Abel Brainz Digest, Vol. 12 - July 25, 2023

Twelve! The largest single-syllable number!

More billionaires are showing their true colors during this strike.

When did the disconnect happen? Maybe it never existed? Either way, it's infinitely sad and troublesome. 

Regardless of the strike, I've been continuing to perform as much as possible and let the creative juices flow. This newsletter is a part of that so I thank you for reading. 

Teaching/Improv Stuff!

I've also had some good conversations with students. One asked about what to do with the fear of going on stage in an improv show and making an offer. Specifically, when you are left to enter when you choose versus being called up to perform in a class. The good news/bad news is that it never goes away. You just learn to use it better. Crazy as it is, I still have a moment, usually right before I leave the house, where my brain will say I'm a terrible improviser and am going to have the worst improv show ever and I'll never improvise again. I basically allow myself to have the thought and then laugh and/or use it as motivation. Your emotional resources grow the more you perform and you're able to walk hand in hand with that anxiety instead of trying to fight it. Read this from Eckhart Tolle's, The Power of Now:

"Observe how the mind labels [the moment]...this continuous sitting in judgment, creates pain and unhappiness... Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it... Always work with it...Make it your friend... not your enemy." 

It's pretty deep and it's absolutely applicable to improvisation. I'm not sure if Eckhart Tolle improvises, but he would probably love the emphasis on being completely in the moment. 

Movie Stuff!

I watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the first time... Oof. Bad things, man. 

When you're going to teach a genre improv class, you gotta make sure to see the classics you may have missed. You can definitely see its influence on indie horror and indie movies as a whole. 

Showbiz Stuff!

RIP Tony Bennett - Since I was born in San Francisco, I can't not love his most famous tune. Mr. Bennett was actually pretty funny and there's this story on how he got into showbiz. Trust me, read the whole thread. 

Click here to read all the volumez. 

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See you tater tots next week!

-Abel