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Originally
posted
by
Bruce
Johnson
in
the
"Jr.
Joey
Newsletter",
Feb
1,
2003. When
I
first
learned
to
juggle
back
in
1975,
I
could
start
a
three
ball
cascade
and
keep
it
going
for
a
short
time,
but
I
had
trouble
stopping
consistently
without
dropping
one
of
the
balls.
I
didn't
let
not
being
able
to
stop
interfere
with
adding
juggling
to
my
performances.
At
the
time,
I
was
part
of
an
amateur
clown
club
with
the
majority
of
the
members
being
kids.
In
our
variety
shows,
my
juggling
act
was
announced.
I
started
juggling,
and
then
one
of
the
other
clowns
came
out
with
a
butterfly
net
and
caught
one
of
the
balls.
Now
I
only
had
to
worry
about
catching
one
ball
in
each
hand,
which
I
could
do
easily.
The
act
finished
with
me
chasing
the
other
clown
off
stage
trying
to
get
the
juggling
ball
they
had
stolen.
The
entire
act
lasted
only
about
thirty
seconds.
I
did
not
worry
about
what
I
could
not
do,
but
used
what
I
could
to
the
best
of
my
ability.
That
little
routine
always
got
a
good
response
in
our
shows. |
Gradually,
as
I
learned
how
to
do
more
juggling,
my
act
evolved.
I
learned
how
to
finish
a
series
of
tricks
by
catching
the
last
prop
as
I
struck
a
pose
prompting
the
audience
to
applaud.
I
added
tricks
with
other
props.
Eventually,
I
did
my
juggling
act
next
to
closing
in
a
one-ring
circus.
That
is
a
spot
usually
reserved
for
one
of
the
best
acts
in
the
show.
When
I
first
started
doing
walk-around
magic,
I
only
knew
one
trick.
I
didn't
worry
about
not
knowing
more.
I
would
show
that
to
a
group
of
people,
and
then
go
find
somebody
else
to
show
it
to.
I
learned
how
to
do
that
one
trick
very
well,
and
how
to
make
it
entertaining.
Gradually
I
began
adding
other
magic
tricks
one
at
a
time.
Eventually
I
created
a
nice
fifteen-minute
act.
One
of
my
favorite
quotations
is
by
comedy
writer
and
TV
producer
Gene
Perrett.
It
is
unusual
in
that
it
is
a
quotation
within
a
quotation.
He
said,
"Let
your
talents
and
career
grow
slowly.
As
Arnold
Glasgow
said,
'you
get
the
chicken
by
hatching
the
egg,
not
by
smashing
it.'"
It
takes
patience
to
become
a
great
entertainer.
It
is
done
a
step
at
a
time.
Learning
how
to
do
something
really
well
and
use
that
in
an
entertaining
way
is
the
foundation
for
greater
success.
Don't
be
impatient,
but
don't
become
frustrated
either.
You
are
capable
of
doing
something
excellent
now.
Concentrate
on
that.
What
can
you
do?
How
can
you
incorporate
that
in
your
performances?
How
can
you
make
that
entertaining?
How
can
you
make
it
the
best
that
you
can?
Originally
posted
for
"Thought
For
The
Week"
(August
20,
2001)
By
Bruce
"Charlie"
Johnson
"Effects
wherein
something
goes
wrong,
after
which
the
magician
corrects
the
situation,
are
commonly
called
'sucker
effects'
by
magicians.
Now,
I
know
that
the
term
sucker
trick
is
not
always
meant
in
a
pejorative
sense.
It's
a
term
we
have
grown
accustomed
to
using
to
define
this
type
of
effect. Nevertheless,
I
feel
that
using
negative
words
can,
even
when
we
use
them
without
conscious
ill
will,
eventually
creep
into
our
subconscious
and
influence
our
thoughts
and
feelings.
Deep
down
inside
ourselves
it
might
influence
us
to
think
less
generously
about
our
audiences.
I
think
it
is
very
important
to
choose
the
right
words
for
things,
and
wherever
possible
these
words
should
be
positive,
so
that
they
help
us
to
think
correctly.
In
magic,
many
things
are
called
by
unfortunate
names
that
make
it
too
easy
for
us
to
think
of
others
and
ourselves
in
uncharitable
and
incorrect
ways.
With
that
in
mind,
I
prefer
to
call
these
'sucker'
effects
'failureffects.'"
--
Tommy
Wonder
Words
are
powerful.
Every
employee
at
Disneyland
is
taught
the
right
words
to
use
because
they
do
influence
your
thoughts
and
actions.
For
example,
Disneyland
does
not
have
"ride
operators,"
it
has
"attraction
hosts."
Using
that
term
shifts
the
emphasis
away
from
operating
the
machinery
to
interacting
with
the
guests.
I
teach
my
juggling
students
that
"can't"
is
not
an
acceptable
juggling
term.
As
soon
as
you
say
you
"can't,"
you
won't.
It
becomes
a
self-fulfilling
prophecy.
That
is
something
that
may
or
may
not
be
true,
but
because
you
believe
it
is
true,
you
act
as
if
it
is
true,
which
makes
it
become
true.
I
tell
my
students
when
they
are
asked
if
they
can
juggle
five
balls,
to
answer,
"I
haven't
yet."
That
implies
that
you
will
be
able
to
in
the
future.
According
to
Jeff
McMullen,
using
the
word
clown
"costume"
implies
that
we
are
pretending
to
be
a
clown.
It
has
the
same
connotation
as
a
Halloween
costume.
He
suggests
thinking
and
talking
about
your
clown
clothes.
When
you
start
thinking
that
way,
you
break
out
of
the
stereotypical
clown
costume
image.
New
possibilities
open
up.
It
allows
you
to
think
about
mix-and-match
approaches
to
what
you
wear.
It
also
reminds
you
that
what
you
wear
doesn't
determine
your
identity.
Just
as
you
wear
different
clothes
in
private
life
while
remaining
the
same
person,
your
clown
can
wear
different
clothes
while
remaining
the
same
character.
Look
at
the
words
you
use.
Are
they
positive?
What
connotations
do
they
have?
Is
there
a
more
appropriate
word
you
can
use?
Copyright
2001
by
Bruce
Johnson.
All
rights
reserved.
www.CharlieTheJugglingClown.com
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