Download or read book An Improvised Life written by Alan Arkin and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2011-03 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alan Arkin knew he was going to be an actor from the age of five: "Every film I saw, every play, every piece of music fed an unquenchable need to turn myself into something other than what I was." An Improvised Life is the Oscar winner's wise and unpretentious recollection of the process--artistic and personal--of becoming an actor, and a revealing look into the creative mind of one of the best practitioners on stage or screen. In a manner that is direct, down-to-earth, accessible, and articulate, Arkin reveals insights not only about himself (and his audience and students), but also truths for the rest of us about work, relationships, and sense of self.
Download or read book Improvised Lives written by AbdouMaliq Simone and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2018-12-05 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The poor and working people in cities of the South find themselves in urban spaces that are conventionally construed as places to reside or inhabit. But what if we thought of popular districts in more expansive ways that capture what really goes on within them? In such cities, popular districts are the settings of more uncertain operations that take place under the cover of darkness, generating uncanny alliances among disparate bodies, materials and things and expanding the urban sensorium and its capacities for liveliness. In this important new book AbdouMaliq Simone explores the nature of these alliances, portraying urban districts as sites of enduring transformations through rhythms that mediate between the needs of residents not to draw too much attention to themselves and their aspirations to become a small niche of exception. Here we discover an urban South that exists as dense rhythms of endurance that turn out to be vital for survival, connectivity, and becoming.
Download or read book The Art of Is written by Stephen Nachmanovitch, PhD and published by New World Library. This book was released on 2019-04-09 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A MASTERFUL BOOK ABOUT BREATHING LIFE INTO ART AND ART INTO LIFE "Stephen Nachmanovitch's The Art of Is is a philosophical meditation on living, living fully, living in the present. To the author, an improvisation is a co-creation that arises out of listening and mutual attentiveness, out of a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. It is a product of the nervous system, bigger than the brain and bigger than the body; it is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, unprecedented and unrepeatable. Drawing from the wisdom of the ages, The Art of Is not only gives the reader an inside view of the states of mind that give rise to improvisation, it is also a celebration of the power of the human spirit, which — when exercised with love, immense patience, and discipline — is an antidote to hate." — Yo-Yo Ma, cellist
Download or read book Out of My Mind written by Alan Arkin and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-10-13 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alan Arkin, one of the most beloved and accomplished actors of our time, reveals a side of himself not often shown on stage or screen. Like many teenagers, 16-year-old Alan Arkin had it all figured out. Then came young adulthood, and with it a wave of doubt so strong it caused him to question everything he thought he knew about himself and the world. Ever skeptical and full of questions, Arkin embarked on a spiritual journey to find something—anything—to believe in. An existential crisis in his 30s led him to the study of Eastern philosophy. Soon he began opening himself to the possibility that there was more to life than what he had simply seen, heard, or been taught. In this "mini-memoir," the 84-year-old actor shares his powerful spiritual experiences, from his brush with reincarnation to the benefits of meditation. In a gruff, earthy voice that sounds more suited to a New York cabbie than a spiritual guide, he shows us that wisdom can come from the most unexpected places and teachers. Out of My Mind is a candid, relatable, and delightfully irreverent take on how one man went searching for meaning and ended up discovering himself.
Download or read book Free Play written by Stephen Nachmanovitch and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1991-05-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Free Play is about the inner sources of spontaneous creation. It is about why we create and what we learn when we do. It is about the flow of unhindered creative energy: the joy of making art in all its varied forms. An international bestseller and beloved classic, Free Play is an inspiring and provocative book, directed toward people in any field who want to contact, honor, and strengthen their own creative powers. It reveals how inspiration arises within us, how that inspiration may be blocked, derailed or obscured, and how finally it can be liberated—how we can be liberated—to speak or sing, write or paint, dance or play, with our own authentic voice. Stephen Nachmanovitch, a pioneer in free improvisation, integrates material from a wide variety of sources among the arts, sciences, and spiritual traditions of humanity, drawing on unusual quotes, amusing and illuminating anecdotes, and original metaphors. The whole enterprise of improvisation in life and art, of recovering free play and awakening creativity, is about being true to ourselves and our visions. Free Play brings us into direct, active contact with boundless creative energies that we may not even know we had.
Download or read book The Improvised Woman written by Marcelle Clements and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 1999 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past seven years, Clements asked more than 100 women--young and old, never married, divorced and widowed--to talk about what it's like to be single. Their heartfelt and humorous answers are shared in this book. Excerpted in "Ms." and the "Daily News."
Download or read book The Way to Start a Day written by Byrd Baylor and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beautiful paintings highlight the ways various peoples from around the world welcome the sun and the start of a new day in this Caldecott Honor–winning picture book. Some people say there is a new sun every day, and that it begins its life at dawn and lives for one day only. They say you have to welcome it. From cavemen, to the Aztecs, to the ancient Egyptians, Baylor Bird describes the ways that people throughout history and the world celebrated the dawn. By the end you may be inspired to create your own song for the sunrise.
Download or read book Improv Wisdom written by Patricia Ryan Madson and published by Harmony. This book was released on 2010-03-24 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In an irresistible invitation to lighten up, look around, and live an unscripted life, a master of the art of improvisation explains how to adopt the attitudes and techniques used by generations of musicians and actors. Let’s face it: Life is something we all make up as we go along. No matter how carefully we formulate a “script,” it is bound to change when we interact with people with scripts of their own. Improv Wisdom shows how to apply the maxims of improvisational theater to real-life challenges—whether it’s dealing with a demanding boss, a tired child, or one of life’s never-ending surprises. Patricia Madson distills thirty years of experience into thirteen simple strategies, including “Say Yes,” “Start Anywhere,” “Face the Facts,” and “Make Mistakes, Please,” helping readers to loosen up, think on their feet, and take on everything life has to offer with skill, chutzpah, and a sense of humor.
Download or read book An Improvised Life written by Alan Arkin and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2011-03-01 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a manner that is direct, down-to-earth, accessible, and articulate, Academy Award-winner (Little Miss Sunshine, Argo, The Kominsky Method) Alan Arkin reveals insights not only about himself (and his audience and students), but also truths for the rest of us about work, relationships, and sense of self. Alan Arkin knew he was going to be an actor from the age of five: "Every film I saw, every play, every piece of music fed an unquenchable need to turn myself into something other than what I was." An Improvised Life is the Oscar winner's wise and unpretentious recollection of the process--artistic and personal--of becoming an actor, and a revealing look into the creative mind of one of the best practitioners on stage or screen.
Download or read book Humans of New York Stories written by Brandon Stanton and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The #1 New York Times Bestseller! With over 500 vibrant, full-color photos, Humans of New York: Stories is an insightful and inspiring collection of portraits of the lives of New Yorkers. Humans of New York: Stories is the culmination of five years of innovative storytelling on the streets of New York City. During this time, photographer Brandon Stanton stopped, photographed, and interviewed more than ten thousand strangers, eventually sharing their stories on his blog, Humans of New York. In Humans of New York: Stories, the interviews accompanying the photographs go deeper, exhibiting the intimate storytelling that the blog has become famous for today. Ranging from whimsical to heartbreaking, these stories have attracted a global following of more than 30 million people across several social media platforms.
Download or read book Contingent Encounters written by Dan DiPiero and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2022-08-31 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contingent Encounters offers a sustained comparative study of improvisation as it appears between music and everyday life. Drawing on work in musicology, cultural studies, and critical improvisation studies, as well as his own performing experience, Dan DiPiero argues that comparing improvisation across domains calls into question how improvisation is typically recognized. By comparing the music of Eric Dolphy, Norwegian free improvisers, Mr. K, and the Ingrid Laubrock/Kris Davis duo with improvised activities in everyday life (such as walking, baking, working, and listening), DiPiero concludes that improvisation appears as a function of any encounter between subjects, objects, and environments. Bringing contingency into conversation with the utopian strain of critical improvisation studies, DiPiero shows how particular social investments cause improvisation to be associated with relative freedom, risk-taking, and unpredictability in both scholarship and public discourse. Taking seriously the claim that improvisation is the same thing as living, Contingent Encounters overturns long-standing assumptions about the aesthetic and political implications of this notoriously slippery term.
Download or read book What Would MacGyver Do written by Brendan Vaughan and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2006-10-19 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A clever collection of true stories celebrating real-life “MacGyverisms”. For anyone who’s ever wished they could channel 1980s action-adventure icon Angus MacGyver—a secret agent known for relying on his brains, scientific prowess, duct tape, and a Swiss Army knife to save the day—this unique collection commemorates the use of improvised genius in everyday life. The “MacGyverisms” recounted range from the concrete (using Chex Mix to provide traction in an icy parking lot) to the intangible (saving a relationship with the perfect turn of phrase). Divided by theme, the book features over forty true accounts in all—some by well-known writers, including Chuck Klosterman and A. J. Jacobs, most by ordinary people. Edgy, entertaining, and smirk-to-yourself funny, these masterfully told stories reveal that, with a little luck and a lot of ingenuity, you can “MacGyver” yourself out of virtually any predicament.
Download or read book An Improvised Life written by Alan Arkin and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2011-03-01 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a manner that is direct, down-to-earth, accessible, and articulate, Academy Award-winner (Little Miss Sunshine, Argo, The Kominsky Method) Alan Arkin reveals insights not only about himself (and his audience and students), but also truths for the rest of us about work, relationships, and sense of self. Alan Arkin knew he was going to be an actor from the age of five: "Every film I saw, every play, every piece of music fed an unquenchable need to turn myself into something other than what I was." An Improvised Life is the Oscar winner's wise and unpretentious recollection of the process--artistic and personal--of becoming an actor, and a revealing look into the creative mind of one of the best practitioners on stage or screen.
Download or read book This Is All a Dream We Dreamed written by Blair Jackson and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2015-11-10 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fifty years after the Grateful Dead was formed, the band still exerts a powerful influence over hundreds of thousands of fans around the world. Today, an entire generation of Deadheads who have never experienced a live Dead show are still drawn to the music and the complex and colorful subculture that has grown up around it. In This Is All a Dream We Dreamed, Blair Jackson and David Gans, two of the most well-respected chroniclers of the Dead, reveal the band's story through the words of its members and their creative collaborators, as well as a number of diverse fans, stitching together a multitude of voices into a seamless oral tapestry. Woven into this musical saga is an examination of the subculture that developed into its own economy, touching fans from all walks of life, from penniless hippies to celebrities, and at least one U.S. vice president. The book traces the band's evolution from its folk/bluegrass beginnings through the Jug Band craze, an early incarnation as Rolling Stones wannabes, feral psychedelic warriors, the Americana jam band that blazed through the '70s, to the shockingly popular but still iconoclastic stadium-filling band of later years. The Dead broke every rule of the music business along the way, taking risks and venturing into new territory as they fused inspired ideas and techniques with intuition and fearlessness to create a sound-and a business model-unlike anything heard and seen before.
Download or read book Improvisation written by Derek Bailey and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 1993-08-22 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Derek Bailey's IMPROVISATION, originally published in 1980, now revised with additional interviews and photographs, deals with the nature of improvisation in all its forms--Indian music, flamenco, baroque, organ music, rock, jazz, contemporary, and "free" music. Bailey offers a clear view of the breathtaking spectrum of possibilities inherent in improvisational practice.
Download or read book Improvisation for the Spirit written by Katie Goodman and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2008-08-01 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A practical, fascinating, and funny guidebook. I've already begun applying hints from Improvisation for the Spirit, and I'm hoping that from now on, when people point and laugh at me, it will be for more appropriate reasons. A delightful read, filled with wonderful strategies." - Martha Beck, Life Coach Columnist for O, The Oprah Magazine, and author of Steering by Starlight Wish you could gag your Inner Critic? Feeling blocked creatively? Want to make a big change, but fear taking the leap? Comedy improv requires quick thinking, collaboration, getting out of your own way, and being in the moment without being a perfectionist. Katie Goodman, an internationally touring improv comedian and comedy writer, uses her witty and encouraging style to show you how to acquire the skills of improv comedy and apply them to every aspect of daily life. Along the way Goodman shares hilarious and insightful stories from her experiences onstage, as well as step-by-step exercises from her popular self-discovery workshops and retreats. Packed with creative, original, and, most importantly, fun exercises, Improvisation for the Spirit offers a truly transformational guide for anyone wanting to get more out of life. "Bottom line: Katie is funny. She teaches you to live your life like an improv scene - no fear and fully committed." - Wayne Brady, improv comedian, Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Don't Forget the Lyrics "Katie Goodman's writing fl ows and then jumps with anecdotes and prescriptions for finding courage. Fun to read, hard to put down." - Lesley Stahl, 60 Minutes "If you feel that something is holding you back, that the life you are meant to live is out there somewhere if only you could fi nd it, then this book should go straight to the top of your reading list." - Carl Honore, author of In Praise of Slowness and Under Pressure
Download or read book Living with No Excuses written by Noah Galloway and published by Center Street. This book was released on 2016-08-23 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Military hero and beloved Dancing with the Stars alum Noah Galloway shares his life story, and how losing his arm and leg in combat forced him to relearn how to live--and live to the fullest. Inspirational, humorous, and thought provoking, Noah Galloway's LIVING WITH NO EXCUSES sheds light on his upbringing in rural Alabama, his military experience, and the battle he faced to overcome losing two limbs during Operation Iraqi Freedom. From reliving the early days of life to his acceptance of his "new normal" after losing his arm and leg in combat, Noah reveals his ambition to succeed against all odds. Noah's gripping story is a shining example that with laughter, and the right amount of perspective, you can tackle anything. Whether it be overcoming injury, conquering the Dancing with the Stars ballroom, or taking the next steps forward in life with his young family - Noah demonstrates how to live life to the fullest, with no excuses.
