Category: Thoughts on Creativity
Creative Mondays #011 – If something clicks, keep doing it.
When I began training to be in The Jim Henson Company’s Puppet Up, part of the training was improv classes. After taking those classes for a while, I started taking classes outside of Henson, through The Imrpovatorium. Most of my classes were with Patrick Bristow but I had a few other teachers as well. One class I took was a long form improv class with Ted Michaels. Ted is a brilliant improviser and he is also a member of Puppet Up. Ted is a great teacher and knows a lot of great structures to help drive home the core concepts of improv.
I don’t remember the exact name, but one of the structures we did really hit me as being funny and, as I was thinking back about it today, the principles of it can be applied to creativity. The improv scenes started out just like most other improv scenes. Two people got a suggestion and then began the scene. The rule of this game was to go through the scene as normal until the first big, whole audience, laugh. Then, whatever it was that got that laugh, the two improvisers just keep doing that. The point being that if you keep following that first big laugh, most of the time the scene will continue to be really, really funny. I’ll give you an example.
My friend Chris and another improviser were doing a scene that involved them getting into a car. Once inside the car, Chris made a move to roll down the car’s window. Of course, he was ‘space-working’ or miming it because there wasn’t a car on stage. So Chris made the move to roll down the window but his move was just really weird and not how you would go to roll down a real car window. It was funny because the audience immediately thought, “What kind of crazy wind controls does this car have?” That move got a big laugh.
So Ted said, “Okay, the scene is now about this ‘awkward space-work’ car.”
So Chris and his partner just went on with the dialogue as normal, but everything in the car, turning on the radio, opening the sunroof, pushing in the cigarette lighter, became these really big awkward physical movements. The scene was so funny. As the class continued, time and time again it was proven that if you just kept following that one thing that tickled the audience, the scene will succeed. Of course there were exceptions to the rule, but for for the most part, it worked.
Now, another improv teacher I’ve had would agree to an extent. I believe he would say you should pursue what the audience feels is funny, yes, but be aware when they are ready to move on to something new. Then look for the next thing and follow that.
I think this theory or pursuing what ‘clicks’ with the audience can be applied to creative work as well.
If you find that you create a piece of art that really clicks with your audience, follow it. Keep creating in that manner. Now I’m not saying paint the same painting over and over again, but if you find a style that hits with your audience, keep creating in that style. If you’re a writer and a story or book hits, write another with the same characters or in the same universe. If a sculpture you create is a hit, create in the same style for the next one. Follow what clicks with your audience. I’m also not saying never create in another way again, that would be boring. But if you find something that works, go with it until it doesn’t work anymore and then try something else.
I can point to an example of this in The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd. In 6 seasons of the show we followed the same ‘time travel’ formula. Dr. Steve wanted to steal historical artifacts and Dr. Floyd tried to stop them. After six seasons I wanted to try something else. Shake up that formula a little. So I created a season long storyline where Dr. Floyd and Dr. Steve got trapped inside classic literature. Now, I think these were some of our most fun shows and showed that the Dr. Floyd characters could still exist in another format. Some in the audience didn’t think so. While many folks loved Season 7, we got plenty of feedback from folks who missed the time travel formula we had done over the previous seasons. So, you’d better believe we brought it back for what was the eight and final season.
Dr. Floyd really clicked with people and I followed it until it was impossible to do so anymore due to issues that arose between myself and the other co-creator of the characters. Since then, I’ve created other similar style projects and some of that audience stayed with me. True, many want Dr. Floyd to return, but that’s just not possible now. But those who like the way I produced audio drama have followed and, I hope, they aren’t disappointed as I’m still creating in the same style. I’ve set up Saturday Morning Theatre as sort of a testing ground where I can produce different types of shows and if one of those shows really clicks, I can run with it and produce more. The Tales Deputy Guppy seems to have a pretty good fan base, so there will definitely be more episodes of that. The Adventures of The Thunder Crester got sort of a lukewarm response, so I may make a few more episodes to wrap up the storyline, but I probably won’t be producing more seasons of it.
If something clicks with your audience, keep doing it.
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Have you ever had something click with your audience? If so, what did you do? Did you follow it or try something different? Let me know in the comments below.
Puppet Up Spring 2014 Tour – March 13, 2014 – Springfield, OH
I wish I could tell you of some exciting adventures in Springfield, Ohio that took place before our show but there weren’t. Not because there isn’t much to do but because I slept in until noon and our call was two. So I basically just hung out in my room before going to the venue.
Once we were over to the venue, our crew was busy with the local crew getting things set up for the show. The local crew at the Kuss Auditorium were on the ball, they also had really positive attitudes. Love people who work hard yet can have fun. Having a few days off, the cast ran through some choreography just to refresh themselves on the moves for the opening and closing. Then we dove into tech rehearsal.
Tech went great, our fearless tech leader Greg was on top of things as always and we finished in time to have our venue provided dinner. Dinner was fantastic, all vegetarian. Fried eggplant, spaghetti squash, mushrooms and zucchini and a fantastic pear dessert that was a throwback to desserts of my youth.
Soon the house was open and it was time to go. A really fun show tonight with some wild suggestions from the audience. Sean told the story of The Shameful Penguin using the Henson Digital Puppetry System. Peggy rocked out the Bond opening number for the film, The Revenge of the Sasquatch. Vanessa pulled a, spot on, Woody Woodpecker impression out of nowhere. Tim’s old man during an Understudies scene was hilarious. And Victor want a great Alien Barbershop on the wacky suggestion: Volcano Taco. The audience loved he show and gave us a standing ovation at the close of in. We were very honored.
The adulation continued to the hotel where we ran into some audience folks who who had seen the show and bought some of us drinks (or a water in my case). It was a fun day and we are now ready to make our way to Kalamazoo, MI for our show there!
Truly lucky I get to do this and get paid for it.
Creative Mondays #010 – Today…create.
So for today’s post it’s something a little different. I’m not going to prattle on with my spineless drivel here, waxing poetic about my thoughts on creativity. Wait, I think I just did. Anyway, no, today is different. Today, I’m going to challenge you, dear reader. Today, whatever day it is your eyeballs are rolling past these words, I’m going to challenge you to create something.
Yes, today you are going to create something and you are going to finish it. That is your challenge. Start creating something today with the goal of simply getting it done before you go to bed.
Now, this doesn’t have to be The Mona Lisa or the next Great American Novel. It can be small. It can be tiny. But your goal is to see it through, from start to finish, today.
Here’s some examples of what you could create today:
- a haiku
- a short story
- a one hundred word story
- a sketch
- a quick painting
- a simple sculpture out of clay (or even Play-Doh)
- a short song
- a short play
- a computer graphic
- take some pictures with your digital camera (or phone),
- a found object sculpture
- a short video (again, shot with your phone is fine)
- draw a four panel comic strip
- write some jokes
- a pipe cleaner sculpture
- a small wood carving
- a limerick
- a 6 second Vine
- Arrange some flowers
- etc.
There’s all these ideas and more. Whatever strikes you from this list or from your mind, you are going to create it. Try to pick something that you have all the supplies to create. I don’t want to hear any, “I didn’t have any paint” excuses. If you don’t have paint, draw. Don’t let your brain put up roadblocks. Just create.
But remember, it must be finished today. Again, don’t make it too complicated. Don’t get too fussy about the details. Take your time, but realize that you are going to wrap it all up today, so there’s no sense in fussing over it. This should be something that’s done in under twenty minutes or so.
And then, once your piece of art is complete, I want you to release it into the world by sharing it. You can post it online on you blog or Facebook or you can just share it with someone in your life.
The purpose of today is to create something from start to finish and then share it. The goal is to show you how easy it is to create something from start to finish and then how much fun it is to share it with someone else. I promise you, if you post what you create on Facebook you’ll get a likes (unless you are like me and only have a dummy Facebook account simply to manage fan pages). Even if you only get one like, your art has still made an impact on that person. And if you create something to give to someone in person, you’ll get to see the effect that art has on them first hand.
Once you see how easy it is to create something and then share it, my hope is you’ll want to do it again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day.
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So….what did you create? Care to share it in the comments below? We’d love to see it!
Creative Mondays #009 – Seize the moment. Or regret it later.
When I first thought about the topic for today’s post, I figured this would only work for those who are in the performing side of the creative arts world. But the more I thought about it, the more I feel it applies to everyone in the art world and, heck, everyone in general. Again, it’s a saying we have all heard a million times, but it bears repeating:
Seize the moment. Or regret it later.
This has rumbled back around in my brain this past week because I failed to seize a moment presented to me this past week and I’m totally regretting it now. Let my tale be a lesson to you all.
As you may or may not know, I am a ringside interviewer for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. It is a totally fun job with a great group of people and last Sunday (February 23) I worked the latest round of TV Tapings for the show.
Before the show I found out that we would only have one permanent commentator for the day, the fantastic Johnny LaQuasto. He would be joined periodically on commentary by manager Stu Stone, but for the most part, he would be on his own. During the tapings, I sit next to the commentators table to ring the bell for the start and finish of each match and to be able to hop down to ringside to conduct the interviews. So I’m very close to the ‘action.’
Before we started the show, Stu Stone took me aside and said, “Listen, I have to be ringside for a lot of the matches and LaQuasto will be on his own. Hop on to commentary when I’m not there.” I nodded and said, “Okay.”
Now, I have never done commentary before. I had thought about it, yes, but never have I stepped up to the mic to actually call a match. My brain started tumbling with thoughts, “Yeah, you should totally do it. But what if I suck? Well, then they’ll never have you do it again, but you aren’t going to kill anyone by doing it. But I know I will suck.” The old negative brain hard at work.
The show started and Johnny and Stu were on commentary and soon Stu was off to head to ringside. I put on the extra headset (earphones and a mic) and sat there and…I didn’t say anything. Not that I was prompted to, Johnny was doing just fine solo. But in my head I felt, “I don’t really have the okay from someone in charge to do this so I’m not going to say anything. Plus, I’ve never done it so I’ll probably be bad at it.”
At one point during a match, Stu came past the table while running around the ring and yelled at me, “Why aren’t you saying anything?!” I laughed, but deep down I knew he was right. I should just start talking. Stu Stone is one of the best managers working the ‘indy’ wrestling world today. He got to that position by seizing EVERY opportunity that came his way.
So I sat there, pretty much the whole taping, with the headset on and I didn’t say a word. Because my brain was telling me that I’d be bad at it and I had this fear that I would ‘get in trouble.’
Days after I’m still regretting that decision for several reasons. First of all, I wouldn’t have been ‘bad’ at doing commentary during the match. I wouldn’t have been the next coming of Jim Ross by a long shot, but I wouldn’t have been as ‘bad’ as my brain had me convinced. I’m a strong improviser, I’ve been watching wrestling since 4th grade and I know all the guys in the ring. I could have done it. And, besides, if my commentary had been REALLY bad, I would have realized and I could have just dropped out at the end of the current match and not done it again. No biggie.
Secondly, I wouldn’t have ‘gotten in trouble.’ I wouldn’t have been fired or drummed out of wrestling. The worst case scenario is that Dave Marquez, our director and executive producer, would have just told me not to do it again. But again, knowing Dave, that would have only been if I would have been miserably bad, which we already have stated I wouldn’t have been. Had I seized the chance and it had been halfway decent, it would have shown to Dave and the other producers of the show that there is another place I can be plugged in during the shows.
I should have seized the opportunity. Now I just regret it.
Don’t let this happen to you. If you get the opportunity, seize it. Or regret it later.
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Okay, let’s hear about the opportunities you failed to grab hold of. Why didn’t you jump? What did you learn from not seizing the chance to do something?