Creative Classes, a Class-less Channel, and Channels of Creation... ?
This past Thursday night was my Improv class. We played a fun warm-up game where we had to toss (and sometimes run) specific imaginary objects around a circle to each other. Lest you think it wasn't physically demanding, I will admit to being sweaty and breathing heavy when we were finished. By the end, we had five imaginary objects going around the room at once. Not impressed? Well, five objects garner the attention of ten people at a time (one giving and one receiving); and in a class with thirteen people, there was little time to think, relax, or breathe. It was a really fun game, though and when we finished Tim said "Wow... that was really good. We didn't drop a single thing." hahaha... but then he said "We never had more than one of the same object. Which means we were focused and paying attention. That was perfect. For this fleeting moment, you're perfect." And then something inside the class... inside all of us... got SO EXCITED. I mean, our last instructor never would have called us perfect... even if we had done something really well, he still would have found something wrong with it. That's his job... that's his schtick... that's what he does. So this was the first time, as a class, when we could feel like we had done something really well (as pathetic as it is to be excited over a game). And I don't know if we were half-joking or not, but we worked ourselves into a frenzy and then "brought it in"... everyone's fists in the middle and we were yelling incoherent things until we somehow all decided to yell "fleeting!" and raise our fists up. It was... stupid, yes... but unbelievable. For the first time as a class, we were all excited for one another. It was... well, it was great.
I think that Tim likes me... and it's really helping my confidence. The Thursday previous to this one, he talked specifically to me for a while during class after one of the scenes. The exercise of that scene was to create a forgiving, supportive environment so that every character involved could feel the freedom to do whatever they wanted. Well, when my scene turned into a confrontation, I continued to try to do the exercise, and Tim's sidecoaching (which I didn't really allow to sink in) told me, basically, to drop the exercise. After the scene was over he told me that, even though it was good to still try to do the exercise, the scene had became about something different and I didn't change with it. It was good for me to learn... and he made sure that I got why it was important to go with the scene instead of the exercise (I wasn't really listening and supporting), but he did it in a way that didn't make me feel like I was being reprimanded. And then this week he gave my scene partners a little poop because they weren't supporting the "gifts" I was giving. That made me feel good too... like he's saying "Hey. John did well in this scene and, if you would have supported him better, it would have been a much better scene." That would be a 20+ Ego (if my life was an RPG).
Also, I'm noticing that Tim's giving us a lot of time during class to "prepare" for scenes and exercises. It makes me feel like we're getting closer and closer to the ultimate--"this is what the mainstage does." Can't wait *rubs hands together in an anticipatory fashion*.
You ever just watch the Weather Channel and get kind of pissed off when they try to tell you what to do? Right now you're going "what?"... but hear me out. Whenever I watch the Weather Channel, they always give you the weather forecast (obviously), but then they try to tell you what you can do because of the weather. Recently there's been some rain in the western United States which means it's a good day to "stay in and maybe get some of that spring cleaning done." Whenever they do Chicago's forecast for the weekend "It's a great day to go shopping on Michigan Avenue on the Magnificent Mile..." or "Head out and watch a White Sox game. They're 6 and 2 and on top of the division" (these are ACTUAL quotes). And sometimes they have video of people playing tennis or jogging or a woman pushing a child in a stroller... and it makes me sick. Does anyone honestly think that there are people watching the WC going "Ohh... I could play tennis today!" or "Hmm... better push my baby around today"? Hey... thanks for planning my day, Weather Channel! What would I do without you?
Similarly, the Weather Channel is another of those channels which is trying to piss me off by "expanding" its programming. Now there are "Storm Stories" and "Hero Stories" and "Boring shit that's on when you just want to know tomorrow's weather at 8 at night." Seriously... how many of you have gone to the Weather Channel to know the evening's weather or the next day's weather, only to find a stupid show about how a man saved a dog during a flood? MTV should play music videos, G4 TechTV should have shows about technology (and not anime), and the Weather Channel should give us the motherf--king forecast. Is that REALLY too much to ask?
Finally... way back in the day, Joe Janes told me and the rest of my writing class that a writer should read. And, furthermore, that they should read something that has absolutely nothing to do with what they're writing. More recently (at least to me, anyway), Stephan King's writing book makes the same claim: writers should read... and that material shouldn't have anything to do with what they're writing. While this is all well and good for some writers, I find it very had to do. Whatever I'm reading seems to heavily influence my writing... and I find myself trying to write a science fiction novel after reading one, or being interested in spoofing a Sherlock Holmes mystery after reading those stories. I think the reason is that I find myself reading along, thinking about what I would do better... how my story (at least to me) is more interesting. Or, sometimes it's something as simple as me wanting to pay homage to the genre. Why couldn't I write science fiction? Why couldn't I write a good mystery? Why don't I try them? Maybe, deep down, I'm suppose to be a scifi writer... maybe that's where my true talent lies. I don't know. But I do know that I find myself almost constantly discouraged, thinking I'm 'starting' too late. I should have been reading and imitating other writers YEARS ago... now is not the time to imitate! I should be writing my own stuff now... and I should be good by now. *shakes head* Is 24 too young to be worrying about starting too late? or is it too old to be so uncertain of myself?