A circus life

Circus has always been “The art of the impossible.” It demands great performance skills and concentration, and the capacity to perform well in front of an audience without losing that concentration while often at risk of injury or, in some cases, life. As a circus artist and a human being, how to live life? Is a question that always bothered me.

So circus artists who aim to be great or the best at what they do, need to learn to practice effectively and maintain their optimal performance skills for as long as possible.

Yes, skills. This can be taught and learned.

Technique 

The technique is one tool, but the most important tool, aside from the body, is your mindset and spirit. Always aiming higher to the next level, you need to be able to train daily, avoid injury, and create; executing in some cases performances that for more than a few of decades now, are considered elaborate works of art.

Circus is a complex art form. It demands physical and mental agility both in the creative process itself and in the performance of one’s creation. 

Life is an elaborate work of art

This is true for any human endeavor, not only for the circus. Life itself is an elaborate work of art. In an ongoing creative process, you create and execute every day. It’s true for anyone who understands that performance is vital for their life and work.

Leaders in any domain, be it business, education, health, law, politics, or agriculture, have to come to grips with the inevitable notion of optimal performance being at the route of it all. Sure, technique comes next, but the basis for any technique is your health and ability to practice and execute. It is the foundation for everything. 

Optimal performance is integral to everyone’s work and invariably contributes to your life in general. Living your life as an elaborate work of art can be challenging, but it has its rewards. You get to be your creation’s creator, performer, and audience. If there’s anything you don’t like, you have the power to change it. 

Joseph Campbell said: “The goal of life is rapture. Art is the way we experience it.”

Enjoy!