interesting. Characters need to go on journeys, be altered by revelations, experience the ramifications of their choices and be moved by emotional moments.” « The same might be said for knitting projects, journal pages, photography exploration, however you create.
Is it even improv if it is static?
Your turn. Share your thoughts in the comments below. And if you create something to this prompt you’d like to share, look for my Substack note sharing this post a little later today.
All my love,
https://tomsimprovpages.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/the-rules-of-improv/
I am creating small collages in a small journal as part of my #100 Days of Creativity. It is already teaching me: to show up daily; to play with the papers I have and use the good ones too; to look for contrasts in colour and position; but most importantly, to have fun.
As a soapmaker I have realised innovation and creativity govhand in hand. And if I'm true to myself then without improvisation I can hardly move forward, it's a sort of an urge to push myself towards finesse. I achieve something much more artistic.