Yes and…

 

“You want to know what my secret is? You see, I don’t mind what happens.”
— Jiddu Krishnamurti

 

One of the best lessons that I’ve been learning from my improv class is that of “Yes and…” In most of the exercises, someone else in the class will say something and I have to build on it. The easiest way to do this is to somehow negate what the other person has said and throw it back to them. However it is much more interesting and makes for a better (and often funnier) improv is taking what the other person has said and build on it.
“You smell funny.”
<em"Yes its this new musk oil I've been trying. It's supposed to make me impossible to resist, sexually."
This gives the first person something to build on. It also has helped speed up my reaction time somewhat.
Yes and fits in well with Ken Wilbur’s idea that everyone is right. There is no wrong thing to say, we are creating something together. Even if I find myself disagreeing with something that someone says or writes, I can take it and build on it in a way I do agree with. I find this to be a useful skill indeed.
Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Holding Strong Under FireHolding Strong Under Fire by G A Rosenberg

 

Blue Fire TapestryBlue Fire Tapestry by G A Rosenberg

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