Learning to fail...and paying money to do so...Improv Class

That is my life now, and for the next 6 weeks. Tonight was my first improv class, and I knew it was going to happen, and I knew I was going to have to learn to deal with it and yet, I did not and that leaves me a bit uncomfortable.

We started out with many name games, to help each other to learn the names of everyone. We also adopted a class motto of "Fuck you Andy". Although he did let us play Bunny Bunny...Next week Ill ask for "Where have my fingers been" that's another favorite improv game of mine.

I loved the games, except for the fact they are set up to help us accept we suck sometimes, I hated all my failures but enjoyed watching others be able to be vulnerable and embrace that aspect of improv. I am one of those who rewrites my to do lists to reflect what I actually did, never leave something uncrossed...never accept failure. Until tonight, where I was faced with it multiple times. Its weird to be a failure at failing, which is what I left class thinking tonight. Ive lived my entire life making sure I succeed, and its hard to grasp the concept that sometimes its okay to not be perfect.

Things I learned

1. Be careful the true stories you pick to use in the games.

2. Always make eye contact when doing a toast.

3. That at my age I can still feel shy and awkward in public.

4. That its hard to appear foolish, even when the goal is fooling around and uhhh acting foolish.


Really impressed with my instructors. Andy did not pick on me even though I made him speak only in rhyme during last weeks LNI. Ruby was his assistant and I thought they worked well together to meet the needs of our class as a whole. Which is important. The class as a whole is very funny and although we all come from a variety of places, work, life, etc, we all seemed to mesh really well. I wish it were time to go to another class.