first day of my new clown class was an absolute fuckn blast OBVIOUSLY

such a joy to see my clown mom again and my voice coach/clown sibling and my bf’s clown; such a joy to meet @dschorno’s clown, such a joy to make so many new clown friends

we played the “things I loved to do as a kid” game to get to know each other, then mom talked us into our Fools & we got to experiment w our masks - choosing only a couple key costume items was an amazingly fun task & I made make-up discoveries I’m surprised and DELIGHTED with

we all got to make our grand debuts & show off our biggest feelings (WOW!! OW!!& VAVAVAVM)
& oh my goodness my clown was just absolutely overjoyed to already be best friends w everyone & had the best time ever playing w everyone as they shared their unique talent & style

I CAN NOT WAIT to play with our Extreme Joeys together and see all of us convinced we are the centre of the universe, the world’s sexiest creature, the supreme ruler of every nation, the one revered above all others and more. It is going to be
PHENOMENAL

going to bed so happy

finding my Joey was an amazing experience. such calm and confidence, such equanimity and quiet enjoyment. so fascinating how supportive masks are - different mask, different me. A whole new beautiful character to play with.

it was hard to come back to myself after being in this place, many of my classmates felt the same way. it was such a beautiful part of me, absolutely content with myself. so amazing.

can’t wait to revisit her next week

there’s such an effortless drama to the Joey style - I love the way it looks in colour but I’m also wowed by how beautifully it translates in black and white

My second last session of this clown course focused on the opposite side of the spectrum/ the Extreme August’s who complements the Extreme Joey.

My clown mom frames it like a spectrum from cat energy (Joeys) to puppy energy (Augustes)

Joeys are absolutely confident & bossy & self-centred, Augustes are absolutely vulnerable & giving & understand themselves through relationship

They love play & colour, they’re gullible & trusting, they admire others & love to be helpful, & they can laugh & cry at the same time

An awesome example of Auguste energy from last session was when my clown mom checked in with a clown classmate of mine (from Brazil who mostly speaks Portuguese) to see if he was following along ok and he replied proudly:

I’m ok!!!!! I understand 3%!!!!!!!

I love him

My Auguste loved playing dress-up and I was surprised and delighted by the wild fashion choices she made in the hopes of impressing her Joey (my webcam, in this context)

I think she looks so silly but she insists she’s very fancy

Much like the personal clown’s, the guiding principle of my Auguste’s makeup revolves around supporting the three biggest emotions of the Fool: WOW, OW and VAVAVOOM, although the Extreme Auguste makeup likes to emphasize WOW over the other too, wide-eyed and innocent as it is

I was so grateful this session to be sharing my playspace w @Fooljeff bc our Augustes so immediately & intensely wanted to be together & help each other impress our “Joey” cameras & the other clowns, we collaborated on our turns & laughed together so much, it was the best

Btw, if you’ve followed me for a while you might recognize my puffy lemon hair as the hat I made in preparation for my first ever experience with clown school years ago! Feels like a lifetime ago, the before/after clowning distinction is such a bright line in my life https://twitter.com/maybegray/status/1143658169073205249

high key sad that my clown course is over! will literally and figuratively jump at the chance to do it again

so beautiful in the midst of everything going on in the world to find a space where every emotion is welcomed, embraced and loved

I will so cherish all of the memories I made throughout this course, especially playing with my sweetheart @Fooljeff, and I look forward to the next time my beloved Shmoop performs for and plays with an audience again. So lucky to have her as my personal expression of The Fool