Take The Note

Tonight I did something I hate. I denied Jamison's note. Jamison was giving The Hague notes after our show tonight, he was talking about our first game, James came out and did a handstand with his feet on the back wall and said "I'm a lawnmower" we slowly built the game around him, found it, and had some fun. A scene or two later I made a move to put Pants in a scene with a lawnmower by tagging out James and pushing forward a chair making the chair the lawnmower.

Jamison's note was a good one, when James makes a strong physical and declares "I'm a lawnmower" we should go out and support him by matching him. The game came together but it came together slowly, it was a bit tentative, and only Ellen matched him physically by doing a handstand with her feet on the wall. His next note was to me although he didn't call out me specifically. He said that since we've already set up that someone doing a handstand is a lawnmower we shouldn't switch it up and make chairs lawnmowers, use what we've already done.

For whatever reason, pride mostly, I took umbrage with these notes I felt like they were unfounded and unimplementable. I spoke up because in my mind I was right and he was wrong and I needed to say that. I said I wasn't physically able to match James's physical as a lawnmower in the game and logistically couldn't make the move of Pants doing a scene with a lawnmower unless I used a chair because it would have been too messy of an edit. After I said this in a very righteous tone it effected the dynamic of the rest of notes. I regretted it immediately.

The coach is there to give notes, that's their job, all they can share is their opinion and what they saw. Let them do that. If you don't agree simply don't take the note, ignore it. There's no need to defend your performance and nothing will come of it if you do. The coach isn't saying "you did this wrong" they are saying "this is what I saw" in Jamison's case and I think with almost all coaches there is nothing personal in whatever observations are made. No one thinks less of anyone else because of the content of a show or the way it's executed. I took it personally when Jamison said those things so I felt the need to set the record straight-totally unnecessary and counterproductive.

I apologized to Jamison right after and hope to never negate a note again. I may not agree but I won't actively disagree.

Shut up and take the note.