Easy Easy Juggling....

There is an expectations about clowns.  Juggling, silly, fall down, play with balloons, sad, happy, don't talk, talk in a squeaky voice, are only men, are fat, are skinny, etc.  You can name a bunch, the clown is an iconic character.  People know a lot about clowns without thinking about it. 

People expect juggling of clowns.  You don't have to but if enough people mention it or request it.  My thought, give it to them.  You don't have to be a great juggler to juggle.  

I started clowning with the skill of juggling.  I get as much applause and laughter from my scarf juggling as my fancy club juggling.  

The downside of scarf juggling...can't do it outdoors.  Oh well.  

Scarves are tactile.  Children like the feel of them.  Juggling scarves come in neon colors. I have have  two boys help me, in this routine.  I take a green, I give one boy an orange scarf, then pull out the next boys favorite color...PINK!   It's fun and gets a good laugh, if you choose the right child.  Usually a 6 year old boy. 

The kids throw a scarf in the air, catch it and pose.  I show them, then make a big deal about how to pose, correcting them again and again.  We do the same gag with the colors for two scarves (I take green, one orange and their favorite...pink!).  I have the boys throw them up, catch them, spin, dance like ballerinas and pose.  They are now jugglers with two.  I call them jugglers, so they are to the audience.   

When I get to three.  I say, "I'll show you how easy it is".  Then I throw up scarves and just try to keep them in the air, one at a time.  The kids laugh, it's super clowny and it's certainly juggling.  You can do juggling patterns but the wider, the more you have to run, the better and funnier. 

I get behind the children with their scarves, they throw theirs up with mine and we try to keep them in the air.  I have extras in my pockets, that I can throw up.  It's very visual and looks like the children are in a washing machine.  

Ta da a juggling routine.  And you can honestly say you have juggling in your show.  

Now that you're an expert with scarf juggling here are other things to play with.  If you throw a scarf straight up, you can blow it up in the air.  You could do a scarf juggling routine to music with every pink one floating up, ending with it landing on your face like a bride's vail.  

You can trail a scarf on the ground like a snake, then when it flies up, it scares you.  If you hold the scarf 2/3 from the top you can make it look around at you and the crowd. 

You could end the scarf routine by catching the scarves in a change bag.  reach in and find them all tied together when you reach into the bag.  Or you catch 3 in the change bag after juggling, reach in and pull out scarf after scarf after scarf, they are very light so you could probably easily pull out 15.  

I used to do a recycling routine in my show with those awful plastic shopping bags from my house.  Plastic grocery bags float the same as scarves.  I tried to keep as many as I could in the air, but I couldn't.  Just like the planet I couldn't handle too much garbage.  Easy message for children.  And I was able to use the thousand grocery bags from my cupboard at home.  

Need ideas?  Ask in comments below.  

Should I incorporate?

I really appreciate John's question:

I'm debating whether to operate as a DBA or an LLC.  I feel like the former should meet my needs in the short term (claiming expenses on income tax, being able to accept checks etc.) and the latter offers more separation between my business and personal finances (and can keep people from suing me for everything I own, which is important!). But I generally have the business sense of a rutabaga, so help!!!

Dear Rutabaga, 

Don't do an LLC.  

From what I understand, it doesn't protect you all that much and it's expensive.  I started the process here once.  The filing is expensive and California had a minimum of $800 a year to maintain the LLC.  I assume other states do the same sort of thing.  I bailed on that one.  

Just get insurance.  This is what I use, they are attentive and have everything covered.  I'm sure if you need additional insurance, they would be happy to take your money.  http://www.specialtyinsuranceagency.com/

I've never heard of anyone being sued.  I've never even known anyone that had to use their insurance.  But of course, it's good to have.

I've used a DBA for as long as I've been a clown.  If you don't know what a DBA is;  It stands for Don't Buy Aspertame.  

Actually, Doing Business As.  On my checks it says David Magidson DBA Boswick the Clown.  I originally wanted a dba so I could always maintain character.  "just make the check to Boswick the Clown..."  

When you file, you just do a schedule C like all businesses.  It's not that hard, you just divide up expenses.  Props, office expense, costume, advertising, fake poop.  My small tricks, I have a business checking and a business credit card.  At the end of the year, everything on there is a tax deduction.  Credit cards are pretty good at saying where you used the card.  Of course only use the credit card for business expenses, then you just put everything into a category.  

Unless you own a home etc, I think you can probably do your own taxes.  I am married, have a house so I use an accountant.  Plus I hate doing taxes.  

Be careful with mileage, find out the rules.  Don't ask friends, you will always get the wrong answer, just go to the irs home page and dig through.  I have a couple of friends that use a small office or storage unit to store props.  They count their mileage from there.  If you use your house as your home base, you can't write off the mileage to your first gig of the day, it's considered normal commuting.  

Also, you will be asked to charity work and EVERYONE will say you can write this off.  Nope.  You can write off mileage, balloons you use but that's it.  You can't write off services.  The point is, you can say you charge $50,000 per show and write all that off.  Do charity but just because it's a good thing to do.

What Does a Clown Do On Their Own Birthday?

I have to admit, I'm a bit snarly about my own birthdays.  I don't like aging...or more precisely, not aging by being dead.

Hey, for a clown, I'm a pretty morbid guy.

Today, I turned 50...ouch.  I told my wife, three weeks ago, please no celebration.

She didn't listen, we had a gathering.  I'm glad it was fun.  I was really dreading being the center of attention.  I know odd right?  I was really dreading all the jokes about one step closer to death.  Jokes about the best part of my life being behind me.  People saying 50 is the new 30.

50 is the new 50.  I'm bald.  My kids ignore me and I'm now depressing myself.

For a clown, I'm a pretty morbid guy.

Parties are fun though.  I think it's like doing a favor for someone and you say, no, it's nothing...and they say, really I appreciate it, you say, it's nothing etc.  It's mean to not accept a thank you from someone.

And it's mean when you have a big birthday not to just be there and accept that people want to celebrate and they want to acknowledge you.

I had fun tonight.  As my brother Steve said, I round up, you're a hundred.  I feel a hundred.

For a clown, I'm a pretty morbid guy.