Be Obvious / Obviousness
Keith Johnstone, Impro (1979)
Also known as Be Obvious
Johnstone's counterintuitive directive to offer the first, most obvious response instead of straining for originality, because genuine originality emerges from being obvious.
Known for
- Johnstone in Impro: 'An artist who is inspired is being obvious. He's not making any decisions, he's not weighing one idea against another.'
- Reframes the problem: trying to be original makes a performer predictable and dull, because the filtering itself converges on safe, clever choices.
- Because every person's obvious is different, taking the obvious choice reads to an audience as original and personal.
- Pairs with following the fear: the obvious response is often the one a performer is suppressing out of self-protection.
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