Photography Taught Me This About Improv

I've recently taken up photography. It feels strange saying, "I'm a photographer," so I opting for "recently taken up photography." It feels more accurate. This is a new artistic relationship, I just met photography, I don't know if it's going to go anywhere.

Do you watch a lot of youtube videos when you're trying to learn a new skill? I do. And, of course, when you watch a couple videos, youtube says, "we know what you want! How about these one million other videos on photography? We have a buffet of photography videos. Eat, eat. You're skin and bones." So, I'm stuffed with videos, and action steps! The advice has been varying levels of helpful, but one idea, which is two words, has been transformative in my photography AND improv.

Do you have a couple of seconds?
I'd love to talk about the idea with you.
You do? Fantastic!

Alex on The Photographic Eye suggested, “slow down. Walk slower.”

That was the advice! Two simple, and very powerful words. Slow down when you're out there on the streets of Roseville or _____ [insert your city here] snapping pictures. Absorb your location, and don’t rush by the moment. Look to your left, and right. What’s that above you, and below your feet? What are you not seeing when you’re focused on getting to that, next location? What’s waiting to be discovered around you? When you slow down you have time to ask those questions. A change in speed can help a change in perspective and a unique find.

It reminds me of my coaches in high school football shouting, “half speed!”

It works too! I reminded myself to slow down and when I looked off the trail I found these fantastic little mushrooms.

I see you making the connection already. You’re smart, you get it. Sure, I could keep writing more words and get to that coveted 1200 word blog post (Google loves them some longer blog posts), but why waste YOUR time! You see where this is all going, so let’s just get there.

Don’t race to that next scene or game. Slow down in your improv. Improv isn’t a race. It’s an experience. Improv is an experience for the audience as much as it is for you and your improv team. The audience is watching you become someone, live as someone, and write the story live. They don’t need you to race through it, they like savoring what’s happening too. It’s a scene, a game, a moment we’re all enjoying together, and why sprint through it? Take your time. Even a short form improv game isn’t a demand or promise the players will keep it short. While it might sound quick, short form improv isn’t a demand we rush to the end. It’s not about speed. Short form is about a goal, but you don’t have to rush to the goal. It’s about having fun and discovery. I’ve seen terrible 2 minute improv improv games, and unforgettable 10 minute improv games. It’s all in the approach. Just like a street photographer, slow down, take your time, explore the characters and the world. A photographer is slowing down to get the shot, and the improviser is slowing down to capture joy and share it with the audience and the team.

Does “slowing down,” mean talking slower and moving slower. In photography that’s what it means, you’re literally moving through the space slowly. However, that’s not the case in improv. It could be the case, but likely not. It DOES mean taking a second to look around your scene, notice a characters posture, or a tone of voice, or a crooked painting on the wall. Why that posture? Why that tone? Why is the painting crooked? I’m not saying you have to invent answers, but at least you’ve given yourself a chance to see the scene more, and live more in that reality.

If you’re not sure HOW to slow down, it simply starts with a breath. Take a breath and hear what was said. It’s not always in the words, there could be a lot to explore in the tone of voice.

Probably an important moment to mention, this approach is a tool. It’s one tool in your vast improv toolbelt and not give you an improv headache. Is slow always the answer? Nope. Are there times a little speed can help a scene? Absolutely. The more you get onstage and practice you’ll find each scene asks something a little different from you, and you’ll be able to give the scene what it needs.

Warning: at photography half speed, you might feel and look a little silly. In fact, this weekend when I was taking pictures I told Ciara, "I'm moving at half speed to see more." She sighed saying, "oh good! I thought there was something physically wrong with you."

Keeping an Improv Journal

Improvisation is a creative process that involves generating ideas and responses in real time, often with little or no preparation. Improvisers, such as actors, comedians, and musicians, rely on their ability to think quickly and come up with unique and spontaneous ideas in order to be successful. For improvisers, keeping a journal is like having an extra brain! It's the perfect way to capture all those great ideas that pop into your head during rehearsal or performance - and let's be honest, we can't always trust our memories when it comes down to recalling creative genius. Keeping a journal can help improvisers overcome this challenge by providing a tool to document their ideas and creative process, allowing them to reflect on their progress and improve their skills over time. Journals help you keep track of everything so nothing gets lost in translation... and life just got easier for improv-lovers everywhere!

Keeping a journal is an invaluable asset for any improviser! It's like having your own personal creative mentor who helps you work through the ups and downs of doing improv. Noting your progress in a journal can give improvisers the confidence they need to keep pushing through challenging times! And, believe me, you will have those challenging moments. You’ll look in the mirror, and think “can I really do this?” Improv is a journey, it will take time to get better, and you part of the struggle is realizing it will take time. Reflection can be daunting, but with a journal it becomes easier to grapple with tough artistic decisions - what worked? What didn't? Plus, keeping track of your progress over time in this way gives you not only motivation, but also provides the chance to pat yourself on the back every once in awhile; document all the achievements along the journey - from small victories to big successes!

Writing things down can be an excellent way for improvisers to free their imaginations and break through those dreaded creative blocks. Keeping a journal is like having your own idea playground – it’s the perfect spot to try out new approaches, experiment with different techniques, and let curiosity lead you in unexpected directions! Studies have shown that creativity is not a fixed trait - with enough practice it can evolve over time! Keeping track of this progress in a journal provides valuable insight into artistic growth as well as inspiration to explore fresh ideas. Keeping a journal is an excellent way to kickstart creativity and break free from creative stagnation; it provides the opportunity to try out new ideas, develop existing ones and simply play with concepts until something fresh emerges.

Want to take your group improv skills up a notch? Keeping track of ideas and documenting the creative process with a journal can be an essential tool for collaboration success! Jotting down what others have said or contributed, plus any thoughts that come to mind during improvisation sessions helps keep everyone on point. It's the perfect tool for fostering effective communication in groups - build team spirit by sharing your ideas with others & discussing them in more detail to make patient progress on long-term projects or collaborations. If you are part of an improv team, your approach, format, and members might change over time. A journal will help give your team something to turn to, and remind everyone the purpose and goals of the team. Plus you'll have the chance to look back over that amazing artistic journey afterwards.

Journaling is a powerful tool for anyone looking to reach the next level of improvisational skill. Taking the time to capture and reflect on your creative processes can open up avenues you never knew existed, allowing you discover new ideas while exploring how far your creativity can take you! Regular journal-keeping gives performers an opportunity to learn about themselves as they continually develop their artistry in meaningful ways. By taking the time to document their  ideas and reflect on their  progress, improvisers can gain a deeper understanding of their own creative process and develop their skills over time.

Teen Performance Team: Friday Night Live!

The Blacktop Comedy Teen Performance Team is back this Friday! Alert the press! Roll out the red carpet! And, sound the trumpets!

Our Teen improv team is ready for the spotlight. They'll be on the spot this Friday, but they're always ready. They're an amazing group of improvisers who constantly impress me. Every week they meet, rehearse improv games, learn new improv skills, and prepare for a show. It's a lot of work, but they embrace it.

And, they push themselves even more by learning new improv formats. The teens have studied short form improv games, but they've also jumped into long form improv, and even a Teen Harold. The Harold? Adults have a challenging time learning The Harold! That says a lot these teens are willing to rush in and try so many new things. Whenever I leave rehearsal I'm always impressed, and inspired. They jump into everything! The only time these students don't jump into a game is when they're trying to be polite and give someone else an opportunity to guess during The Dating Game, or Interrogation.

Do games always go well? No. But they fail forward, which is a skill I think a lot of adults are hesitant to embrace. The teens learn from the failure, immediately try the game again, and succeed. It's that simple, but also that hard. That moment of failure terrifies people. It terrifies me, but after working with the teens, I see how quickly a failure can pivot into a success. Yeah, you can interpret failure as a miserable moment, and feel trapped, or it can be a temporary moment of learning (not even interpreted as 'failure'!) and then move on. It sounds good on paper, but it's even more impressive to witness in the moment, during class. The teen improv team has given me a masterclass, and they didn't even know it.

The Teen Performance Team's show is this Friday at 7p. Come support the show at Blacktop Comedy Theater is Rocklin, but be sure and arrive early. The theater is packed with friends, and family.

You can grab tickets online, but you can always grab them at the door too. Just $5. The show will be followed by The Underground. Perfect Friday night if you ask me. Call your friends, and tell them to put down the book (book!? psshhh!), comedy in Rocklin awaits!