A big part of what I do is to help people to be present: to focus on the Here and Now. Being present is the first step one should take towards using improvisation in life. What’s the connection between presence and improvisation and why are they important?
In her book Aesthetic Intelligence, Rochelle T. Mucha PH.D gives an example of how being present and improvising is important in the performing arts when she says that: “an actor may study a script and internalize every line, but the actor knows that when he or she steps out onto the stage, the other cast members will likely offer something new, something they must accept and respond on the spot. Actors must accept what they are given. Failing to do so will cause a ripple of unwelcomed events.“
Presence for an actor is not negotiable. Presence for any other artist is not negotiable. Often I watch my son, who is a Jazz musician, performing with a Jazz trio where there is a lot of improvisation going, and I can see how present he is and so focused in order to create something collectively as the group. Improvisation would not be possible for those musicians if they were not able to be present.
The same goes for everybody: business people, teachers, parents and actually every human being. We all face situations where we have to work without a script. We are constantly improvising. Even when we have a plan, we usually have to make changes. Pre-planning only gets us so far. Whether talking to your children or your boss, you know that you can’t totally script things in advance.
If you create a daily routine of activities that help you to be present, you will perform better when you need to improvise.
