Well, it has been a very long time since I have blogged. I have been rubbish, but I'm sure anyone reading this can familiarise with the intention to get things done never quite matching up to actually doing things. So.....I've run away to the circus.
Quite literally. I decided some time ago that working a full time job and trying to juggle my creative pursuits was just not working. Something had to be done, so I set myself the goal of saving up for a three month circus course in Sheffield. I spent nine months waiting for the audition to come round and when I got in I knew my life would become very different indeed.
So that was it, I said goodbye to my lovely secure full time job in vintage clothing, packed many bags and drove my little tin can Mini to Sheffield last Sunday. I have just completed my first week on the course and I've had a great time so far. So the fun stuff first.....I have played, jumped, stretched, rolled around on the floor, attempted to juggle, relay raced as all kinds of animals, laughed, danced, been on a tight wire, got funky on stilts, stuck my tongue out and gone bleeeuuuurrrr, made new friends, balanced, cartwheeled, forward rolled, backward rolled, and squealed on a trapeze. Phew! And I was absolutely knackered.
Quite literally. I decided some time ago that working a full time job and trying to juggle my creative pursuits was just not working. Something had to be done, so I set myself the goal of saving up for a three month circus course in Sheffield. I spent nine months waiting for the audition to come round and when I got in I knew my life would become very different indeed.
So that was it, I said goodbye to my lovely secure full time job in vintage clothing, packed many bags and drove my little tin can Mini to Sheffield last Sunday. I have just completed my first week on the course and I've had a great time so far. So the fun stuff first.....I have played, jumped, stretched, rolled around on the floor, attempted to juggle, relay raced as all kinds of animals, laughed, danced, been on a tight wire, got funky on stilts, stuck my tongue out and gone bleeeuuuurrrr, made new friends, balanced, cartwheeled, forward rolled, backward rolled, and squealed on a trapeze. Phew! And I was absolutely knackered.
Above is a picture of me playing around at lunchtime. Hopefully I'll be able to straighten my body out here and lift off that left arm by the end of the course but yeah, lunchtime. Because this is a place where people can't finish their lunch fast enough so they can continue to practice and learn new circus skills. Awesome.
This is my training space for the next eleven weeks. It used to be a church and has all sorts of fantastical aerial equipment stored on the ceiling.
The only negatives from my experience so far are the very painful muscles I had on Friday. I do have a tendency to push myself and damage my muscles so despite carefully warming down after avery session and stretching beforehand, I still managed to make a mess of myself. Sunday evening now and I'm almost feeling back to normal. Also, I was exhausted. I still get up around the same time as I did for my day job as I have an hour to drive and like to get in early. I had all sorts of ideas about getting so much done in the evenings but the reality is I might stay later to train or I can't motivate myself.
Self motivation is really important with circus. I'd always thought of myself as quite self motivated, until I met circus people. The title of our end of course show is to be "Obsession", which is very apt for such a course. The things I have no experience in already, like juggling, simply cannot be learnt in one lesson a week for three months. We must practice every day. So far I've kept this up, even if just for ten minutes. I am still on one ball. We were taught if you keep failing at one stage of juggling, go back to the previous stage, until it is perfect. So I'm still on stage one! Homework for juggling is to not only practice but find a clip of someone doing some manipulation that really inspires you. As soon as I was set this task I knew immediately who I would choose. The one and only Mat Ricardo! The only trouble will be choosing which of Mat's fantastic routines to show the class, here is one for starters.
The only negatives from my experience so far are the very painful muscles I had on Friday. I do have a tendency to push myself and damage my muscles so despite carefully warming down after avery session and stretching beforehand, I still managed to make a mess of myself. Sunday evening now and I'm almost feeling back to normal. Also, I was exhausted. I still get up around the same time as I did for my day job as I have an hour to drive and like to get in early. I had all sorts of ideas about getting so much done in the evenings but the reality is I might stay later to train or I can't motivate myself.
Self motivation is really important with circus. I'd always thought of myself as quite self motivated, until I met circus people. The title of our end of course show is to be "Obsession", which is very apt for such a course. The things I have no experience in already, like juggling, simply cannot be learnt in one lesson a week for three months. We must practice every day. So far I've kept this up, even if just for ten minutes. I am still on one ball. We were taught if you keep failing at one stage of juggling, go back to the previous stage, until it is perfect. So I'm still on stage one! Homework for juggling is to not only practice but find a clip of someone doing some manipulation that really inspires you. As soon as I was set this task I knew immediately who I would choose. The one and only Mat Ricardo! The only trouble will be choosing which of Mat's fantastic routines to show the class, here is one for starters.
I absolutely love how slick this routine is but I am under no illusion that it is something that anyone can learn. I've always been a bit afraid of balls (ooh er!). At school I would always choose to be some fielder in a place where the ball was least likely to end up. My left hand especially seems to reject the idea of catching. I just let the ball hit my hand and roll sadly to the floor.
So, things I cannot do at all this week. Juggling. Walking a tight rope. Riding a Unicycle. Hopefully I will see some progress in the coming weeks!
Another thing I've had to get used to is being away from my home and my husband. I'm a proper home bird and always struggle to be away for any length of time. It's been an emotional few weeks, leaving a job I've been in for six years, leaving home knowing I will hardly see my husband for three months. The change and leaving behind has probably been the hardest part of my decision but I realised I was heading towards 30 and not really happy that I wasn't making a living as a self employed creative person. It is NEVER too late to change what you are doing with your life, no matter what age you are or what you are doing. I must admit though the below clip from Wayne's World has been going round and round in my head for the past few weeks!
So, things I cannot do at all this week. Juggling. Walking a tight rope. Riding a Unicycle. Hopefully I will see some progress in the coming weeks!
Another thing I've had to get used to is being away from my home and my husband. I'm a proper home bird and always struggle to be away for any length of time. It's been an emotional few weeks, leaving a job I've been in for six years, leaving home knowing I will hardly see my husband for three months. The change and leaving behind has probably been the hardest part of my decision but I realised I was heading towards 30 and not really happy that I wasn't making a living as a self employed creative person. It is NEVER too late to change what you are doing with your life, no matter what age you are or what you are doing. I must admit though the below clip from Wayne's World has been going round and round in my head for the past few weeks!
Well that's it for this week. Tomorrow I launch into a day of clown (scary! But fun) and then I'm off to meet a man to discuss a potential big prop.....stay tuned folks, what will next week bring?! Exciting times my friends.
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