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When I think back, I realize
that Flower Clown started taking shape many years ago.
As a kid, I used to dress up as a clown for Halloween.
I don't recall actually meeting a clown when I was
growing up, but I did see them during visits to the
circus. And all through my adult life, I've really
been just a big kid. During family events, I can
always be found playing with the kids.
When I was 14, my mom brought a
unicycle home for me from a flea market. Since my
family lived in the country, I couldn't ride a
skateboard in my yard -- but the unicycle could handle
my area's rougher terrain. I tried on and off to learn
how to ride it, and, after a few months' worth of
trying, I finally got the hang of it. Then, the pedal
broke off and I wasn't able to repair it. A couple of
years later, I borrowed a friend's unicycle and the
skills all came back to me. Shortly after that, I
finally bought my own, and since then, I've taken it
everywhere with me.
While I was in college, I
started working at Power Play, an arcade in the Flats,
in downtown Cleveland. A mime named "Pun
Pun" worked there as well. He was kind of quiet,
but I still managed to learn a lot by just watching
him. Inspired, I went out, bought a bag of balloons,
and started trying to twist them. The hardest part at
the time was trying to blow them up. But once I got
some air in them, I was able to twist them into
shapes. They didn't look like much, but they got
better as I worked at it.
I did that as a bit of a hobby
for about seven years, only making simple items like
swords, puppies, and basic flowers. Later, I took a
year-long, around-the-world trip,
and, after my return from Southeast Asia in June of
1996, I took my old job back at Power Play. This time,
I met a professional clown. By barter arrangement, I
traded video game tokens for balloon twisting lessons.
He taught me how to create more animals and other
items with my balloons. And being a successful clown
meant that he could introduce me to the business side
of clowning. After a few months of practice, I started
working for tips at a Flats bar called Tommy's. That
soon led to working the whole East Bank of the Flats.
Working in popular places like Heaven, Jimmy's, Dick's
Last Resort, Max & Erma's, The River's Edge,
The Beach Club and others, gave me great opportunities
to circulate my business card, and, before long, I
began taking bookings for children's events. In 2000
Flower Clown gave up his Electronic career to clown
full-time |
