Everyday an individual wakes up one is blessed with an opportunity to become 1 % better. Space and Opportunity is all around us, why not take advantage of what L.I.F.E has to offer us. I once thought life was about living in a comfort zone bound by an imaginary set rules we must follow and the limitations we stubbornly impose on ourselves. Luckily through my long journey in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-jitsu) it has taught me the complete opposite which is bound by no rules only focused on the premise of wanting the best for myself. Becoming driven, staring fear in the face to push through obstacles which lead me to uncovering a great deal of confidence, humility, and courage that I never knew existed within me.
However although BJJ has taught me a lot I began to find myself in a zone of comfort pondering.. Is that all ? I know my life just couldn't evolve around the paper job, MMA journalist, Nexflix and mat life. There had to be something else out there that could teach me more about myself. Fortunately this plan would be set in motion in late September of 2014.
Fed up with my paper job and being a temp for two years I was creating my plans toward my exit from the company. It was on a rainy day at a small coffee shop I had a conversation w/ someone I consider a father about my plans to leave and look for another job. His response (like always) was harsh, down to the point, and truthful.
" You can't communicate for shit. You stutter a lot, you can barely have a conversation, and you can't even make eye contact. What job is going to hire you? I recommended some acting classes."
If anyone who knows me I'm pretty much a laid back and quiet guy.Even when I get mad I rarely raise my voice as if I was a dry ass personality character out of the Godfather movie.
If anyone who knows me I'm pretty much a laid back and quiet guy.Even when I get mad I rarely raise my voice as if I was a dry ass personality character out of the Godfather movie.
Although it was hard to hear he was completely right . There were communication issues that I lacked that seriously needed work on. However acting was not my thing, Although I respected actors work ethic I hated everything about Hollywood from the glitz to glamour, and the thought of a human being thinking they are better than anyone because of how famous they were. Nevertheless in the back of my mind I somewhat wanted to try it out not only to show him I could do it but also just do something different creating a new lane out of that comfort zone I was trapped in.
After looking up some ideas I came across something that seemed to strike my interest which would be discovered through the unpredictable art known as IMPROV. Reading about what it was I got the impression it had nothing to do with remembering scripted lines to make a scene. In fact some of Improv's teachings seemed very similar to stuff I learn from BJJ in the context of creating and being in the moment. However I still wasn"t too thrilled going in as all I could think to myself was how bad and useless this experience will be for me.
After competing at the All American JJ tournament on January 24 the next day I began my journey walking into my first Improv session at a facility called "The Club House". I certainly had a bad mind frame going about being judge, dealing w/ a bunch of snobs, and that old phrase of I rather be training or watching Netflix ( I even walked into the class 10 minutes late shows you how much I gave a shit about this experience.)
Walking into the class I founded myself surrounded by 11 individuals from different walks of life in Southern California. Each person had there own reason for being in the class which led me to believe this class wasn't what I was thought it was going to be. My prediction would later unfold as the first session consisted of singing random hit songs, word association exercises, and even pair on stage action with a classmate. Walking out of the first class I'm not going to lie, there was something I really liked about Improv.
Throughout the process I became hooked. There were sessions were I had good days and bad days. Going through this rollercoaster of emotions something became clear to me. There is no way that I didn't give a shit about getting good at Improv. There is no way a guy like me who tried his best on the stage would be that hard on himself crying to the instructor by e-mail about how much I sucked and wanted to get better. That is when I realized that I found a new hobby and it was challenging me to become the best me I could be on a personal level.
It would be totally arrogant of me to say I did this on my own. However as a rule of thumb in Improv it takes more than one individual to make a plan come together or in my case be motivated to work hard while having fun which I would receive with the help of all my classmates and awesome instructor.
The instructor Keith Saltojanes (aka Chief Keith) could've have been a more fitting instructor for me for my intro into Improv.Although I thought the dude was freaking crazy (you would have to be in his class to know why) it was his personality that made the class fun for us all. He was very supportive, guided us, and because of who he is made us fall in love with the art.
My classmates were awesome during this 8 week process. No one wasn't judgmental with my stuttering on stage, inablity to expand my ideas, and random stupid catch phrase trying to sound funny. We all helped and tolerated each other (in a good way) to make the best "in the moment" scenes we would make which systematically created great friendships in the process.
Three classmates in particular really made me like Improv. These sandbaggers ( BJJ term- you can ask me what it means guys) had acting experience coming into the class.They were using the experience as a vehicle toward their life pursuits. It was motivational to see these talented "aspiring actors" create characters on the fly. Seeing them perform made me think hopefully I can be this creative and good one day. I respected them so much so that in the beginning I was afraid to do scenes with them in fear of fucking it up because actors are so serious about their craft. Taking that leap of faith they were actually very helpful knowing how to adapt to the situation.
These 3 people were..............
Adam Christopher (aka The Burger King), Kelsey McNamee ( The Versatile One), and Perry Chicos ( the seemingly more determined out of the three). BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR THEM COMING TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU.
The Ending of the Comfort Zone the beginning of a new adventure. How life takes us on such a journey in unlocking the power to discover, create, and challenge ourselves knowing what life is truly meant to be the undescrible sensation of living it to the fullest.
After looking up some ideas I came across something that seemed to strike my interest which would be discovered through the unpredictable art known as IMPROV. Reading about what it was I got the impression it had nothing to do with remembering scripted lines to make a scene. In fact some of Improv's teachings seemed very similar to stuff I learn from BJJ in the context of creating and being in the moment. However I still wasn"t too thrilled going in as all I could think to myself was how bad and useless this experience will be for me.
After competing at the All American JJ tournament on January 24 the next day I began my journey walking into my first Improv session at a facility called "The Club House". I certainly had a bad mind frame going about being judge, dealing w/ a bunch of snobs, and that old phrase of I rather be training or watching Netflix ( I even walked into the class 10 minutes late shows you how much I gave a shit about this experience.)
Walking into the class I founded myself surrounded by 11 individuals from different walks of life in Southern California. Each person had there own reason for being in the class which led me to believe this class wasn't what I was thought it was going to be. My prediction would later unfold as the first session consisted of singing random hit songs, word association exercises, and even pair on stage action with a classmate. Walking out of the first class I'm not going to lie, there was something I really liked about Improv.
Throughout the process I became hooked. There were sessions were I had good days and bad days. Going through this rollercoaster of emotions something became clear to me. There is no way that I didn't give a shit about getting good at Improv. There is no way a guy like me who tried his best on the stage would be that hard on himself crying to the instructor by e-mail about how much I sucked and wanted to get better. That is when I realized that I found a new hobby and it was challenging me to become the best me I could be on a personal level.
It would be totally arrogant of me to say I did this on my own. However as a rule of thumb in Improv it takes more than one individual to make a plan come together or in my case be motivated to work hard while having fun which I would receive with the help of all my classmates and awesome instructor.
The instructor Keith Saltojanes (aka Chief Keith) could've have been a more fitting instructor for me for my intro into Improv.Although I thought the dude was freaking crazy (you would have to be in his class to know why) it was his personality that made the class fun for us all. He was very supportive, guided us, and because of who he is made us fall in love with the art.
My classmates were awesome during this 8 week process. No one wasn't judgmental with my stuttering on stage, inablity to expand my ideas, and random stupid catch phrase trying to sound funny. We all helped and tolerated each other (in a good way) to make the best "in the moment" scenes we would make which systematically created great friendships in the process.
Three classmates in particular really made me like Improv. These sandbaggers ( BJJ term- you can ask me what it means guys) had acting experience coming into the class.They were using the experience as a vehicle toward their life pursuits. It was motivational to see these talented "aspiring actors" create characters on the fly. Seeing them perform made me think hopefully I can be this creative and good one day. I respected them so much so that in the beginning I was afraid to do scenes with them in fear of fucking it up because actors are so serious about their craft. Taking that leap of faith they were actually very helpful knowing how to adapt to the situation.
These 3 people were..............
Adam Christopher (aka The Burger King), Kelsey McNamee ( The Versatile One), and Perry Chicos ( the seemingly more determined out of the three). BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR THEM COMING TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU.
The Ending of the Comfort Zone the beginning of a new adventure. How life takes us on such a journey in unlocking the power to discover, create, and challenge ourselves knowing what life is truly meant to be the undescrible sensation of living it to the fullest.
With the end of the final class and the graduation show around the corner, the burning question is What is next for me in the world of Improv. Although I have no desire to be a comedian or actor Improv is something I really enjoy doing and would like to continue getting good at. Although I still feel I am a beginner in this new hobby of mine, off the stage it has helped me greatly in my life. My communication skills have gotten better and I have a great deal of confidence when speaking to anyone w/ less stuttering or overthinking idea. So if the Improv training did this for me in a short period of time I could only imagine what it teach me about myself if I stick with. I defeintly cant wait to use these lesson to help with my mental game when I make my return to competition.
In other words BJJ, Writing, and my other occupations better make room because Improv has moved into town !!!! :-)
1 % better doing L.I.F.E-(Living. Intensely Fully. Everyday)
monta (pronounced like Monday with a "T" replacing the "D")
p.s- On a funny note I also saw some BJJ potential in some of my classmates be great to see some of you on the mat trying out my sport :-) You get a week free !!!
