Written by: Natalia Jansen, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
When one hears the word improvisation, one thinks of fun and laughter through acting without any script. It’s the ability to come up with ideas on the spot without much preparation, in other words, it’s the capacity to be spontaneous and creative. Improvisation is a powerful tool that allows you to master numerous valuable life skills such as listening and responding, communication and storytelling, creative and fast thinking, and most of all it allows you to nurture your imagination in a fun way. That’s why I believe that improvisation should be a required course for everyone.
In my twenty years as an educator, I have seen children who struggle to read, and are too shy to answer questions in class come alive, transform into leaders, come up with the most imaginative scenarios, and gain such powerful self-confidence when given the freedom to improvise. If you are shy or introverted, you too can learn to be more assertive and confident through improvisation. According to Maxwell Maltz, an American Surgeon and author of Psycho-Cybernetics “Our self-image, strongly held, essentially determines what we become.” He came to this conclusion after seeing countless patients undergo cosmetic surgery, and still not feeling good about themselves. In his book, Dr. Maltz states, “The 'self-image' is the key to human personality and human behavior. Change the self-image and you change the personality and the behavior.” How we see ourselves determines who we can become. In order to become more, we have to see and believe ourselves capable of more. Improvisation is a fun and safe way to explore different personas and help transform one’s self-image. Let’s talk about some basic guidelines for successful improvisation. One of the best things in improvisation is that it requires nothing but the three basic acting tools: body, voice, and imagination. All you need to improvise a scene is an idea for characters and a situation. The number one rule for successful improvisation is to never deny a fact. Another way to say it is you must always say “yes” to your partner’s idea. No matter how outlandish the idea might be, you play along. The second rule is to add your ideas into the mix. That’s called “Yes, and…” You accept your partner’s idea, and you add something to it to build the story. These are the most essential rules of improv, and of course, it’s the key to creating a better life. Saying “yes, and” instead of “either, or” creates room and opportunities for greater abundance and prosperity in your life.
Improvisation class is a safe space where you can practice imagining being anyone you desire. Building on the solid foundation of what you know, you add new and creative ideas to imagine how would the person you are putting on as a character behave and respond in a given circumstance. You learn to be present in the moment to really listen to what your scene partner says, you accept their idea and using quick thinking respond with your own idea to keep the story going. It may feel challenging and awkward at first, yet as anything, with practice it gets easier and more fun.
Take it a step further, and you can create fun in your daily life by spicing it up with some improvisation. Imagine who you want to be today, and when you talk to yourself or interact with people throughout the day, stay in character. Think, speak, and behave in the way the person you are being today would. I invite you to try this experiment with your life for seven days. Choose who you want to be each day and stick to it all day long, and reflect on what you experienced and learned by journaling about your day before going to bed each night. I believe that the spirit in you will have fun and with it, new ideas and opportunities will start showing up as well.
Natalia Jansen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Natalia combines her rigorous certification training with Brave Thinking Institute by Mary Morrissey, her 20 years of experience as an educator and theatre artist with her passion for personal development and spiritual transformation to her mission to teach women ‒ especially single moms ‒ to embrace their spiritual nature, re-ignite their dreams, take charge of their life, and design the life they truly love living.
