So I realized that I never made a recap on my improvising experiment, so here it goes. Sadly, the Baywood Ale House where my experiment took place is long gone now,..but that place allowed me to grow so much in my performing ability. Playing in front of people regularly getting so comfortable that I was able to start to experiment more was such a crucial blessing to me and who I have become today.
It's all natural to me now. It's feels almost like old news. Who knew two years could bring that much confidence and progress? Before I was playing simple parts and not straying away from the things I had practiced. I was too afraid of making mistakes...boy oh boy do I have a new approach now. I feel like I am able to do so much more now, to articulate so many more of my musical ideas, and to make any weird or "wrong" notes or phrases work by playing interesting rhythms and using creative melodies to get back to the form if I start to stray away. Improvising and toying with tonality and groove on the spot has become such a joy and passion in my life. I can't play without it. It's just a part of how I like to play music.
I hope whether you're a musician or not you can implement a little more improvisation into your life. All it takes is a little creativity and focus. If you step in the mud, just step out of it onto the grassy pasture. If life throws you a curve ball, just quickly see what your options are, and jump on an option that seems a little better than where you're at. If you plan every moment of your life, try leaving a day off open and see what happens. In life, we just gotta imagine what we want to happen, what would feel good, sound good, and just do it. Play it. Play what you hear.