Changing Direction and Pushing Back

Improv and life have too many similarities. So many similarities in fact, that I've decided that improv is just another expression of life. The lessons that can be learned from both worlds are so rich and easily transferable. That said, I am now going to change direction for a bit and write about how life experiences and symbolic motifs can help in improv. But if you read closely enough, you'll soon figure out that this blog has really nothing to do about improvisational technique, but really anything you personally are working to aspire to.

Today I want to write about interpersonal relationships. A concept that dawned to me is the idea of "pushing" someone towards you. Yeah, you read correctly, "pushing," not pulling. To be simple, you CAN'T push a person towards you. You can only pull them--entice them if you will. Really think about that. YOU CAN"T PUSH SOMEONE TOWARDS YOU. It's impossible. Relating that to our silly little lives, if we want people to get closer to us (metaphorically), than we really can't force it. The best thing we can do is to leave the lure and hope they make the connection with us. I don't like thinking about people as objects that need to be lured, but it is the closest analogy that I could come up with to say, "you can't force friendship." If we do, the results will hurt. Forcing connections between people can cause relationships, but will they be strong?

Now for the improv tie-in. Forcing your ideas onto another improviser in a scene can be detrimental--fatal in fact. The best scenes come from teamwork. When both parties are pulling each other in. Think about the Lady and the Tramp. During the famous Bella Notte spaghetti scene, the two adorable dogs slurped the noodle into a kiss. How adorable, yet brilliant! The best results in improv come by a group of people pulling ideas from each other, never created by solely one person.

Through improv and life interpretations, I think we can figure out some amazing insights in how we can live the fullest of lives. This blog is goofy and serious in the same time. I hope you like it. Until next time buckaroos!