Be average? Now there’s a risky call out from a creative coach.  Oh well.

The thing I love about working with creative people is sharing the nuggets of wisdom that originate from the different skills and crafts. He’s something from the world of theatre.

Last week, I was working on an article for a magazine about drama techniques in coaching, I’ve used a fair bit of physical coaching and role playing with clients, but I wanted a fresh angle. I knew who to call. Siobhán Nicolas. Siobhán is that rare breed of talent who not only acts, but writes and produces work that gets funded and made. (No mean feat in this climate.) She’s also incredibly generous with her time and despite being on tour with her new play ‘Goodbye Jolene’ (yep she’s also a dead ringer for Dolly Parton minus one or two enhancements) she introduced me to the work of someone who really got me thinking. Keith Johnstone.  Keith was a British-Canadian theatre director who decided to reverse everything that his teachers had taught him, to encourage more spontaneous acting. He later became a pioneer of improvisational theatre. He died early this year, but I urge you to watch his TEDx Talk. Regardless of whether or not you like improv, his call to, ‘Be average’ sits just right. And here’s why. Being average is doing what is effortlessly obvious to you, no more, no less. It’s also the truest manifestation of your self. It’s like when you ‘try’ to be clever, what you are really doing is starting to imitate someone else. Make sense? To take the idea further, Keith also goes on to say, ‘Don’t do your best’. The fall out of living in a culture where everyone is taught to do their best can only result in the opposite - fear and stress. He uses the example that most athletes break their personal bests outside of competitions. 

In a world of augmentation, what you can’t fail to admire about Keith is that he is was an effortlessly genuine man. You can only imagine that under his tutelage you would thrive.

And whilst i’m not quite sure how this fits with the thread, I’ll leave you with just one more Keith Johnstone-ism, just because. ‘Those who say yes are rewarded by the adventures they have. Those who say no, are rewarded by the safety they attain….

Thanks to…

Siobhan Nicholas at Take The Space

Keith Johnstone / Don’t Do Your Best / TEDx YYC