Inability to improvise...

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I know it sometimes looks like I can do spectacular improvising (I made menorahs for my nieces from stuff I found around a crafts store -- it lit up with tap lights and had compartments for each day that opened to reveal a gift or chocolate).

But, I went into the store with, "I need a base, I need something to hold up the compartments, I need compartments, I need lights."

Then wandered in the store in circles, with my SO in tow, until we compiled a good enough set up to work with. Then I bought spray paint, and spent the next week killing a ton of brain cells.

It's definitely one of the better improvisations I've made in awhile, but it came from the idea of, "I have eight small gifts to give my nieces, how do I want to wrap them/determine what day they get each?"

If each item is in a tin correlating to a specific day of Chanukah, then that solves my problem. Best way to do that is with numbers or - more fun - a menorah that holds presents.

Is a lot less 'creative' sounding when you see the thought process.

I am an actor, and had plenty of training from childhood on. (Most of my social skills come from theatre training).

I have a thorough command of my instrument and my craft.

Yet, I have no talent for improvisation. I can learn any accent. I can learn to move in the motif of any period. But I cannot learn to spontaneously make up a story. I know the rules, I understand the craft--but I cannot make the connections, especially with a scene partner.

I can play the violin very well but I could never improvise with it! I just can't seem to come up with my own music. Anyone else that plays music like that?

Thank you for these Posts about theater and music; I guess that answers some of my questions about my dance career.

I was reading this thread and thinking that actually, yes, I can improvise. However, reading what you guys have said, I realise that what I call improvisation in fact takes a huge amount of practice.

Every time, for example, that I have a conversation with someone and fail to get my point across, I go away and just write and write about whatever it was until I can say anything about that subject because, well, I already have. I find writing much easier than speaking unless I'm tired, and then I can't do either.

I've no idea how it comes across in real time, though. Having seen videos of myself before, I'm not sure I want to know.

Two things I can improvise well at are 1) music and 2) stories. But these two are my special talents. With anything else, I'm extremely unimaginative. I draw well only when having to copy another image - I'm good at painting stills, but not much else. That's about it.

I can't improvise.