Unfortunately, relying on the things you're already good at can be a crutch. If my ego needs a boost or my confidence is flagging, you can bet I'll trot out a go-to character and deliver some mighty awesome information. And Darren will say, "Great information, Sonnjea!" And I'll pat myself on the back and feel better.
But I haven't learned anything. Labels and information are not hard for me, so if I only focus on those skills in class, I'm wasting everybody's time. Sure, I might improve those skills and take them to another level, and that's never a bad thing. But I'm neglecting the areas that really need my attention - in my case, physicality, characters and voices. And stakes, don't forget having stakes.
Yeah, I have issues.
Anyhoo, long form improv started up last night, and I gave myself a little lecture before class. First of all, I gave myself credit for all the things I have already learned and the things I kick ass at in long form. It's not necessarily a long list, but I figured I should critique myself the way I critique my students - start with what I/they did right. So I acknowledged my strengths and then I committed to working on my weaknesses. And I told myself that, by focusing all my attention on those weaknesses, I might do bad improv for a while. I might actually (gasp!) have bad information or be unable to justify something.
In class, we did an exercise I've done a few times before. I decided to do it with a Spanish accent and character (I've never done accents before; I'm accent remedial). It started well, and Viet and I got out some good information. Yay us! Then the other duo had their part of the scene and, damn them, they used French accents. And they were good French accents. Bastards.
Naturally, when it came back to me and Viet, I lost my accent. All I could manage was a mangled conglomeration of Spanish and French. Sprench. My information went right out the window as I struggled to get the accent back. I couldn't follow up on anything Viet and I had set up. I have no idea what I even said.
And you know what? I couldn't be happier! I was so committed to pushing myself and doing things to challenge myself that I wasn't holding anything back in my head "just in case." I had no backup plan. I had a bad Spanish accent and, when I couldn't hold onto it, I had nothing else. That means I truly put it all out there.
Sorry this post has been all about me. I just wanted to share my experience in the hopes that it will help you feel comfortable trying the stuff that's hard for you. You couldn't always do long division, either, but you didn't just insist on adding 2 + 2 because that's what you were good at... If you don't try the stuff you struggle with, it'll never become stuff you're good at. Just sayin'.
By Sonnjea Blackwell
