07 Jul Kristin Finds Community and Empowerment with Improv

I am a Minneapolis native and I work at Youthlink, a drop-in center for homeless youth. The Brave New Workshop hosted our organization for a retreat, which is how I first heard about classes here. Some members of our staff got scholarships to do improv to find how it would be valuable in our line of work. I just kind of fell in love with it after that.

When you work in social services, it takes a lot out of you and you don’t take a lot of time for yourself. Improv helped me take a step back and realize that I needed more time to play. It’s easy to get too serious sometimes with youth services, since there is such a cycle of crisis after crisis. And at the end of the day, I only wanted to go home and sleep because the work was so draining. Improv is one of those things that I look forward to every week and don’t want to miss.

Improv has really helped me manage my anxiety. I am a pretty anxious person, and I feel like many of my classmates are on the same learning curve as me. Improv lets me put my worries aside and stay focused and present for two hours out of the day. I don’t have to worry about feeling judged, and I can use many of those skills in my work. I don’t overthink situations and “Yes, and” workable situations.

I feel more open and engaged with the youth that I serve. It’s especially helpful to use humor with the youth that I work with who can be combative at times. I use heightening in a humorous way to show them that I’m there for them whenever they come to me with concerns that they have. I’ve encouraged some of them to seek youth scholarships for classes, too!

Improv has brought me out of my shell. Doing improv has also taught me that I have space. I have the ability to take that space up and be who I am and not worry about how other people are judging me. When I get comfortable with my friends, I can be really goofy, and it’s nice to be able to bring that persona to a group of people I don’t know very well in improv class. I also feel that I’m able to connect deeper with other friends who have done improv other places as well.

Improv has given me a voice. I feel that I’m able to speak up during meetings and to identify issues. I feel like improv is a lifelong journey and I want to continue building my public speaking skills and learning through a group of friends. I am able to consider new things for myself that I never thought I would do before I started doing improv.

I feel like I belong here at BNW SU. It feels like a family connection. Even after my first class ended and we went our separate ways, there’s an understanding that we can still rely on each other in our own separate journeys. You know that they’ll embrace you for the messy person that you are and take the time to validate your emotions. If you’re in a scene and bring a genuine expression of sadness, you know that after the scene, your partner will give you a hug and tell you that everything is going to be alright. At the end of the day, we’re all people and improv has helped me see that even more in my life. It’s great to see people grow with improv – and you definitely will grow.

– Kristin Carlson, Current BNW SU Student in Everyday Improv Level 2