So Jungle Jim was accepted into the Faneuil Hall Street Performer's Program this year! This is something I've been working towards for over 2 years, since I became serious about balloon art. I was pretty excited, to say the least. Seven times I was rained out in the month of June, but last Saturday was my first day down there, and I was back again yesterday.
Street Performing, or "busking" for is an interesting position for a balloon artist. On one hand, you're displaying a skill that very few people possess. You are able to bend air into colorful shapes (airigami, as coined by Larry Moss), and most find this fascinating to some degree. So some people are happy to watch. But children, while enjoying the show, have been accustomed to receiving a balloon. Its almost as if a child doesn't receive a balloon, then they feel cheated. So I don't get tipped by the parents if their child doesn't receive a balloon, but if I make balloons that are small and boring, people don't watch and I'm not performing, and therefore not drawing a crowd. I'm just a balloon factory. But if it takes too long to get a balloon, because I'm making such cool balloons, then people don't wait around and I don't get paid.
And that's why I'm happy to be down at Faneuil Hall. I expect that after a few seasons, I will have forced myself to push my medium in a different direction.
Hey, I got the pleasure of watching an awesome Yo-Yo guy yesterday. Check him out: http://www.yoyoshow.com/index.htm
Belated Happy Bastille Day!
