Kim Schultz's Happy Hour!!! is back!!!

Sunday, September 9

630pm

Ha! Comedy Club/163 west 46th street

Reservations: 646-642-6957 or email:

kimschultzimprov@gmail.com

$8/2 drink minimum

Come laugh, be happy!

creating light

I was teaching last night and we got into a discussion about living and working from outside what you know. Living in the place that you don't know you don't know and how to do that.

It seems to me we self-impose rules on what is and can be in our life. Early on, we decided certain things about ourselves and the world, and as adults we rarely stop to re-examine them. Improv can do that. It can help you re-examine what rules you operate from because there are no rules in improv and we always seek rules. In improv, you have to move in the darkness, knowing nothing. But the thing about improv is that not only can it open windows, but it can even create windows where before there was only wall.

Recently, in my life, I've been looking at the truths I have determined to be true in my life and been examing them for their validity. Is this the truth? Is it the only truth? Are there other possiblities? What if there were? What if I declared another truth and lived from that one instead? Would anyone be the wiser? Would anyone care? Maybe my life would change. Or maybe it would just be a fun game. Either way.....there seems to be more light.

The joy of improv

Improv is such a joy to watch when the players are filled with joy. When they are filled with angst, judgement and fear, it is no longer fun to watch. If you're not having fun, do something. Doing is action and action creates freedom and freedom creates joy. Not doing is thinking and thinking creates angst, judgement and fear.

Be a 6 year old. Everything is huge and joyful. See your world today through a 6-year old's eyes.

Trust is a many splendored thing or who took my doughnut!?!?!?

Trust.
It's a funny thing. Some people always have it, some never do, sometimes you lose it, sometimes you have to earn it, other times it's given away for free. It's hard to predict trust. It's a slippery little thing...trust.

In improv, TRUST is ESSENTIAL to good scenework. We must trust that we're all looking out for each other and will each do our best to do the best improv work we can. Certainly, trust builds over time, but I often find that the best improvisers and the best improv ensembles have it immediately(or some nascent form of it) and don't question it (certainly be greateful for it, but no questions! Don't mess with the mojo!) In improv, we are starting from a place of nothing, of nakedness and building into something(hopefully) wonderful. In order for that to work, I believe we have to trust the process. we have to trust each other and we have to trust ourselves. All equally important.

Recently, I had an experience where I could have lost trust in someone. He didn't tell me the truth. And I'm a big fan of the truth. So I had a choice. I could be a non-truster, run with the masses, trusting no one or nothing, being skeptical about everything and getting nothing. Or I could take a leap, be a truster and risk getting hurt again, this time potentially much worse. I choose the latter. I choose to be a leaptrustrisker.

Sure, you may get hurt when you trust. Your scene may suck rocks. Life scene or improv scene! But as high as the stakes are, the potential is even higher. The reward is unmatched. And trust is the only way there.

One last thought: Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to earn trust? If it was just given? as a gift? Crazy.

seeing the big picture

I haven't blogged in about 17 centuries....my apologies to my frequent readers.....

I've been away-

see above (yes, I am wearing a cowboy hat next to a funny tree)

I was in Israel..amazing trip...blah blah blah....but what it reminded me of is how important travel is to those who think big or act big. Even if it's travelling to the next town, travelling reminds us how big the world is, how little our troubles are and at the same time how small the world is and how we have similar problems.

Now, I'm not saying the Palestinians and I had a kumbya (...we did--I used improv to settle the mid-east conflict...yes...I'm that good), but travel reminds us of who we are and who we're not.

Improv can do that too. It makes us so aware of our moments, of our choices and ultimately who we are. i always say to my students: whatever you come up against in improv is probably what you come up against in life. What you struggle with in improv is what you struggle with in life.

Interesting...anywho. I loved this tree. Take a trip. Enjoy your life.

New classes start soon in NYC. Email me if interested.