I might sound like a broken record, but I'm here to talk about Improv again! (Because I literally just got home from it, and it's fresh on mind.) (I'm also feeling very proud of myself, and I'd like to bask in that before the inevitable self doubt plagues my sleep tonight.)
This week's class was amazing. We amped it up and only did one group game, then did nearly 2 hrs of straight up Improv-- just two people on a black stage, making up a story in front of other people. Do you know how exhilarating/terrifying that is?
The scenes started at 15 seconds, and when you haven't been on stage, 15 seconds feels like an eternity. Seriously, in my first scene, I was looking over at the guy with the timer, like, dude, I know time's up, I need you to call it.
Just when I thought I'd survived the worst of the night, they doubled the time we spent on stage. 30 seconds is (wait for it) even longer than 15. But I did it! (I even did it more than once, which is a big step forward for me.)
AND THEN THEY DOUBLE IT. And you have to play for a full minute. But it was so good! And once I'd be exposed to 15, then 30 seconds, 60 seconds no longer felt like it would never end. In fact, I was surprised when the timer guy told me to stop.
It truly was a good time. I think part of why it's so fun is that every single person in the room is entirely supportive of every choice you make on stage. (I honestly think that they're equally as uncomfortable as I am, but much better at hiding it.) We ended with a strange game where we could only talk in numbers, and it was meant to teach that it doesn't matter so much what you're saying, but how you say it and how committed you are to the scene.
Commitment was the theme of the class, and I'm confident I fully committed during those 2 hours and came out stronger on the other side.
I was looking at one of the teachers' tattoos while he was talking (low-key not listening and very distracted), and what it said may have changed my life. It was a ship wheel with a banner across the center that read, "Follow the Fear." I've heard similar things, like 'do what scares you', but I'd never seen it written that way. I'm still processing exactly what that could mean in my life (because it could mean very big things).
I think I'm sometimes good at doing things that scare me, but for the most part, I stick with what I know. One thing this class has taught me is that doing something I NEVER thought I would like can lead to really fun things. Perhaps Follow the Fear means more than going and seeing; it's doing-- stepping out and participating. That's where I'm lacking; I'm most comfortable as a spectator, but I think the players are the ones having more fun.
Something to think about.
Also this week, Heather, Katie, and I went to Paint Nite. This is a thing I'd never done, and I was kind of anxious for it because I have perfectionist tendencies and I worried I wouldn't be happy with what I created. The thing about it though, is that the process of creating is much more important than the end result. I got to spend an evening with two great friends, talking and laughing together, in the presence of 30 other extremely supportive women and men who were there to have fun, just like we were. And that's why it was great! The atmosphere is so positive, and we're all fumbling idiots just trying our best and trying together. In the end, I was very happy with what I created-- I gave myself permission to do what I felt, instead of trying to make it perfect.
We're so cute.
I've felt very supported this week. I'm learning that when you're surrounded by happy, encouraging people, you can't help but also be happy and encouraging. And who doesn't want a happy and encouraging person in their life? (I do. I want several.)
Anyway, that's where I am right now-- extremely gratefully for the people I get to spend my time with and happy to be ever-growing and ever-learning.
What a life we live.
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