Shows / The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'Connor
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'Connor
Join Bree O'Connor in a weekly exercise to expand your self awareness and inspire your creative practice.
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Episodes
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 13: Two Hours of My Life I’ll Never Get Back
Whether we identify as a “maker” of any kind or not, we ALL end up as audience members at one time or another and in today’s episode we are going to have a…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 12: A Delicate Transition
In today’s episode we are talking about that transition from school to career that be bumpy for artists and collectives that spring from groups of recent…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 11: Triggered by Feedback
Giving feedback is a legitimate skill… and so is receiving it. In this week’s episode we are looking at reasons why we resist certain types of feedback and…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 10: Playful Substance’s Writers’ Group
We’ve never really talked about our Writers’ Group, have we? Strange. I know. As founder and facilitator of Playful Substance’s Writers’ Group, it takes up a…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 9: Rocky v. The Room
I love a good Hollywood story as much as the next person, especially when that story includes a determined outsider who achieves notoriety by holding fast to…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 8: It Was Never About the Tools
This week is a bit of a soapbox but I make no apologies. My goal here is not to shame AI users but to shine a light on the lie that new tools have somehow made…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS3 Ep 7: Post Project Crash
Transitions are hard for a lot of artists and sometimes the space between projects can be filled with surprising slumps. We can get sick, depressed, angry…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorGood Dialogue Ep 3: Playwright Niki Hatzidis
Bree talks with award winning playwright, Niki Hatzidis, about the challenges of writing historical figures, the naughty pleasures of Oh, Mary! and the…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 6 The Magic Space Between the Seconds
Today’s musings on what makes a good room takes a dip into our internal lives. Self Awareness is the key to conscious choices, mastery of your craft, and good…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 5 Control Vs Boundaries
I’ll admit it. I’ve been really chewing on this idea of “Good Rooms” this month and will probably keep going until I feel I’ve said everything I can think of…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 4: Race and the Rehearsal Room
Last week in Episode 3 we talked about building good rooms and priming our artists for successful collaboration. This week we are expanding on these ideas to…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 3: Why Did That Room Feel Icky/Awesome?
At what point does a creative space “go bad”? Is it in the curation of artists in the space? Is it the play/material? Is it in transparent reporting protocols…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 3 Ep 2 Inspiration/ Derivation
We all have artistic influences and heroes. It is only natural that when you find a piece of work that you love to think I want to do that! There is nothing…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS3 Ep 1 Pose Questions Instead of Answers
Effective communication starts by remembering that the person/people you are addressing are, I know this sounds weird to say but… human. They are human beings…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorGood Dialogue Ep. 2: Niki Hatzidis
In Part 2 of our 3 part interview series, award winning playwright Niki Hatzidis talks about how her acting training has informed her writing and approach to…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorGood Dialogue Ep 1: Niki Hatzidis
Welcome to part 1 of our 3 part interview with award-winning playwright, actor, and dramaturg Niki Hatzidis. In this episode, Niki and I talk about writing…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorGood Dialogue Ep 1 w/ Niki Hatzidis Drops June 18th
Good Dialogue is a new conversation series from Playful Substance and The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O’Connor, featuring artists discussing their latest work…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorVacay Impulse
When the Impulse Don’t Stop, Mini-Episodes Gotta Drop! While cruising through my IG feed between rest areas on I-90 (don’t worry, it’s not my turn to drive) I…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 2 Ep 20: Your Feelings Make Me Uncomfortable
I went down a rabbit hole with a triggering Reddit post this week. It started me thinking about all of the backbends we have done to make people feel more…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 2 Ep 19: The Squelched Impulse
The body doesn’t lie. This is why we need to acknowledge and incorporate the body into every single choice we make. To complicate matters, a cast is an entire…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep 18: Catharsis and Clarity
We know it when we see it from another artist, don’t we? The work may be powerful but it makes us avert our eyes and leaves us with a nagging feeling that the…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 2 Ep 17 The 7 Habits of Emotionally Stable Arts Practitioners
There is nothing like a blizzard for giving you some space to think. This week, I have been thinking about how and why artists succumb to negative thoughts and…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 2 Ep 16 Kill Your Darlings
Today we are talking a bit more about story craft, specifically looking at what might be hidden inside repetitive images, language or anecdotes in your…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 2 Ep 15 Market Realities
Is this week all about yelling “GIT OFFA MY LAWN!” accompanied by Jazz Hands? Maybe. This interview snippet with Carrie Coons has been making the rounds on the…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 2 Ep 14: Why? Why? WHYYYYYYY???
What? Fair. I don’t think I’ve been getting enough sleep so this ay take a few passes to make sense. I’ve been thinking a lot about the central question behind…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep 13: Should We Make Art?
And Caesar fiddled while Rome burned… But Billy Joel still swears we didn’t start the fire. Maybe the only thing anyone has gotten right is that it was always…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 2 Ep 12: What's My Motivation?
On its face, dialogue seems to be the thing you need to write your script. However, dialogue is actually the last step in constructing your story. Dialogue is…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep 11: Honesty! Is SUCH a Lonely Word!
One cannot have radical honesty without self awareness and an audience will demand both. If you are interested in learning more about Playful Substance’s…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep10 Planning All the Creative Things!
My mother didn’t really let me complain when I overate. She would just sigh and say, “Looks like your eyes were bigger than your stomach.” A couple of lazy…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep9: How the Body Works with Your Body of Work
Larry (Lawrence) Crabtree, my favorite dance teacher of all time, used to say, “Take your butt with you! Remember, don’t leave your butt behind!” 25 years…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep8: Journey v. Destination
Today we are talking about the value of struggle in your work. (And in life) Listen, nobody loves struggling. But if you can cultivate the mindset that there…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep7: Bullsh*t. Bullsh*t. My Line...
Oh the end of the calendar year is full of scheduling SNAFUS! Due to a deluge of grant revisions, fundraising odds and ends and misc. projects and favors…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep6: If This Then That
Thanks for your patience! I skipped last week to do some much needed self care due to some life circumstances… How relevant! Today we are talking about…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep5: Simple is NOT the Same as Easy
I talk about feelings a lot. Feelings are a huge part of my work as an artist. I have them. I examine them. I share them. I even manipulate them… I’m a writer…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep4 Story Structure
There are a lot of places where you can find detailed instructions for story structures. You can find beat by beat roadmaps and deep dives on the impact of…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep3: Who Are You and How Did You Get In Here?
We are looking at elements of character today and one of my personal pet peeves- characters that only exist out of convenience to the plot. How do you avoid…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS2 Ep 2: Action!
The word “action” is surprisingly deep. On its face, it means “something you DO”, but depending on the context of the conversation and who is speaking, ACTION…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorS 2 Ep 1: Rules of the Universe
I am a little behind on posting the inaugural episode of Season 2. My time blindness convinced me that I could learn an entirely new editing platform and crank…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 20: Why Self Awareness Matters
Write what you know! Does this mean you are stuck writing only about the life you have lead? Absolutely not! Emotional responses are the great human equalizer…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 19: The 4 Vital Questions
Giving supportive feedback is a skill. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of unusable feedback, you know what I mean. I liked it. It was cool. It was a…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 18: Pleased to Meet Me
Today’s episode is all about my experience with memoir work, how it started and how it grew. To date, I have written my own solo show and am in the process of…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 17: The Big Feels
When emotions are at the core of your work (Hello, American-trained actors) it can be fairly common to run into an emotional experience that can upend your…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 16: Weird Little Moments
Today’s episode was recorded on a walk with my dog, Momo: Please pardon the wild audio! I will return to a protected sound environment next week. This week, we…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 15: UGH, That Sounds Like WORK!
In Robert Fulghum’s 1986 book, All I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Fulghum has a section where he remarks upon all of the time saving devices of the…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEP. 14: Come On, Thinking Won't Kill Ya
Listen, we all need to check out every once in a while. Whether we indulge in true crime, cults, bro-comedies, or reality TV, we all know what it is like to…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 13: The Creative Power of Limits
I talk a lot about the benefits of taking the smallest increment of time each day to hold on to a creative practice in a busy, busy life. But what if you take…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 12: The Trap of a Double Life
I have been thinking a lot about how we compartmentalize business, art, and life as a way to survive the difficulty of seeking money and acclaim to justify our…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 11: Listening
We all want to be seen and heard, but do we have the desire to see and to hear? On today’s episode we contemplate the true effort of listening. This is a…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 10: Down the Rabbit Hole
Today I’m all over the place. We start at RRR and make our way to nationalism, propaganda, news, effective communication, talk backs, and moral and artistic…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 9: Low Stakes Play
Low Stakes Play is a foundational concept for my theatre company, Playful Substance. We use it to program our season, relate to our audience, cast our shows…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 8: The Bastardization of Self-Care
Today’s episode is all about using our mental state as a reason to not show up. Unfortunately, you do this too many times and you will find yourself losing…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 7: The Cube
I am having a low-focus day and need a bit of fun. You will need a piece of paper and a writing implement to get the most out of today’s frivolity. Just roll…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 6 What Did You Say to Me?
Social media offers a lot of instruction on what NOT to say, but offers very little guidance on the other half of communication. Listening. Sure. We are told…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 5 Judgment/Discernment
Slow cooking. Man, that is a thing! Flavors develop a rich complexity and textures shift from firm to tender. Responses to art can do the same thing… if you…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 4 The To Do List & Bad Vibes
Gentle and practical thoughts on "getting started" with your creative practice. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 3 True Believers
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there are resources available. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can help you find resources and…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp 2: Loose Social Ties
In my brain, the term “loose social ties” has taken root despite “weak social ties” being the predominant nomenclature. I think my mind resists using the term…
The Imperfect Impulse w/Bree O'ConnorEp. 1: Word of the Day Toilet Paper
Your third grade teacher told you to USE YOUR OWN WORDS. It turns out, this is really important life advice. This week's creative challenge is to explore…