Clown Tools
By Bruce "Charlie" Johnson
Balloon sculpture, juggling, and magic are to clowns what hammers, saws, and screwdrivers are to carpenters. They are only the tools used to create something else. Other tools may also be used by clowns. For example, my tool belt includes origami and drawing trick cartoons.
Just possessing all the right tools doesn't make a person a carpenter. They have to know how to use those tools to get the desired result. Just being able to do balloon sculpture, juggling, or magic doesn't make you a clown. You have to know how to use them to get the desired result.
Carpenters create a house. As clowns, we should be creating a playground. We should create an atmosphere of play and invite our audience to play along. We show adults how to be playful again. We give children a sense of hope, that growing up doesn't mean forgetting how to play. We guide everyone to feeling a sense of wonder at the world around us. Clowns also create an atmosphere of love and joy. Carpenters use their tools to create a physical structure. Clowns use their tools to create an emotional structure.
The more tools you have on your tool belt the more likely you are to have the right one for a particular job.
What tools do you have?
How do you use the tools you have? What results do you create with them?
What new tools do you want to obtain to hang on your tool belt?
(Reprinted from Charlie's Comedy Bits by Bruce "Charlie" Johnson)
© Copyright 1996 by Bruce "Charlie" Johnson. All rights reserved.
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