"When you are clowning, If you are uncomfortable because you are unprepared or trying to copy another clown, your audience will also be uncomfortable. Do the things that you feel confident about so you can relax and enjoy it and also so they can relax and enjoy it." -- Aurora Krause, The Simplicity of Clowning, 2012 California Clown Campin'.

I have mentioned the importance of adequate preparation before because it allows you to be relaxed and confident, which in turn allows the audience to relax and enjoy what you are doing. During her general session at California Clown Campin', Aurora talked about another aspect of this equation. That is trying to copy another clown interferes with your confidence and enjoyment, and thus the enjoyment of your audience.

Why does copying interfere with your confidence? If you are copying what somebody else has created you don't know how to make adjustments when something goes wrong. First, you are probably copying a single performance and you know how to respond only to the conditions in that situation. The original performer has performed it in many different settings and experienced things going wrong. They have discovered ways to cope with those problems. Knowing they have been able to cope with problems gives them the confidence that they can cope in the future. Their experience gives them a number of variations they can select from which you don't know. Second, they understand the thought process that led to the creation of the routine. That process helps them come up with instant solutions when they encounter a problem. If you don't know why they did something, you don't know how it can be successfully changed.

Relaxation is only a part of the equation. Aurora mentioned another aspect, enjoyment. Audiences enjoy watching what you enjoy performing. Your emotions are contagious. Joy is one of the by-products of the creative process. You may experience frustration during the process, but a successful conclusion causes joy. It is fun to perform something you have created and hear the audience respond positively. A couple of months ago I was performing one of my original scarf routines at a birthday party when a boy about eight-years-old exclaimed, "I know there is no such thing as real magic, but that is magic!" It doesn't get much more fun than that.

I was honored to be the featured clown at the 2012 California Clown Campin' program. Angel Contreras did a wonderful job designing the logo depicting my clown character. I reproduced the logo on a 36-inch silk scarf. It turned out very well. I think that it is perhaps one of the best looking silk scarves I have created to date because of the strength of his design. I produced it with pride during the opening Staff Bits show because I knew it looked great.

You don't have to build everything yourself. For me a highlight of my performance in the California Clown Campin' public show was reviving my Sammy Seal routine. Sammy Seal is a prop that looks like a performing seal. You place a balloon on Sammy's nose, and then suddenly the balloon bursts and Sammy is balancing a previously selected card. My routine is actually a combination of three routines: Ping Pong Ball on the Nose, Make It Bigger, and Sammy Seal. (The entire routine is described in Creativity for Entertainers Volume Three: Creative Routines.) My original prop was built by Tony Blanco. I wore it out about a dozen years ago so I haven't been performing it. Lee Mullally recently built me a beautiful new improved version that looks great. I was proud to share Lee's artistry with this audience. So it was with much anticipation that I looked forward to using a gorgeous new prop to perform again what had once been one of my most successful routines. I think my joy in performing it again was a major factor in the excellent response the routine received from this particular audience. I'm looking forward to including Sammy in future performances.

How can you use creativity to give you confidence and help you relax during a performance? How can creativity give you more enjoyment in your clowning? What will give you pride of accomplishment? How can other people help bring your creative vision to life?