What You Do Afterwards, by Keith Sawyer

Lo que haces después
--por Keith Sawyer

La creatividad se trata de lo que haces después.

Estoy pensando en algo que Miles Davis dijo sobre la improvisación del jazz: "No es la nota la que tocas la que está equivocada, es la nota que tocas después la que hace que sea correcta o equivocada "

En la improvisación, no sabes lo que significa una acción hasta más tarde. El grupo crea significado al responder y desarrollar esa acción. Sucede todo el tiempo en el teatro de improvisación, y es lo que yo llamo interpretación retroactiva. En la improvisación, los actores hablan intencionalmente líneas de diálogo ambiguas que pueden interpretarse de múltiples maneras. Los actores lo hacen a propósito- no porque sean pensadores perezosos, o simplemente estén tratando de llenar el tiempo. No es fácil decir algo que abre posibilidades a la escena y no limita posibles futuros, sino que además les especifica lo suficiente para seguir adelante con la escena, para dar a los otros actores algo con lo que trabajar. Los actores saben que el diálogo improvisado que sigue a su acción pronto le dará significado a lo que hicieron.
¡Creo que esto es fascinante! Imagina: actuar, sin saber lo que significa tu acción. Actuar confiando en que tu grupo interpretará tu acción más adelante. Actuar, mientras renuncias al control sobre lo que significa tu propia acción.

No es lo que la mayoría de nosotros hacemos todos los días. Cuando dices algo, te pertenece. Tienes que dejar claro lo que significa. Si alguien lo interpreta de manera diferente, saltas y le corriges. Para hacer improvisaciones, necesitas cambiar completamente la forma en que abordas la conversación. Tienes que dar poder y control, a la conversación en sí misma. La conversación crea, no los hablantes individuales. La conversación adquiere vida propia. El significado emerge de las expresiones colectivas, secuenciales y desplegables de cada hablante.

En la improvisación grupal, ninguna persona puede decidir qué significa todo. Ninguna persona llega a decidir qué significan sus propias acciones. El grupo crea, no el individuo.
Preguntas semilla para la reflexión: ¿Cómo te relacionas con la noción de actuar mientras renuncias al control? ¿Puedes compartir una historia personal? ¿Qué te ayuda a poder abrir tus posibilidades con tus acciones?

Extraído de aquí. Keith Sawyer es el autor de Group Genious

Excerpted from here. Keith Sawyer is the author of Group Genius.

Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to the notion of acting while relinquishing control over what your action means? Can you share a personal story of a time you were able to act while letting go of your ownership of that action and its meaning? What helps you be mindful of how you can open up possibility with your actions?

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Add Your Reflection

6 Past Reflections

Mar 13, 2018

Most of life is spent in improv! We have little control over most things in life (unless we live in a bubble!). My thoughts , ideas, experience, world view, words, prayers, actions, music, silence ... bounce off of others thoughts, ideas, experience, world view, ect ... everyday! Where two or three are gathered, there is improv. Like with cooking, mixing different ingredients together in variety of different of ways, a unique outcome is created every time! Thanks be to God!

Madhu Mehta

Mar 13, 2018

Very well articulated. One classical case of a long term "co" creation task (over many years) is building institutions. Initiators float an idea, and if it is meant to be, it would be shaped over many long years by many. Inspiring.

Kristin Pedemonti

Mar 12, 2018

I love this! The idea of collaboratively creating meaning. To me this means not being so attached to our own idea or outcome, but to the potential and possibility of what might unfold. We need this especially now given some of the deep divides. One potential path to a little healing is to open a conversation in a more ambiguous way to allow for more possibilities in the responses. A personal story of this was in my volunteer literacy project in Belize. Having no training in creating a volunteer project was a blessing because I had no set idea of what "should" work and therefore was constantly open to revising and adapting. It meant I was always openly listening to the locals and what they needed or wanted and then doing my best to collaborate with them and meet the needs. It turned out that creative writing in the schools was a need so I utilized the local indigenous legends learned while traveling village to village to create a first person narrative lesson plan. This also was ... View full comment

Jagdish P Dave

Mar 11, 2018

When it comes to decision making and acting on it, I reflect on the choice I am making and check whether it harms or hurts me or harms or hurts others on a small scale or on a large scale.I own my ownership for my action. In that way I am responsible and accountable for my decision and action. When it comes to group decision making and acting on it,, I participate in it with and open mind and with an open heart. This process is very helpful as we invite everybody to have their say in arriving at a decision and acting on it. In this case, the ownership and accountability belongs to the whole group. I use this approach in my class room when an issue has an impact on everybody or somebody in the class or beyond the class. I use Socratic dialogue and dialectical approach for exploring ways and means for tackling the issue and arriving at a decision by consensus.I find this approach very fruitful, Namaste. Jagdish P Dave ... View full comment

david doane

Mar 11, 2018

There are times when my action is my right action, simply an expression of what feels right to me in that moment. In so doing, my action is meaningful to me because I'm being true to myself. I never know what my action means to the other. I don't let go of my ownership of my action -- I do let go of its meaning to the other, which is outside my control. What helps me stay mindful of how I can open up possibility with my action is to keep as my mantra 'process, not outcome,' which promotes a kind of improvising because I have no script or agenda in mind. When my action is my truth and independent of what it means to the other, I'm integrated, free and creative, and possibilities for growth open.

a Mar 11, 2018

amen.