Artist Manifesto

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  • AN ARTIST MANIFESTO FOR A CIRCUS      

  PERFORMER 

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  INVESTMENT

  I hate to say it...but image really is everything. To get the part, you have to look the part. Being a circus performer is tough! Along with the constant pressure to maintain our skills, circus performers are faced with the challenge of competing in a sometimes unfair, naive and very selective industry. The obvious tactic to ensure you stand out is to invest in your image. Great quality images and videos can go a long way. Invest in costumes and invest in equipment. When you do this, you'll notice people will begin to 

  take you so much more seriously.  

  

       

  PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Always be on the look out for opportunities that may help you develop as a artist. An example of this for me is enrolling in this course. Understanding the arts and performing industry on a broader level I believe will give me a sound advantage when it comes to applying for grants, promotion and developing as an artist.  

  
  

  SEE

  Critique, analyse and evaluate everything! See as much as you can.

   Develop a database of the good, the bad and everything in-between. A rich knowledge is crucial when is comes to creating your own work.    

  
  

  

  COLLABORATE 

  
  

  Circus is a community. So its incredibly important to collaborate and work with talented like-minded artists on many levels. There are lots out there in many shapes, forms and medias. But be careful, there are also so many you want to avoid. Circus performers are gossips - but it's actually a good thing, so indulge in the gossip! Sometimes you learn things.

  The more work you’re involved in, the more desirable you become. While circus is a competitive industry, circus performers are actually very generous. Its crucial that you get as much criticism and feedback from as many peers as possible.  
  
  

  
  

  ENTERTAINMENT 

  
  

  When I think about creating work or an act, my main intention is to make people happy. I'm here to entertain. The world can be a horrible place, so with this in mind my aim is to help people forget their problems, just for a few minutes. It can be a challenge to create work that is entertaining but also unusual, intuitive and interesting. So it’s important to be socially conscious and aware of things happening in the world. As a young performer I'm only just beginning to understand the immense experience and hard work needed to achieve this. It's a skill only the most experienced and accomplished performers posses.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  NO SMALL PART, ONLY SMALL ACTORS 

  
  

  Every performance is important. You never know who might be in the audience...
  
  
  
  

  GOALS 

  One of my goals is to be the best. Although a bold and confronting goal, its the perfect motivation. For some it can be absolutely impossible or for others a totally pointless goal. Luckily for me there aren't to many female bounce jugglers roaming the world. It will however be incredibly challenging to achieve. I have no doubt this goal will follow me to the very end of my career.   

     
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  NO TALKING   
  
  

  
  

  No talking while juggling. 

  
  

  This is an incredibly important rule. Juggling is all about practice- its something that literally has to be done for hours and hours and years and years. No short cuts exist. My dedication even surprises me. To juggle well your hands have to be just as quick as your mind. For me juggling is not only about perfecting the trick but its about understanding the best way to react when something goes wrong. 

  Last year I spent 8 months training in China, at the Beijing International Arts School. I bounce juggled for 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. The Chinese acrobats are the hardest working group of people you'll ever meet. Their approach to training is very simple- train hard and you'll improve. My teacher in China was very strict. He never allowed me to sit down, he never allowed me to talk to others for more than 5 minutes and he never allowed me stop. Its one of the most important lessons I have learnt and its something I still do and something I'll never stop doing.     

    

  
  

  
  

  
  

  PATIENCE

  
  

  Monotony affects everyone.

  Rejection affects everyone.

  
  

  Patience is such an important virtue to exercise. 

  Train hard, conquer goals, dedicate your time, create and challenge yourself.   

  If you do all these things your dream job will chase you and not the other way around.