Showing posts with label jay mohr. Show all posts
This is the beginning of a big idea. I
wanted to get my thoughts out now because they are still fresh in my
mind, but tune in often to see me continue this series.
It all starts with my post on The Energy of People. Which was influenced by Jay Mohr (@jaymohr37). The
basic concept is that people all give off certain energies and it is
the job of the teacher (or in Mohr's case, comedian) to manipulate
those energies to achieve the desired result.
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| "...and that's why the chicken crossed the road." |
As I go about teaching it becomes more
and more apparent to me how similar teaching is to stand-up comedy. I
perform a routine every day. Sometimes it's four 10 minute bits with
5 minute breaks in between. Sometimes it's an hour and half,
non-stop, Dave Chappelle at the laugh factory, crazy train. I stand up
and do these routines 3 times a day, twice a week, and then I write
new material for the next two days. Then the performance starts all
over again. (To explain, our school uses an A/B schedule. I teach 6
classes, 3 each day. Hope that makes sense.)
Ultimately, it's all about those
energies my students are giving off, and how I manipulate that
energy. How I use it to make them laugh, to focus them, to quiet
them, to get them to share something. But what is the most important
part of this energy-manipulating equation?
Me.
It starts with knowing myself. Knowing
my own energy. Knowing who I am. In order to feel this energy and take it in,
change it, then deliver it back out- I need to be at peace. I need to
be zen.
Athletes call this being in the zone.
Ken Robinson calls this the element. The book I'm stealing this blog
entry's title from, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, calls
it Quality. Both are talking about the same thing; being in an
environment where you are comfortable, knowledgeable and capable of
producing results. When you get to point where "work"
doesn't feel like work. It feels like creation.
I'm not perfect yet. Far from it, but I
love going into the classroom to work towards perfection. There are
moments where I tap into it. Great, wonderful, perfect moments that
artists always hope for when things just flow.
One of these moments happened today. It
was my second day of giving the same lesson (remember, A/B schedule),
and so I was already feeling like a comedian who had worked out his
material the day before. The lesson was regarding the Spanish
explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. The textbook mentioned that he is often
remembered for failing to find the fountain of youth. Near the end of
class a student raised their hand and asked, "Why would someone
be remembered for failing to find something?"
There's a bunch of different possible
responses to that. It's Friday, with 5 minutes left in class. I could
blow it off- "Because the text wanted something interesting to
write about." I could dismiss it- "I don't really know."
Perhaps I would have given one of those
answers if I had been feeling anything other than perfectly calm, in
my element, zen.
I looked to my right, stared at a
student for a few seconds who was talking to a neighbor until he
quieted down. Now the class is silent, all attention on me. It's my
audience to win over or lose completely.
"Why would someone be remembered for failing to find something? Good question. No, great question... I think it is because of the time period that had come just before. These explorers are sailing only a few generations after the dark ages; a time of decay and disgust. A time when there was no growth in culture or art or science. A time where someone was born, lived and died without ever traveling more than 25 miles from their home."
"Then come these explorers. They tell stories of lands so vast it fills the whole skyline from end to end. They tell stories of strange new people, and of riches so plentiful they make kings and queen look like beggars. They tell stories of cities made of gold and mythical fountains that can let you live forever."
"I think we remember these people because it doesn't always matter if you find what you are looking for. After times of darkness, sometimes the most important thing you can do is tell someone a story that gives them hope."
Bell rings. Class dismissed.
In a world where we are so often told
that work is just a device to make us money; I think it is important
to find something that you can do in your own element.
I think I've found mine, and I know
that every day it's exciting to go back in and find myself in that
zone of peace and serenity where words, and concepts, and laughter
all flow effortlessly.
It's either that, or I'll try my hand
at stand up comedy.
Thanks for reading. Love you all.
This is the first post in my Zen and the Art of Teaching series. Check out the second post here.
This is the first post in my Zen and the Art of Teaching series. Check out the second post here.
I broke up my driving over many days instead of doing it all at once. It also gave me a chance to see a bunch of friends...and not live out of my car for awhile. Which was great. I felt like even my car started saying, "Man, you smell."
So my trip has consisted of two periods/phases/sections: The alone period and the not alone period.
The different feel to each of these periods is striking. I am a solitary guy. I'm introverted, need to be alone to recharge and think, enjoy the quiet. At least that's what I would have told myself a week ago. Now I am unsure.
This is a work in progress (in my head) so bear with me as I try to discover what I am talking about.
Jay Mohr (@jaymohr37) talks about stand-up comedy as moving energy. The crowd comes in with a bunch of different energy, and the comedian comes in with his energy; and his job is to feel the energy in the room, take it, change it, and then redeliver it back to the audience. Normally in a way that makes them laugh, but also in ways that can make them think. See George Carlin for the best examples of both.
I tell you that to tell you this. I think we all have different energies that are constantly bumping into the rest of the energies present. If you're a paranormalist you call this aura. If you're religious you call this a soul. If you are a Jedi you call it the Force.
I don't like to get tied up with words to define indefinable concepts. So I'm rocking it like Jay Mohr and going with energies.
The self-generated energy- the introverted energy- is the one that I feed off normally. It's what inspired the last post. It's what drives this blog. It's where I find my motivation for doing things like driving 3,000 miles alone. And up until a few days ago, I would have said it was the only energy I really used.
Then I stayed with a certain family for a day (I didn't ask if they wanted their name on the blog, so we will go sans name for privacy reasons). Let me first explain that I am the oldest in my family, my brother is 18, and my sister is 16. However, I haven't exactly spent a lot of time at home the past two years.
Needless to say, it has been awhile since I was around little kids.
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| This is my family. I put this in because this post was text-heavy and it needed a break. See, one small child. The tiny one is my first cousin, once removed and lives in Georgia with her family. I, for the record, am the gray-shirted, jean-wearing, strapping young lad in the first row. |
This host family has one married-aged, one college aged, three teenagers, and two young kids (ages 5 and 9, if memory serves). Along with the little ones there are three friends that, as far as I could tell, spent the majority of their time at the house too. Making five kids under 10.
My introverted, self-generating energy wasn't exactly front and center.
The energy present was palpable. Kids are running, screaming, crying and laughing almost constantly. Teenagers are asking about parties and colleges and all that good stuff. And super-mom (and the college-aged daughter who played super-mom while mom was away for a bit) is handling all with ease.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. Like Jay Mohr I consider myself someone who is good at feeling out other people's energies. With young kids there is no "feeling out." They bring the energy and smack you in the face with it. Sometimes they just smack you in the face.
Either way there is no mystery. Everything is a game. Everything is funny. Everything is sad. Everything is...exactly what it is at that certain moment.
It's beautifully simplistic and surprisingly complex all at the same time. As we get older it's all about what happened to us previously, and what we are going to do in the future. Rarely are we so enthralled with each moment as these little kids. And that energy is infectious.
I love the whole concept Jay Mohr outlines. A movement of energy from audience to performer back to the audience. It's a concept I've latched on to since I heard it a couple of months back. However, while Jay Mohr was talking about adjusting the energy in order to make people smile and laugh; I'm talking about letting others energies affect our own in positive ways.
Letting the enjoyment and enthrallment of the young inspire us to play often. Letting the beautiful work and talent of the musician inspire us to think deeply. Letting the strength and foundation of our parents inspire us to build ourselves up.
More than anything though; allow the energy of conversation to flow freely and deeply between friends. Be honest. Be kind. Use all the energies available to us to create wonderful moments filled with laughter, bliss and happiness.
Thanks for reading.
DFTBA