What I Learned the Night After Election 2016

For some genius (read = sarcasm) reason I scheduled to lead a creativity workshop the day after Election 2016. I thought it would be the perfect time for people to re-energize and we'd all be happy it was over.  

Now, as we all can see, nothing is over and arguably more important things are beginning - actions, movements, collaborations. We must now decide who we are personally, professionally, nationally and globally. 

"Follow the Fear" is a saying from the godfather of modern improv Del Close, which means to recognize and accept what scares you and to confront it. Because when you move towards your fears you find that they aren't so scary after all. You find that the stories you told yourself, and the assumptions you made were not based in reality.

You find that when you push outside your comfort zone, you are capable of more than you thought.

I'm sure that many people who voted for Trump were driven by fears but instead of following them and remaining open to collaborative solutions, they shut them down and ran away to feel comfortable. But this comfort will only be short-term. Fears do not go away, in fact, they tend to multiply like Gremlins after getting wet.

None of us walked into that post-election workshop room feeling positive or creative. But we pushed through, opened up, played, and laughed. A few hours later we left smiling and energized. 

What that night taught me is that improv-based training is more important than ever before. Improvisation is an artform that teaches acceptance, empathy, feedback, team-work, and to respond truthfully from the heart. We can all use a little more of that in our lives. 

Next lunchtime workshop is Dec. 6 in NYC. Sign up.