clown 8

clown 8 – surprise!

artistic dossier

Over the weekend I did another course with the “Escuela de Clown Hijos y Hijas de Augusto”, in fact it was my seventh weekend intensive course. I know because I am gathering and organizing information for my artistic dossier, as advised by my mentors on the social entrepreneur course I am on.

Artistic dossier? Social entrepreneur course?

I know, cool, right?

But if you don’t know what I’m talking about see clown 7 – two years of clown.

dinuart atelier

With the help of the social incubator course, Nu, my colleague on the art team, and I have defined our project as Dinuart Atelier, artistic expression and creativity as a response to all and any forces threatening the dignity of everyday life in a world with justice, equality and respect for all, in our grand diversity.

We also have talked about taking the initiative and specializing in some issues, like climate change or women’s health, but we’ll see.

At our center so far is the name, Dinuart Atelier, and we like to play with the idea that we and our clients are “dinuartistas (Dinu artists) and not “dinosaurios” (dinosaurs). We are using our creative powers to individually and collectively evolve and carry on the work of our good ancestors of building a better world.

We are exploring using “ancient art techniques” like finger painting, ceramics, making paper, simple costume or mask construction and story-telling as the main mediums we work in. Nu taking the lead as the art instructor and Pop Corn her teaching assistant, with my own contributions to make to the class.

Pop Corn has noted that the project name, Dinuart Ateleir, does not mention her name or make any reference to her. I got her to see that I am her and while her name is not there, “Di” of Dinuart Atelier represents her too.

When she came around to that point of view she was actually thrilled about being an extra or a surprise member of the team. She said I and Nu should think of the team as two artists and a clown.

But I have quashed that idea too. We don’t want to confuse or mislead people. And so I convinced her that clown also encompasses the notion of artist (dah!) and like with the name-thing, she came round quite quick. Pop Corn can be very reasonable. Like me. Or more likely, I am reasonable, like Pop Corn.

astonishing discoveries

I am astonished at the inner and outer landscape I have discovered in the past two months since writing clown 7.

Because I am working and living with Pop Corn nearly every day as I invite her opinion and guidance on the Dinuart prouect, I am growing better at identifying that energy that is my clown state and that which is just me, but living and responding differently because I am bringing stuff I have learned from my clown state to everyday me.

One thing that surprises me is the growing role performance is taking in my work. I came into clown two years ago thinking of it as another tool for my social action facilitation. Educator or teacher still occupies a huge part of my everyday me identity and my clown state, and so this performer peeking out from behind the curtain, so to speak, is a bit of a surprise. Tadah! I am here, she says, we are going to develop new skills and a new area of work.

And this is precisely the work that Pop Corn wants to do with other people. She calls it “wake-up work”, but really it just means noticing when you are on auto-pilot and developing awareness around that and learning to make choices rather than slipping into old habits when it is not the healthy choice or what you committed to doing.

Wake up to whatever creative practice can guide you to living and being in this world differently. Pop Corn knows it may not be clown. Although we all have one, some people’s inner musician is stronger or their inner swimmer or knitter or dog walker.

Wake up work, that’s the hot topic of the moment with Pop Corn.

Check back soon, Pop Corn has stuff to add (of course), as well sharing more about yet another great weekend course, Clown, a sea of contrasts – a trip to the depths of duality, or as the school calls it (in Spanish), “Clown, un mar de contrastes – viaje al fondo de la dualidad payasa”.