Yes SENSEsai

In this class we focused on improvisation with ones physical involvement with an object. Something that I’ve always kind of knew but never really dwelled on is the idea that every memory that I’ve ever had is stored in an “unconscious” stack” that’s readily available but knowing how to access those specific memories is where it gets tricky. Sometimes, especially when I HAVE to recall a memory, it becomes really difficult for me to access but the exercises we did in class made it evident to me that there are techniques/ processes that I can do in order to make that memory/reactionary response more readily available. It seems that the trick is that you must achieve a relaxed state (the blank page) and you must be able to give yourself time to fully experience it.

The first exercise: We were instructed to become relaxed through our breathing exercises and then Jon gave us something (food/flavor) to hold into our mouths and we had to really hone in on that experience and try to experience it fully. The first prompt that he gave us was a dill pickle. What is really interesting to me about this one was that at first I got the pickle but then as I imagined it and was working my way through the experience I realized my pickle was the Hot Mama pickle, you know the ones you get at the gas station. I haven’t had one of those or even thought about those in years! What I expected was the obvious sourness of a pickle but what surprised me was that my mind involuntarily transitioned to spicy and sourness. This was also particularly interesting because although I was trying to focus on just the pickle, I was transported into the memory of road tripping (the only time I would usually get a hot mama pickle). So I think this is useful for recollecting memory when I associate it to food because taste and smell are strong catalysts for recalling memory. I also found it really interesting that everyone had such a uniquely different experience. Even though we all had a similar experience of fear (the fish prompt), we all had somewhat different versions of the fish, sensations, and scenarios..

Exercise #2 Jon instructed us to take our plate and imagine what is on the plate and then the class as a whole will imagine what is on the plate. The server will watch the group and then fixate on one person and based on their reaction the original food being served should transform into what the receiver is suggesting they are eating based on genuine reactions. This was cool because it gave us an opportunity know how to set up situations where we get better at improvisations especially when dealing and considering senses and objects. We learned that memory allows us to tie into those sensations.
One take away/ quote by Jon that resonated with me was to “SLOW DOWN”. In order to get a full experience and be able to convincingly show that you are experiencing it, you actually have to take your time, let it grow, let it fully materialize, and ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE IT!! A good trick is to first visualize it and then stay with it longer than you would normally. Really zooming in on every detail, textures, grooves, divets, makes it more real to you. Another quick quote that resonated is that Jon said, “trust that your experience is enough” there is no need to indicate if you are really experiencing it. I just think its so cool how sensory really does inform emotion. Thanks for reading!

I always look forward to your work. The depth and how you navigate to harvest is quite amazing. Thank you for teaching me every class.