enjoy it

If you have ever watched a quip filled comedy in your lifetime you are bound to hear jokes about improv - it’s a cult, it’s painful to watch, it’s an activity for insufferable people. In Bojack Horseman, they likened an improv theater to Scientology, and I have to say there were definitely some things that rang true. Improv is all about connecting with your partner, creating a world together that you both can build on and make it as wide or as insular as you want. It can be painful to watch when the people on stage are fumbling in the dark, not able to find the thread to grasp onto, but when that bond is formed it can be a magical thing to experience for people both inside and outside of the scene.

As a person that has been doing improv since 2014, I can definitely say I have had my fair share of horrendous scenes. It can be difficult to play make-believe with someone on a stage in front of an audience knowing full well that I am a grown adult person. That’s why it is better to leave myself, Kelsey, behind and commit to my character. Even if that character walks and talks like me, the thing to remember is that the character is a separate entity from myself. They have different beliefs, different upbringings, different ways of handling personal relationships. This separation alleviates the embarrassment that can come from being open and vulnerable.

Sometimes this is a lot easier said than done, and I should know because I’ve taken classes, I have performed in tons of shows with different groups from an ensemble of eight to a two-man show. I have been trying to improve my improv skills lately, and a note that I received recently was that I needed to enjoy what I am doing. Whatever scene I am in, whomever I am working with, I need to commit to what is going on in that world and enjoy it.

Dang.

This is such a simple instruction, and yet it is one that I find myself continuing to fight against. (This is where improv practice can teeter on the therapeutic side.) Why am I fighting against going along with an idea or an action? Why am I wanting to change things up once they have been established? I have a natural tendency to want to be opposite, different from other people. Is that a point of pride for me? To want to be other, and in that way special? It’s something I have been turning over in my mind lately, but tonight at practice I decided that I was not going to over-analyze. I was going to commit to enjoyment.

I have to tell you, from last Monday to this Monday I had 100% more fun in the scenes that I was in. I wasn’t thinking about what my next move was, I was taking in the signals my partner was giving me and responding with feelings and emotions, not snappy commentary. I felt so much more free, simply following an emotion. It clicked into place for me tonight, and it is making me rethink how I process my day to day life. Am I looking for ways to enjoy what I am doing?

This is something I think everyone should stop and think about. Each day we should be waking up and leaning into finding enjoyment in our days. Nobody has a perfect life but I think everyone can find ways to enjoy what they have. Today I was really struggling to get back into the groove after a really nice weekend, but I let myself feel that pain and then I left it behind when I went on a run this afternoon. I savored the time outside and the fact that I was doing something solely for me. I brought that positive energy to class tonight, let my guard down and enjoyed my time on stage with people that I love being around and admire. It feels good to end a day on a positive note, and it is something I am going to continue to strive for.

Commit to what is happening in the moment and find a way to truly enjoy it.

Improv can be a difficult thing to capture on film, so instead of posting some out of context scene pictures I am gifting you this beachfront sunset. Is this not one of the mostly lovely scenes one can experience? Now that I am demanding that you commit to enjoyment, I decided I would throw you a softball to start. Enjoy this serene scene and take that energy with you into your next interaction. Thank me later for the beautiful moments in your life to come that you will now enjoy with 100% more conviction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!