A couple of weeks ago, while doing clown doctor rounds at the hospital (as Dr. Fun E. Bone, my hospital clown character), I found myself “in the zone,” a state where my clown’s mind and body, thoughts and actions were working together in unison, perfectly in synch with the moment and the environment.
Whoa! For seven months, my dutiful, weekly clown doctor rounds had constantly tested and pushed my clown character and skills, and stretched my comfort levels. This physical comedian who is used to stage performing was now doing close-up work, using a character voice, and performing at energy levels appropriate to a hospital setting. This was hard work, well outside my usual stage and 'zone.' But a couple of weeks ago, something clicked. I suddenly felt calm and at ease, yet totally focused, intense, adrenaline flowing, and exhilarated.
Time stood still. Three and a half hours into my usual 2-hour shift, I glanced at a clock for the first time and realized how time had flown effortlessly by.
Every bit worked – magic, cards, patter, lampoons of medical procedures, physical comedy. Nothing was rushed, and it felt like everything happened spontaneously, requiring no thought, just action. Reflecting back on this heightened sense of being in the moment, the ancient Roman poet Horace perhaps said it best: “Don’t think, just do.”
I was “in the zone,” that place where gifted and accomplished performing artists and athletes say everything slows down for them. To them, it feels like the performance (or game) is being played in slow motion. They can anticipate what’s going to happen – or what SHOULD happen – and react before it actually happens, directing the flow of the performance or play or game as some sort of creative, playful, spiritual maestro.
So, how’d I get there? How can I stay there or get back “in the zone” next time?
I don’t think there’s a magic way to achieve or replicate this kind of peak performance state. It really can’t be planned or manufactured or forced. It almost seems to occur as serendipity or an extended, timeless moment of grace in which something pushes or lifts your mental and physical performance levels higher, simultaneously.
Could it have been as simple as a new costume – clown accessorized lab coat and red scrub pants? They certainly seemed to turn the inner fire up a bit, and the audiences – patients, families, staff, and other volunteers – seemed to respond in kind. Perhaps it played a small role. But I think there are far more important factors that put clowns and performers like us “in the zone.”
Here are a few that I can think of:
1. Preparation, practice, and repetition make it possible to perform without thinking about what you’re doing, as well as improvise in new and different situations.
2. Skills, talent, and ideas built up from experience that are a natural fit with the role you’re playing or the setting in which you’re performing.
3. Confidence in your character and skills that helps convey a strong, positive, and calm presence.
4. Focus that is genuine, locked in, and in-the-moment.
5. Grace to be open to gifts of inspiration, unforeseen challenges, spontaneous changes in direction, and serendipity.
What do you think? Have you felt “in the zone” in any of your clown performances or appearances? What made you feel so focused and calm and confident, like time was standing still? Was there something in particular that you can point to that led to such a heightened performance level? What can we do as performers to increase the chances that we’ll feel “in the zone” in the future?
Keep calm and clown on, my red nose friends! May you find inspired foolishness wherever you clown.
Whoa! For seven months, my dutiful, weekly clown doctor rounds had constantly tested and pushed my clown character and skills, and stretched my comfort levels. This physical comedian who is used to stage performing was now doing close-up work, using a character voice, and performing at energy levels appropriate to a hospital setting. This was hard work, well outside my usual stage and 'zone.' But a couple of weeks ago, something clicked. I suddenly felt calm and at ease, yet totally focused, intense, adrenaline flowing, and exhilarated.
Time stood still. Three and a half hours into my usual 2-hour shift, I glanced at a clock for the first time and realized how time had flown effortlessly by.
Every bit worked – magic, cards, patter, lampoons of medical procedures, physical comedy. Nothing was rushed, and it felt like everything happened spontaneously, requiring no thought, just action. Reflecting back on this heightened sense of being in the moment, the ancient Roman poet Horace perhaps said it best: “Don’t think, just do.”
I was “in the zone,” that place where gifted and accomplished performing artists and athletes say everything slows down for them. To them, it feels like the performance (or game) is being played in slow motion. They can anticipate what’s going to happen – or what SHOULD happen – and react before it actually happens, directing the flow of the performance or play or game as some sort of creative, playful, spiritual maestro.
So, how’d I get there? How can I stay there or get back “in the zone” next time?
I don’t think there’s a magic way to achieve or replicate this kind of peak performance state. It really can’t be planned or manufactured or forced. It almost seems to occur as serendipity or an extended, timeless moment of grace in which something pushes or lifts your mental and physical performance levels higher, simultaneously.
Could it have been as simple as a new costume – clown accessorized lab coat and red scrub pants? They certainly seemed to turn the inner fire up a bit, and the audiences – patients, families, staff, and other volunteers – seemed to respond in kind. Perhaps it played a small role. But I think there are far more important factors that put clowns and performers like us “in the zone.”
Here are a few that I can think of:
1. Preparation, practice, and repetition make it possible to perform without thinking about what you’re doing, as well as improvise in new and different situations.
2. Skills, talent, and ideas built up from experience that are a natural fit with the role you’re playing or the setting in which you’re performing.
3. Confidence in your character and skills that helps convey a strong, positive, and calm presence.
4. Focus that is genuine, locked in, and in-the-moment.
5. Grace to be open to gifts of inspiration, unforeseen challenges, spontaneous changes in direction, and serendipity.
What do you think? Have you felt “in the zone” in any of your clown performances or appearances? What made you feel so focused and calm and confident, like time was standing still? Was there something in particular that you can point to that led to such a heightened performance level? What can we do as performers to increase the chances that we’ll feel “in the zone” in the future?
Keep calm and clown on, my red nose friends! May you find inspired foolishness wherever you clown.
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