Shiva’s Muse ~ Liz Thompson of HowToLiz

by SLY on August 22nd, 2010

I’m not exactly sure when I “met” Liz but around my junior year of college I started to really get to know her and around my senior year of college, we REALLY hit it off. We just had this connection. So much so that we lived together the second semester of my senior year. Our living together is a post for another day entirely. Besides her patience in tolerating me as a roommate, she was the funniest, sweetest person I ever encountered. Well, she still is. Liz is simply awesome! In addition to Liz being awesome, funny and sweet, she has such a great mind. I enjoy our dynamic conversations about relationships, spirituality and life!

Everyone meet,

Liz Thompson

What kind of artist are you?
I’m a writer, improvisor, dancer, and director.

SLY: How old are you?

Liz: 26 now. But ask me again in a few weeks.

SLY: Why do you think art is important?
Liz: God created the whole world from a place of love and joy. Since we are made in His image, we get to experience this wonderful connection to Him when we create too and I think that’s an important expression of who we are. While the definition of art may vary, I believe art is rooted in truth and expressing or revealing truth in any form is beautiful and powerful. In the end though, I don’t want to just create things. I want to love people. I’ll no doubt create some things during the process, but it’s not primary.

What is your favorite medium to use in creating art?
Dancing for sure. And directing. So “people” would be one medium. (my mind went into a thousand directions with imagining people as mediums…although I know you meant in the sense of directing. By my mind is dark. LOL ~ SLY)

Also I love markers, charcoal, pens and blank paper.

SLY: You work for the company that created Veggie Tales. Can you share some of your experiences working there.

Liz: I’m having a great time! I’ve been working for Jellyfish Labs for over 5 years now. It’s been educational working for a start-up creative company. I’ve learned how projects, ideas, shows and characters develop, all within an incredibly supportive environment. And my coworkers model service and humility with such integrity that it’s transforming. I’m very fortunate to be able to grow, serve, and work
there.

.
SLY: How did HowToLiz start and where do you see it going?
Liz: I was working on a solo show in the summer of 2009 with the most amazing Chicago improvisor, Tara Defrancisco, as my coach. As I brainstormed for the solo show I came up with this idea “How to Liz.” I immediately knew that this HowtoLiz character would delight me for hours with the premise that she just doesn’t quite “get” the things she’s trying to learn. And I fell in love with the title too.

As I’ve worked on more episodes it’s been fun to grow as a writer and director. Even though I use improv in these shorts there’s a lot more writing and planning that goes into each one before the improv is added in. It’s been exciting to learn how I can change the writing/production/casting/directing and editing of each episode to get these more fine tuned to exactly how I want them to look.

I’m not quite sure where I see HTL going. I started the series because I took a break from doing improv in the city to pursue prayer ministry with my church, but I realized I still needed a creative outlet. The idea was for a year long project, learning 52 things in 52 weeks, just to give myself a goal. As I film, I find that I have a lot more ideas than weeks left in this structure I’ve given myself and I’ve got some more ideas that I’d love to play with too, but I’m not sure what’s next.

Maybe I’ll take up spelunking.

SLY: What is your favorite episode of HowtoLiz?
Liz: I don’t think I know how to pick a favorite…But for those who haven’t seen
it before, you should check out episodes 27, 21 and 22 for a good intro.
How to Politics
How to Play Tag
How to Write a Resume

Once you’ve seen some, three really great ones to add are the more unusual episodes like episode 10 part 2, episode 6 and episode 4. Those are….
How to Dance Part 2
How to Watch Lost
How to Solve a Murder

SLY: I have very little knowledge of what “improve” is. Can you tell me about your experiences and background with improv.
Liz: I started doing improv comedy in the summer of 2002. I performed in a troupe that was coached by 2 guys who trained at Second City. I got hooked and when I got back to college for my sophomore year that fall I wanted to continue to play. The guys I’d worked with had trained me well and I decided to put up signs for improv auditions and soon had a group of 10 students meeting weekly to learn improv and perform for our friends. Over that first year we grew a lot and put on the first show of many in the basement of one of the dorms. I continued teaching the troupe over the years and it grew to 2 groups, doing many more shows a year.

After graduating I went through the improv programs at Second City and iO (formerly improvOlympic) in Chicago. I was on the independent teams “Pretty Bird” coached by Katie Nahnsen and Amanda Blake Davis, “Monsters and Friends” coached by Claudia Martinez, and a team at the Playground Theater called Stranger for a Day coached by John Anderson and Adal Rifai. I’ve done improv
intensives/workshops with Seth Weitberg, Jimmy Carrane, Andy Eninger, Jet Eveleth, Blaine Swen, and one on one coaching with the most lovely of lovelies, Tara Defrancisco. I’ve taken writing classes with Second City and iO and was asked to come back and coach the improv troupe that I started back in college until taking a break this year. There are some good kids in that program and it’s
been wonderful to see that 8 years after I founded the club it’s still going.

SLY: I’m still formulating my thoughts regarding improve. What do you think about improv?

Liz: Is it Steve Martin who says “talking about music is like dancing about architecture?” I feel that way about talking about improv. Improv is about doing, and showing and being. There is such beautiful theory behind the action of it, but the greatest beauty of it is doing it, of experiencing it. Improv is about support, trust, community and loving the person you’re on stage with more than yourself. It’s a beautiful thing. Much more exciting to experience it than to talk
about it.

SLY: We both LOVE dance. Tell me about your dancing experiences?
Liz: Dancing is one of my favorite things to do. I’m a writer so I can get stuck in my head and dancing is a wonderful way to get out of my head and into my body. The Lead and Follow that occurs in partner dancing is one of the most brilliant and creative experiences. As you get better at following the lead, the lead can give you the most subtle direction, even with just the specifics of the pressure of one finger on your shoulder, and because you know how to respond to that, together you create a beautiful expression of movement to music.

SLY: You are an amazing writer!! I love reading your work. Can you share a little about being a writer?
Liz: Wow. Let’s see…I write for a living =) I write short segments for work that you can watch at www.jellytelly.com. I wrote and directed a short film. Now I’m writing these HowtoLiz episodes. HowtoLiz is probably the most interesting writing experience to talk about. I have over a hundred ideas for episodes sitting in a file. I’ll grab one of those or a new one that strikes me and think of the main beats I want in that episodes. I think of who the best person to film that episode is and script any lines and beats I want to be in the episode. I meet with the guest go over the beats I want with them. Then we film those beats and improvise a couple more. Sometimes I script the dialogue and scenes almost entirely like HowtoFast and
HowtoPlayBasketball. When I’m working with someone I’ve performed with, like Scott Elam or Claudia Martinez, we’ll improvise a little more. So there’s a strong foundation of writing that is the base for each episode and depending on the chemistry, I’ll use more or less of the improvised parts on top.

This series is a great exercise in writing for a character. I’m looking forward to stretching even more with some new writing projects coming up.

SLY: What has been the highlight so far, of your artistic career?
Liz: Watching my mom giggle at the rough edits of the HowtoLiz episodes and making my brother laugh from thousands of miles away are the two most special and continuous highlights for me, but also anytime I work with someone who is kind and sincere, every one of those moments is a highlight for me–basically anything that attests to the beauty of supporting one another over the idea of trying to get ahead or any such nonsense as the importance of status. Status is gross.

Also I think waking up one morning to 600 new youtube subscribers because of a tweet from John Green was a huge highlight. And finding myself on a list of 8 famous Chicago youtubers and in an article listing HTL as a series to watch along with the Guild (gotta love Felicia Day!). These are highlights to me though, not because I got noticed from them, but because these amazing people who have much better things to do with their time than to support a tiny little web series, decided to support what I was doing. That’s really cool and I love the moments where I get to shine a light on great work that others’ are doing too.

And in that same vein: I started this project to make me and my friends laugh–to build community. There are now 2000 more people watching than before, but that only means something if it’s still just about community. So one of my favorite things is reading and responding to comments on the HowtoLiz videos. Comedy is an incredible community builder!

SLY: What if any, artistic mistakes have you made?

Liz: Working with people who were not honoring or trustworthy because I wasn’t yet good at standing up for myself or realizing how unhealthy that was. I thought I needed to settle and work with people who wanted to use or take advantage of me creatively because at the time I thought they were the most talented people to work with. I was so wrong to compromise and I’m thankful I’ve grown out of that!

SLY: What and Who inspires you?
Liz: My faith is the cornerstone of my inspiration for sure. My mother and my brother play big roles too. I get a lot of my sense of humor from them. I’m a huge fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the HitRECord project, and of Rob McElhenney and his process creating the Always Sunny series. I love listening to John Cleese talk about writing. I think Joss Whedon and Christopher Nolan are gorgeous storytellers. Dancing with Blake (ep 10) is always a fun and creative process. And food’s pretty inspirational too. Especially when I’m hungry. Which is most of the time. I’ve been inspired by some incredible role models I know: Tara Defrancisco, Jerry Root, Tim Johnson, and my mom (double mention cuz she’s doubly inspirational). And some wonderful people I’ve never met: Gilda Radner, Bill Johnson from Bethel Church, and the writers of “Futurama” because they write ridiculous and heartfelt stories.

SLY: What makes you laugh?
Liz: James Roday in Psych. Steven James Aguilar. Futurama. Dumb and Dumber. That Mitchell and Webb Look. David Mitchell on any BBC quiz show.

SLY: What is your favorite quote?
Liz: “Decisions require sacrifice.” – Paul Budnitz
“Do not worry about your career. Concern yourself with your vocation and that is to be lovers of Jesus.” -Mother Teresa
“We landed on the moon!” -Lloyd Christmas, Dumb and Dumber

SLY: Favorite Quote from HowtoLiz?

Liz: “Not a duck.” -Episode 32.

SLY: What are you currently working on?
Liz: I’m finishing up the last 20 or so HowtoLiz episodes for this year, outlining some plans for projects next year and I’ve just been asked to write for a theater production which I’m very excited about. I’m working with Blake (episode 10) on some swing dance workshops and getting ready to perform a swing dance piece with him at a theater in the city. And I’m also getting ready to cook a great dinner which I think should qualify as art too.

SLY: Where can we find you?
Youtube: www.howtoliz.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/howtoliz
Facebook: Become a fan @ http://tinyurl.com/howtoliz

SLY: Is there a question I did not ask that you would wish I had?

Liz: Yes. And the answer is “Twix bars and temporary tattoos.”
Also – Favorite Fictional Characters: Batman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lloyd Christmas, Shawn Spencer, Grace Adler, Emily Litella and Liz Lemon.

LIZZY, thank you so much for doing this interview!!!! You know how much I love you and cherish our friendship and I’m so glad I was able to learn even more about you. Honestly, what you wrote about improv really opened my eyes from the performers perspective. I look forward to everything that you do, especially since your work inspires my creative work.

Are you Shiva’s Muse? Interested in being featured on Artistic Liberties? Check out the link and see if its something that interest you. Or check out some of the other artists who have been featured.

Wondering what other creative artist I like? Check out some of my resources. Artistic Resources and Intriguing Resources. Please note these pages are constantly being updated with all the fabulous things I discover and happen upon.