Improvisation ! ! !
So, here's what I've figured out in the last few years: we are all already doing improvisation!.
Think about it. I'll bet that on any given day, 95% of what you do is improvised. At work, at school, with your family. Are you a teacher? Do you handle customers at a store? Are you making business decisions? Do you meditate or pray? Do you tell your kids bedtime stories? The examples are everywhere.
OK, OK, I may be stretching the analogy a bit, but I think you get the point. So, why do I bring it up?
There are a lot of serious, profound, threatening and awful things going on in the world. There are problems to be solved, challenges to be met, wrongs to be righted. But it will take creative thinking and positive energy to do that.
I never underestimate the power of music, dance, and storytelling to empower people and keep hope alive in the world. In a million ways - from whistling in the dark when you're scared to singing "We Shall Overcome" during a rally to sharing stories about people's health care struggles - we've seen how important a part creativity plays. As Peter Alsop sang We're All Dancing At the Revolution. (If you don't know Peter's work, you might want to check it out at Peter's website.
The more you can do to free your own creative side, the more you can contribute to making the world a better place for us, our kids, our friends, and our future.
So, what now?
Get some friends together and play. Music. Games. Make up stories. Poke around on this site a bit, there are some suggestions. There are also links to other sites that offer ideas about improvisation and free play.
Email me if you have more ideas I can post on this site, we can continue building on this idea and help spread the word.