Consciously Creating with "Yes and..."

Over the years, I have seen countless improv comedy shows and I have always had the deepest respect for the players on the stage, as they create scenarios with vague suggestions from an audience, building a scene from nothing.Part of the magic comes from some of the structure that improv comedy provides. The “Yes, And” rule is a guideline used in improvisational comedy where a participant is asked to accept what another person has created and then add something to it. By accepting someone else’s premise (the “Yes”) you accept the reality they have created and you contribute something new to their idea (the “And”).For instance an improv player may state that he’s a cowboy. You may have an idea about an astronaut, but by accepting his premise of being a cowboy (the “Yes”), you accept the reality that has been created and you contribute something new to it. So instead of negating his idea of being a cowboy, you might add that he’s just landed on Mars, so it must be difficult for him to wrangle his three-headed purple martian cattle with all the gravity differences.The “Yes, And” is the creative, collaborative process at work. You add value to and build on an idea that has been presented. It’s a creative conversation that can lead you into unknown, unexplored territory. It requires that you listen for what is being created, so that you can play in that conversation. To watch grown ups play in that space is like watching kids play make-believe, but with adult skills, which is why I find this process so exciting to observe.But what if we were able to play around with the “Yes, And” rule in our everyday lives? How many times have you been in a conversation when you hear yourself or someone else saying, “Yes, but…”? That “but” can negate the creative process before it has really begun.How many times have you engaged in creative brainstorming on your own, only to have your internal editor come up with a “Yes, but this idea has been done to death,” “Yes, but you can’t do this idea justice”?What if you politely told your inner editor that her editing skills will be needed, but right now she can put her feet up and relax because your inner creator is being called to play? Let that inner editor know that it isn’t time to start cutting anything out. It’s time for the creator to come up with every thought, every premise, and every dream possible. This is where you get to “play well” with your highest creative self, using the “Yes, And” rule. There will be time later for the inner editor to come in and do her job of finding “the best” ideas. Where can you introduce the “Yes, And” rule into your life and work?