DEFINING SURRENDER AND EXPLORING LIFE AS IMPROV
Zibby: Have you ever thought of that?
Jesse: Thought what?
Zibby: How everything in life is basically improvised. There’s no script, we’re just makin’ this up as we go.
Jesse: That’s true.
Liberal Arts*(Elizabeth Olsen, Josh Radnor)
How does your higher self communicate truths to you? Mine sends me messages through little scenes from obscure movies like this one. As I watched the scene unfold, I was struck. What if life is one big improv show?
COME WITH ME ON THIS JOURNEY INTO MY CONSCIOUSNESS AND INTO MY LESSON FROM THE UNIVERSE ON SURRENDER.
1) IF LIFE IS IMPROV THE SHOW IS ALREADY HAPPENING.
2) IF LIFE IS IMPROV, SURRENDER IS PARAMOUNT: CONTROL IS FUTILE. (FLIPSIDE:THE CHANCES FOR FUN SKYROCKET)
3) IF LIFE IS IMPROV, WE CAN CO-CREATE WITH LIFE (AM I CHANGING MY MIND ON MANIFESTING??)
How do we unlock joy and creativity and art in the most random AND CHALLENGING of circumstances?
COMPLETE AND TOTAL SURRENDER. Have you ever been to an improv show? If someone isn’t willing to make a complete fool of themselves, it sucks.10 years ago I took the Improv 101 class at UCB theatre. I wanted to be creative and I wanted to meet hot dudes (LOLOL). Instead I got a rude awakening that I had massive control issues. Letting go and allowing myself to be completely present? HAHAHAHA. HARD AF.
Every practice I was constantly caught flat-footed because I was running lists of things that could be coming my way instead of LISTENING AND WATCHING WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
I was completely unable (unwilling??) to let my guard down and fully commit to being in a scene. In improv, you can sculpt a world from nothing. But not if you’re anticipating or expecting something - YOU miss the magic and YOU kill the vibe. UGH, I was SUCH a vibe killer!!
The number one rule in improv? The Yes, And Rule. With the Yes, And Rule you’re validating what your partner said and you’re adding value by sketching more of the world you’re in - YES, AND brings shape and new life to the creation.
IF I'm not Yes, and-ing then I'm negating and controlling. If I get stuck on the expectations and anticipations, I miss the beauty and quirks of what's happening right in front of me. If you’ve ever done improv or comedy, you know that if you get stuck in your head, you’re dead. You’ve got to be an open vessel; completely fluid, and open to receive ANYTHING from your scene partner.
GOOD IMPROV REQUIRES COMPLETE SURRENDER INTO THE SCENE.
Good improv requires bravery + vulnerability. At 25 I was neither brave nor vulnerable. I was setting out to prove something, which is not the recipe for improv success. Improv is full of weird people because it’s full of people who have accepted themselves and they are willing to go with it.
Failing is part of the art.
How many times have you heard people say, you have to surrender? I’m always like, ok cool, BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Is it just completely letting go? Is it a lack of care? What does it mean to truly surrender?
But if life is improv then we have a new doorway into surrender. Surrender isn’t a lack of care or inaction, but complete trust and faith in yourself and whoever is there with you.
SURRENDER IS EGOLESS PATIENCE COMBINED WITH OPENNESS TO THE PRESENT. If we wait for the right circumstances and the right people, then we’re in a Samuel Beckett play. No one wants to die being like, BUT WAIT I DIDN’T GET TO PLAY!!!! So therefore the time is now. The stage is set and there is no script since we’re all making it up as we go.
When the performers can let go of any preconceived notions of what they want to bring and just trust that the scene will be shaped as they go, they co-create a new universe for the audience and everyone gets to be inside of the dream for a moment. Good improv takes you to a new place.
If we live life with the spirit of improv, then we can create and play and make magic literally anytime, anywhere - through a little ingenuity, a willingness to make a fool of ourselves, and throwing ourselves into the moment. If we want to make great art we have to be willing to give it our all, even if it turns out totally wrong.
Something unexpected happened during the live performance for my Improv 101 finale, I actually was able to surrender to the moment.
The last class is held at the theatre in front of your friends and family. I was so energized and overwhelmed by the presence of the audience that I had no space left to be in my head. I was able to volley back and forth and participate in the performance art that is improv - my teacher and fellow classmates were floored.
What we’re really afraid of when we accept these truths about control and surrender is that it’s the unknown that’s the most terrifying thing.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I LET GO?
It’s the biggest catch-22 we face. We must die to the illusion of control and our ego in order to live fully as ourselves. The fun happens when we fully release the reigns on our illusions and allow ourselves to open up to the possibilities.
We do get a little control though, so hang with me here - the control we have is to recognize we have no control. We have control to make the most out of what we have.
Just like good improv happens when the performers are completely willing to fail and completely willing to commit to the moment, we see the exact same thing happen in our lives. Magic happens when people open themselves up to the full spectrum of possibilities.
How many of us are negating and controlling in our lives instead of Yes, and-ing? What if peace is simply accepting the chaos, fully melting into the moment, and allowing for flow?
WHAT IF LIFE REALLY IS ONE GIANT IMPROV SHOW?
When the scene from Liberal Arts floated to me a few weeks back, I remembered my experience in front of an audience. The thrill and exhilaration of performing, presence, teamwork, listening, and surrender. It pushed me to go live on Instagram. I was reminded about how much there is to gain when we just say fuck it, I’ll DO IT LIVE!
Are you ready to jump in?
*this movie came out in 2012 and I’m not sure I recommend it, but since we’re in quar-times, fuck it, you should watch it, because what else are you doing? Ted Mosby from How I Met Your Mother (Josh Radnor) wrote it and it’s one of these movies where you’re like, why am I still watching? This movie is 10 years too long, but also encapsulates the pressure of college and how aimless adult life can feel like. Did you see his other movie happythankyoumoreplease? It’s the better of the two.