“Tää ei oo ihan haudan vakavaa
muutkin mokaa.
Mua saa, mua täytyy valistaa
muutkin mokaa.”
Pauli Hanhiniemi – Muutkin mokaa

A while ago I had the opportunity to get familiar with a something unknown for me: improvisation. I took part to a guided impro practices. Some of the practices felt natural and easy, some were more challenging. Between every practice the instructor asked for comments and vibes, what kind of feelings practices rose.

A few hours of practicing impro gave me a lot of new to think and inspiration for the future. In Finnish society blundering and throwing into situations is connected to losing one face. If one wants to impress others, have authority then one has to be serious. If one larks and improvises then no-one hardly takes seriously.

I remember when I was a child and wanted that others would laugh at me. When they did then I started to mope because others laughed at me. I wanted to be funny, larking but in the same time I wanted to be wise, serious. I felt that these two things were excluding others: either I had to be serious and wise or funny and larking. I couldn’t think that one could be the both and still maintaining a respect in front of others.

In between the impro practices the instructor asked that have we had someone meaningful person in our life that has stayed in our minds. She asked that what kind of qualities these persons have had. Quite many answered that the person has been larking, funny, perhaps shared something from personal life. However these persons have enjoyed of others respect, been wise and smart and shared a lot of themselves to others.

Often in life we hope that things would be permanent, invariable. Nonetheless life is in constant change, there’s no two similar days. We can’t control things no matter how much we try. We can just adapt to change, prostrate and improvise. Accept things as they are and not to try to change them to as we liked the to be.

The best thing that I learned during the impro practices was that blundering is ok. It’s ok if things don’t go as I thought. Usually the most funny situations happen when someone blunders. During the practices I was able to let go, relax and notice that life doesn’t need to be taken so seriously. Blundering is ok and one can laugh for it. Life goes on.

From our school library I found Pia Kopose’s book “permission to blunder.” Through this book I will continue to orientate to the world of improvisation and maybe someday I’ll end up to a impro course! Who knows but impro had a big impact on me. In the future I’ll continue blundering and laugh to life!

With love, Anu-Maarit