More on Improv Lessons for Freelancers
The awesome Zach Ward of Dirty South Improv blogged about Improv Lessons for Freelancers (a session I led with Jordan yesterday at SXSW); he offers a nice distillation of some key points, plus a video of Jordan leading the “Yes” game. It’s fascinating to see the moment when people “get it”…which is why so many of my friends adore teaching Level 1 improv.
I’ll be posting my own overview of the session once I get more than 10 minutes of down time! (SXSW is a rather manic experience…)
Related Links
- Zach’s TED talk on the improv principle of “Yes, and” (video)
- Article from Fast Company: “Do Improv Comedians Make the Best Design Thinkers?” (thanks to Shawn Westfall for sharing this on Facebook)
Hello from SXSW
In the green room at SXSW
Jordan and I just finished leading a session at SXSW called Improv Lessons for Freelancers. I’m still processing the experience, but wanted to say a huge thank you to anyone who helped us promote it, and to everyone who came — I almost felt like Jordan and I were incidental, because without such a smart, positive group of people in the room, it could have gone very differently.
The feedback so far has been very heartening – most rewarding was hearing that people thought we did a good job of facilitating group discussion, because that was very important to us – not steamrolling. Jordan was especially excited when the head of UrbanDictionary.com said he loved the session :).
We’re revved up and thinking about other ways/places we can replicate the workshop. But for now: there are films to watch, people to meet and sunshine to soak up like the thirsty, thirsty sponge that I am. To be continued…
Improv Lessons for Freelancers
My husband, Jordan, and I are leading a session at SXSW 2010 called “Improv Lessons for Freelancers.” (If you aren’t familiar with SXSW, you can read about it here.) Check out the audio promo we recorded, below, and help spread the word!
For the official session description, including a list of questions we promise we’ll answer, click here.
Are You A “Nonstandard” Worker?
“Twenty-six percent of American workers have ‘nonstandard’ jobs, says the Iowa Policy Project, meaning they’re temps, part-timers, freelancers or independent contractors.” – The January 22, 2010 edition of The Week, quoting Business Week
Ah, “nonstandard” – doesn’t that just say it all? Either you work for one company, full-time, or you’re “nonstandard” – outside the norm, not conforming, maybe even deviant. Increasingly, however, the economic crisis is forcing more people to stray from the norm whether they like it or not. I wonder if this (and, eventually, better health care options for us nonstandards) will prompt a paradigm shift, where choosing self-employment is seen less like the risky (perhaps adventurous?) occupation of a minority, and more like a logical alternative to increasingly broken workplaces.
What do you think? And do you think freelancing would be more likely to enhance, or hamper, your creativity? (If you’re already a freelancer, no need to answer this in the hypothetical ;)).
For More About Freelancing:
- Earnings and Yearnings: The Freelance Personality – Article from Psychology Today on the personality traits it takes to thrive as a freelancer
- Getting Started as a Freelancer – Advice from the folks at FreelanceSwitch, a popular website for freelancers
- Freelancers Union – Advocating for the rights of independent workers (the site includes up to date information on efforts to improve health care for freelancers, for example)
- Joyfully Jobless – Author Barbara Winter’s site about how to make a living without a full-time job
