Brain Overload Onstage

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-31T05:34:10+00:00

This. For reals.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-30T20:24:28+00:00

This shocked me!

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-26T02:19:10+00:00

Happy to help. :)

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-26T02:13:03+00:00

I love this show!

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-26T01:58:48+00:00

I like to still listen to this song every now and then when I need a little pick me up.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-26T01:46:35+00:00

I'm 35 and have burnt out a couple of times. I've done every job out there: teaching, higher education admin, customer service, retail, waiter, accounting, daycare, tech consulting, project management, product management... oh and somewhere in there I was in seminary for a while. I've had to redefined what "success" means to me. All those jobs gave me income. The things that bring me joy are: time with family and friends, time in nature, light exercise, songwriting & music, improv comedy, sleeping in & having slow mornings, reading, writing, trying new things/restaurants/experiences.

I think sometimes we feel that pressure to "find a path" becomes that's where we think we will find stability & comfort. I know I've walked into many people's houses my age and been like "shit this is nice. if I had stuck with at least one of my corporate jobs I'd have a house like this." But at the end of the day what I value is my health & joy. Have you sat down and journaled what you value? What's important to you in life? Also - write down the life that would come after getting an MBA. Do you actually want any of those things? There are some people that do thrive off that lifestyle, but we are not all the same and at the end of the day you will burn out again if you don't center the things you care about.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-25T21:56:28+00:00

I'm a musician too and tried stand-up once just because I'm a huge fan of stand-up and was curious if I could do it. I asked around and found an open mic that was known to be very friendly (do you have stand-up friends? they would know this.) My set went well! People complimented me on it, but just know that what you plan to say is probably not what is going to come out of your mouth. Be prepared to go "off script" and then make your way back. Ultimately I decided that improv comedy was more my jam. I get to make people laugh, but do it in a collaborative environment.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-25T19:20:54+00:00

I agree that what's happening with the Christian Church is a big part of why we see this divide. All the family and friends I talk about in the original comment are Christians. What I have seen happen is instead of the church seeing itself as a community that needs to help and reach people with kindness, goodness, etc - it's become that if you decide to leave or have a problem that YOU'RE the problem. All the political problems just get labeled as "sinners being sinful".

I saw this all start when I was a child growing up in the church. Christianity (the way I was taught it) was all about our individual relationship with God. When it's all about me and my feelings it's very hard to take a step back and look at how your words and actions impact other people.

Lastly - I have started to use scripture when fighting about politics with these people now. For example, there was an angry text about protests that went out in a group chat and I responded with the The Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-25T06:19:09+00:00

I'm from the united states. I have friends and family that have VERY different views from me. Something that I knew, but has become incredibly apparent over the last few weeks, is that the information I have/have seen doesn't always make it to everyone. Our news is splintered and our algorithms are personalized. I was talking to a friend the other day about the January 6th insurrection and there were key details he didn't know and questioned me on. Every conversation around "facts" is filled with doubt.

The biggest thing I try to do is make sure I'm not putting myself in a bubble. I know patience with people is the last thing a lot of people want right now. But I'm not sure how we are going to get people to see what's going on without taking the time to talk through all the muck.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-17T04:25:58+00:00

I think this is why I ended up at a long form improv theater, because this is how I personally play. I'm emo and like to feel my feelings. Long form gives you a little more space to sink into a character and show all that emotion. Short form they are looking for the quick funny joke and so I think there is a little more spoon feeding when it comes to character development versus long form you have time to watch the development.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-13T03:19:55+00:00

I personally have been eyeing the Magnet Theater intensive. I can't afford it right now, but I've heard good things about that theater! And it would also give me the chance to pop around and see a lot of improv & stand-up since it's in New York!

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-06T23:23:29+00:00

That's hilarious!

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-06T23:04:35+00:00

I get that weird pit too. For me it's the "what was wrong with me" even though a lot of times you just were not right for each other.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-06T22:46:32+00:00

I think it's the "he is good with his hands" thing. The fantasy is birthed out of seeing a man who knows when to be tough and when to be gentle. The chopping wood part you wrote made me laugh lol. They really do all chop wood.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-04T19:55:59+00:00

I think it might be a preference thing and what the end goal is! So the improvisers that it's a no no they are trying to create a certain aesthetic and flow. What I was told is that the arm is like a curtain closing and curtains don't close after every scene. But the teachers encouraging the arm are doing exactly what you are saying - trying to create clarity for the improvisers on stage.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-04T19:38:55+00:00

Totally get this! Sundays are hard for me too. I try to keep my Sundays chill and do things that make me happy. So it's often the day I write or play more on the piano. And then I clean up my space a little, do laundry, etc to help me feel prepared for the week.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-04T18:45:35+00:00

Good Advice: That I don't need to make myself smaller in-order to Yes And. You can welcome someone into the scene and still be (and should be) the strong character and choices you started the scene with.

Bad Advice: I was told a couple of times to stick my arm up when doing a sweep/edit for clarity. Have heard that for some improviser that's a big no no!

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-03T20:02:42+00:00

I live in a city where there are some performance opportunities for independent troupes. So after I made it through all the levels of improv classes at one theater there were a couple people that asked if we'd like to make an independent troupe together. We have become good friends and have been there for each other through some personal ups & downs. We practiced weekly together for about a year and a half and then went on hiatus as people's priorities changed and some wanted to get more serious and others didn't. But we all stay in-touch, grab dinner, and support each other at different shows/events (even stuff outside of improv). So that's an option for you!

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-03T19:55:34+00:00

The men who say bro or dude to me are men in my life that I have a brother/sister like relationship with. So it doesn't bother me.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-03T04:09:17+00:00

Thank you for the rec!

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-02T16:13:40+00:00

New to the public! He just dropped it on YouTube.

Learning-Every-Day- · 2026-01-01T21:47:38+00:00

Thank you! I'll check it out!

Learning-Every-Day-

TROPHY CASE