A couple of weeks ago, this photo on Instagram caught my eye while I was scrolling. The Observer magazine was sharing a feature about journalist John Simpson, who had just left the paper after fifteen years as a serious crime reporter to become a full-time clown.
This is brilliant, I thought. How did he come across clowning? What inspired the move? I did some digging, partly wondering whether I’d missed my own vocation as a journalist. Though with my love of puns, headline editor for the Sun might have been a better bet. John’s Instagram bio said he could be found over on Substack, a platform I’d been toying with the idea of moving to myself. So I followed a clown onto Substack, and we connected there.
Having left teaching after six years, I was curious about the journey of someone else who’d made the leap. Not a little jealous, too, that not only does he have a way with words, he also has somewhere to leap to. I’m still figuring that part out.
For me, leaving the school where I’d been teaching for years, after investing so much time and energy in the job, while still not quite trusting my own body after successful back surgery, has been a knock to my confidence. That’s why I’ve thrown myself back into writing. To try and find my purpose, my path, my voice, and my use.
Part of me has been questioning that lately, if I’m honest. I’m struggling with the circus stories I want to share, taking too much time writing each one, second-guessing every word and, in the process, missing the moment. As every clown knows, timing is everything.
But then I look back over what I've written since the last day of term, and I see twenty posts and over twenty thousand reads, which keeps me going. Some days you simply need to show up for people.
And reading the stories of other people fighting the good fight is inspiring. A video of his act, showing John in a pseudo-martial-arts get-up, reminded me of a colleague at school who offered to teach me some self-defence moves alongside how to turn a cartwheel, a childhood dream of mine. It didn’t quite go to plan - much as I love learning a new trick, not quite there yet for turning head over heels. But I am getting stronger. And it did bring home to me that I was looking for a teacher, and a safe space to be me. Maybe all I needed was to watch a zen master in idiocy in action, I reflected.
Which is how I ended up on Friday night at Lost the Sauce comedy cabaret, @wearelostsauce on Instagram, watching him do just that.
It was a brilliant night. Another story.
John has also set up Clown Lab London with Gabriela Chojnacki, a community-driven project providing space for training, games and play, where they teach and which has hosted workshops with the likes of slapstick maestro Enrico Touché, coming to Jacksons Lane later this month, and multi-faceted dark clown and guru Peta Lily, who I first met through her shows Chastity Belt, and Topless.
In the meantime, loving to bring people together as I do, I couldn’t resist getting John along to Jacksons Lane for the last sharing of the season at Circus Hub. John has come to clowning through the theatrical improv route rather than a circus space, and I wanted him to meet a couple of clowns from that world. There’s overlap for sure. Sean Kempton and Michaela O’Connor, the genius double act who founded Kook Ensemble (Sand getting rave five star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe), were directing Zirkus Morsa. I was sure that physical comedy would find its way into the show, and it did, along with the chance to introduce everyone afterwards.
And just when he was laughing at me, “Lu, is there anyone here you don’t know?!”, there was a “Hello, John!” Ha! It’s not just me. Perfect timing.
So check out John’s Substack "The Shiny Things". Great title to attract a magpie reader like me. He writes beautifully. Funny too. There was one moment reading one of his pieces when he made me spurt out my coffee, and live at the cabaret he has since made me choke down my wine.
I’m not convinced about my own presence on Substack, but I'm beginning to think I may have followed the right clown...
Photo credit: Matilda Hills-Jenkins (Observer Magazine)
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