I had a brother-in-law who used to have conversations with others that consisted mostly of him asking questions of himself, which he would then answer:
"Did I make it to my daughter's medical appointment?"
"No I did not."
"Have I been working my ass off for this family?'
"Yes I have."
"Do I get credit for working my ass off for this family?"
"No I do not."
Thus the past-tense reference to the man.
In the same spirit, however:
"Have I remotely stuck to my original (bi-polar episode induced) schedule?"
"No I have not."
"Have I done anything at all in the past week?"
"Yes, I have."
"Am I starting my typical freak-out?"
"Affirmative."
OK, that sort of questioning only takes you so far.
I have been writing and have made some progress, but not as far along as I wanted to be. I've had a lot of (paid) work thrown my way which means more travel and less time, but also means more material.
I went to improv at the Fun Institute last week. It was amazing.There's a quote by someone about the more you live, the bigger your world becomes. Attending improv made me aware of yet another incredible, supportive community of people who get together once a week (at least) to play and create art ON THE SPOT. That's one of the magical aspects of improv. The same heart-filled moments that take your breath away during a solo-show are created in-the-moment.
In The Moment being the operative element. Being present.
I left feeling happy and euphoric and proud for facing my fears. Also feeling like I'd discovered more members of my tribe--one of whom made it her job to encourage me to jump with her into each exercise. She was experienced and a member of a performing troupe of improvisers, so the fact that she spent time on a newbie was incredibly generous.
Another thing: Being on stage with supportive (mostly) strangers in the audience, made the idea of creating and performing a solo-piece seem less daunting.
Spent the weekend with a good friend. We shared our work, hiked, walked and shared some more. Writing with her made time fly.
So I have a month as of tomorrow.
Time to rock and roll!
"Am I scared?"
"Yes I am."
"Does life begin at the end of your comfort zone?"
"Yes, according to Neale Donald Walsh, it does."
"Did I make it to my daughter's medical appointment?"
"No I did not."
"Have I been working my ass off for this family?'
"Yes I have."
"Do I get credit for working my ass off for this family?"
"No I do not."
Thus the past-tense reference to the man.
In the same spirit, however:
"Have I remotely stuck to my original (bi-polar episode induced) schedule?"
"No I have not."
"Have I done anything at all in the past week?"
"Yes, I have."
"Am I starting my typical freak-out?"
"Affirmative."
OK, that sort of questioning only takes you so far.
I have been writing and have made some progress, but not as far along as I wanted to be. I've had a lot of (paid) work thrown my way which means more travel and less time, but also means more material.
I went to improv at the Fun Institute last week. It was amazing.There's a quote by someone about the more you live, the bigger your world becomes. Attending improv made me aware of yet another incredible, supportive community of people who get together once a week (at least) to play and create art ON THE SPOT. That's one of the magical aspects of improv. The same heart-filled moments that take your breath away during a solo-show are created in-the-moment.
In The Moment being the operative element. Being present.
I left feeling happy and euphoric and proud for facing my fears. Also feeling like I'd discovered more members of my tribe--one of whom made it her job to encourage me to jump with her into each exercise. She was experienced and a member of a performing troupe of improvisers, so the fact that she spent time on a newbie was incredibly generous.
Another thing: Being on stage with supportive (mostly) strangers in the audience, made the idea of creating and performing a solo-piece seem less daunting.
Spent the weekend with a good friend. We shared our work, hiked, walked and shared some more. Writing with her made time fly.
So I have a month as of tomorrow.
Time to rock and roll!
"Am I scared?"
"Yes I am."
"Does life begin at the end of your comfort zone?"
"Yes, according to Neale Donald Walsh, it does."
No comments:
Post a Comment