Using Improv to stimulate Creativity! "The Art of Making Shit Up" by Norm Laviolette

Title: The Art of Making Shit Up: Using the Principles of Improv to Become an Unstoppable Powerhouse

Author: Norm Laviolette

Reviewer: Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur)

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Topic/Intent of book: The author, Norm Laviolette, is Improv performer and entrepreneur (owner of comedy/improv establishments). He presents a case for how participation in improv specifically and engagement with the principles of improv more generally provides creative horsepower for anyone wishing to stimulate their creativity. Since improv is a “team sport” and requires coordination and true listening/collaboration to effective, the practice not only can lead to entertainment of an audience, but to better functioning teams.

I selected this book because: I have been reading a lot about creativity and the creative process. Improv, specifically the active participation in it, has long been recommended as a means for stimulating creative potential.

Recommendation: Yes. I enjoyed this book and the narrative provided by the author on his personal journey towards fully embracing the power of the improv process for “making shit up”, his euphemism for creating new, interesting, and worthwhile things. The shit you make up using these principles is not limited to comedy, but is broadly more applicable to the creative process overall and to team collaboration.

Major lessons from this book: The principles of improv are useful and applicable to teams of virtually any kind (sales teams, little league teams, product development groups, etc.). The active listening and rapid-fire interaction among improv members helps foster better teamwork and creativity. The final product, improv interaction, can be far better than the sum of the individual performances. The author makes a compelling case for “improv as communication tool,” creative force, and better way to live your life with respect to interactions with others. Even if you never intend perform improv, there is much to learn from this book.

Book Inspirations: I am distilling some of the lessons for a lecture in my product innovation classes. I will recommend this to students wishing to explore ways to stimulate their creativity and collaboration with others.