Why Do You Do It?

[Goober]

I've often wondered what happens that makes someone pursue clowning as a carrer, or why someone like me, a serious student, decided to put on a nose and try our hand at it in the first place. Here's how it happened for me:
When I was ten, I was afraid of clowns. Ever since seeing a kid's show when I was four, I had loved them, but I only liked to see them, and not be a volunteer, or as I thought it, a victim. So when my aunt hired a clown to entertain at my uncle's 50th birthday party, I was a bit concerned. He wore no make-up, was dressed in a cheap suit, and all of his humor was somewhat guteral (His closer was making a toilet bowl seat hat out of ballons). He made me question why people would want to clown in the first place, if people like me would judge them so severly. I staid away from clowns until I was twelve, and saw a clown at a fair. I was alone, and at a distance, so I decided to watch. My love of clowns came up from my past, and I began to smile. After the show, I went up to him and asked, "Why do you do what you do?"
He smiled and looked right back and told me, "Because clowning helped me through a tough time, and I hope it can help others, too."
"You put on a good show."
"Let me tell you something," he replied. "Clowning is more fun to do than to watch."
I remembered that for a long time, but never tried it. When I was thirteen, I slipped into a state of depression. My self-esteem was lousy, I felt that everyone was against me, and I devoted all my time to studies. One day, I had a mound of homework built up, and was near tears about the coming school year. Then I remembered what that clown said to me. So I put on a wig and a red nose from my Haloween box, filled a paper plate with whipped cream, and threw it in my face. I felt a lot more relaxed after that. So, every now and then, I put on a one-man act for my own amusement. Along with a summer program where I got to show my serious, creative, and funny sides, clowning helped me through a rough patch. I found a good medium- I show my serious side to people, then let my inner clown out later to gain friendship. I like to don the costume in secret, because I prefer to be taken seriously. In time, I can maybe put in on in front of other people, but for right now, my clown persona is for my benefit.
I don't know where that clown is now, but I'd like to put a thank-you out to him right here. I share his goal- I want to help just one person, wearing the costume or not. That's why I do it.
What about you guys?

[Paboberto]

I found clowning after graduating with a English and philosophy degree. I loved college, and have dreams of getting a doctorate in Folklore sometime. But at the time I had had enough of being smart. But I didn't want to stop learning things.

I found clowning to be the remedy for this. The story of how I found it is long, but short of it is: once the idea was planted right after college, it sucked me in. I figured I could learn any skill I wanted too and use it in a clown act sometime. All those skills you thought would never be any use. Also clowning itself is very very interesting on a philosophical level too. The more I thought about it the more I realized it would be a great subject to explore in grad-school.

I also found it to be extremely humbling. In clowning you make people laugh at you. To do it though, you can't let anyone know that is what you are doing. You have to convince them that they are the ones in control, that they are laughing because they want to not because you told them to.

Clowning for oneself is worthless. It may remind you that you shouldn't take yourself seriously but it is a mere candle to the raging inferno of the humility of clowning in front of other people, where people really do laugh at you and don't take you seriously. But it is also liberating. If they don't respect you anyways, you are not limited to their expectations. So much stress has melted away because of this.

Now of course, I often still like to be taken seriously, but it is important that I know I don't have to be.

You really should work up to wearing the nose and costume in public, and be a clown. You'll find find it extremely liberating after that first little panic.

[Pam-cakes]

I think one of the highest achievements a person can do in life is to make someone else happy. What I love about the concept of clowning, is you can make others (kids or adults) forget about their problems even if its just an hour or so. I love that it allows you to shine by putting your effort into making your audience happy. Like you said, the littlest things can change peoples' perspective of life.

~Pam-cakes


Great post by the way....

[Pinky Shortcakes]

I also enjoyed this post greatly. As a newbie, I am trying to discover if clowning is something I can enjoy doing. The few times I've appeared as Pinky, I've really enjoyed it. I did get a little concerned about the humilating aspect of it...I was slightly uncomfortable at kids not laughing because of what I did which was funny, but laughing at my appearance or my attempts at humor, if that makes any sense. There IS a difference. Take someone like me, with low self esteem, and that could be an issue...if I let it be. So I totally know where you are coming from, the clowning in private thing. Safer. But, I am putting myself out there, because without risk, we aren't really living, but we're hiding behind our fears. If you never try, you'll live a life of "what ifs".

[Fitzwilly]

I have 3000 and some posts on this Forum because I want to help people. Clowning made a huge impact on my life and the way I approach it and if I can help others help others as well as helping themselves then I have lived a good life.

[tim]

Originally Posted by Fitzwilly

I have 3000 and some posts on this Forum because I want to help people.

Alright, alright, already. Then you can help. Will that get you to stop posting now?

Or do you need some help with your posting addiction?

[tim]

As a kid, I used to clown sometimes. I liked circus, birthday party clowns, the Bozo show clowns. But I didn't entirely know what I was doing. Nor did I know where to go to get training or quality products. But I had hoped to attend Ringling's Clown College someday and learn how to do things right.

Well, life intervened. I got be a teenager. Other matters were more important. I didn't entirely put clowning behind me, but it wasn't a priority and was on the back burner. Adulthood and responsibility (boo) followed.

Then, after a period of, perhaps, hyper-soberness and seriousness my sense of humor was once again teased out by some very funny local artists with whom I had become acquainted. And I again attended a circus. Immediately, I got the bug back. That night I was online in a conversation which turned quite silly. Someone else was playing the serious "whiteface" role, in reality, and I recognized that we just had to laugh at life and our faults. My place was, indeed, as the clown.

In doing a web search, I discovered that there was education out there for the average clown. And I resolved to eventually take to it. So I attended Mooseburger Camp in 2005. (And other classes/conventions since.) I, essentially, decided to give it a try and see where it leads. It was something I knew I just, "had to do." I've always had a knack for and interest in entertainment, after all. It seemed natural progression.

During the interim (both before and after Moosecamp) I was coming to understand the nature of clown more deeply as a genuine social construct beyond the performance character which one develops for entertainment and art. I found in my life and person ways in which I am not just playing a role of clown by putting on makeup and costume to do funny things, but those areas where I am called to truly "be" clown in my personage, my life, this world. So, for me, clown goes in some ways deeper. It is not something which can just be turned on and off. It just is.

Which leads me back to my response when people would ask me why I wanted to be a clown. "I AM a clown! I just need to learn how to more skillfully express it for artistic and entertainment purposes." Which is what I honestly believe. And why I 'do' it. A clown, many agree, is a witness to something about humanity. He plays a role as teller of truth, sacrificial victim, vulnerable lover, noble fool. The clown, ultimately, desires to lead you to joy.

So whether in everyday life, something of serious concern, or in entertainment that is what I seek and desire to accomplish. What one has as a gift must be shared. To not do so would be to fail in faithfulness to one's very self.

[Wowza]

Goodness! I'm supposed to follow Tim? Whoa boy, here goes.

Ditto.

[Wowza]

Okay, not really. Truth be told, I see a lot of myself in a lot of the responses so far. But there are some differences as well.

My wife started clowning as a result of a woman's retreat at our church. She felt a need to give back to the community, and to step outside her comfort zone while doing it. She had a childhood fear of clowns, so you can imagine my surprise when she told me she wanted to join the Caring Clowns at our parish. So off she went, visiting nursing homes once a month with four other female clowns. Initially, I had no desire to join in. Putting makeup on and entertaining the elderly didn't have an appeal for me. But we went shopping for her costume and props, and I could see things in a different way, finding humor in everyday objects. So I joined the Caring Clowns too, and our Pet Moose skit suddenly got a male for the butt of the joke, literally.

The "bug" didn't really bite me until we attended a TnT Road Show. We were with two of the other clowns from our parish and it seemed as if the blinders came off. I was exposed to a world of clowning in the "what if" sense. A world outside of corny singing and tired old skits we used to cheer the aged. A world where magic, and facepainting and juggling could all be used to spread a message and bring joy to all who saw. I was hooked, big time.

So, like Snugglesnort and Tim, I have resolved to using this forum and every other resource available (especially Fitzwilly and his nearly 3600 posts, not that anyone is counting) to become the best clown I can be. The learning is what drives me, but the payoff is in the clowning itself. Like I said in another post, I don't ever turn the clown off. I just make the clown louder when I'm in costume.

[Sopey]

For me, Red Skelton said it best- it's the quote Happy Chappy uses as his signature.