One of the most important things about busking with balloons is getting yourself prepared. You don’t want to load yourself down too much with unnecessary junk, but neither do you want to be caught without an important prop.
This is another aspect of clowning where you can let your imagination run wild, too, and the bag you use can be a big part of your routines – as well as a great attention-getter.
You can find a good bag at your local thrift shop and pimp it out to suit you, or you can buy a commercial busking bag. I use a mid-size busking bag that I bought because I like the idea of keeping my colors sorted and separated, but it still didn’t have enough pockets, so I also bought some small canvas pouches and fastened them to it.
Some essentials:
• A good selection of 260 sculptural balloons, of course, is the main thing. My bag has loops for 14 different colors, but I use way more than that, so some loops double up. Robin’s Egg Blue and Light Blue, for instance, share a home. Keeping colors sorted in a busking bag not only makes it easier for you to reach for a certain color, but also helps with ordering and inventory control, but remember that it takes some time to load. I stay away from the jewel tone style of 260s because they tend to be more fragile outdoors. Nothing’s more frustrating that trying to make a complicated sculpture only to have the balloons constantly popping on you.
• A good selection of round and specialty balloons. This is where all the extra bags are needed: Preprinted alien, happy face and silly face balloons, heart-shaped balloons, an assortment of round balloons in various colors, bee-body balloons, etc., should each have a pocket or color-coded bag so that you can go right for what you need and not have to dig around.
• Sharpies. Drawing faces on your animals – even just putting eyes on your doggies – or personalizing a hat with a child’s name can give your work character and style.
• Noise. What’s a clown without a horn? Because they’re too big for my pants, I keep a cowbell and my horn attached to my bag with clips from my hiking gear. That way, they’re always at hand and easy to remove if necessary.
• A rubber chicken. What’s a clown without a rubber chicken? It’s corny, to be sure, but everybody loves a rubber chicken. I glued goo-goo eyes on mine and named her Iris. You can put clothes on her, too, or make her up like a clown. The real reason I carry a rubber chicken on my balloon bag, however, is litter control. When I pop a balloon or break off a piece, I “feed the chicken.” This keeps you from making a mess of your work area. Once kids realize they can feed the chicken, too, they’ll keep the whole area policed for you. A discreet cut between the chicken’s legs allows for easy emptying.
• Business cards. Keep plenty of them, keep them handy, and give one to every parent you see. Even better: I went the extra step and started ordering post cards with my clown face on it from an on-line printing service. They cost a lot more than regular cards (which I still keep handy, too) but when you give a kid a postcard with your picture on it, they feel like they’re really getting something. Plus, you can make a big deal about giving them your autograph if you want.
• Extra gags/pocket tricks/toys: Items you use a lot are better kept in your pants pocket, but for good tricks you just don’t want to leave home without can be easily stored in your bag.
Next week, I’ll talk about how I load my pants, but that’s what I have in my busking bag. What’s in yours?
Your Pal,
Daluni
