Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

Feeling overwhelmed with work? Set a timer.

When I have many things on my to-do list, I find myself jumping from task to task, accomplishing little. To create focus, I set a timer, usually for half an hour and work on only one project, with no breaks until the timer goes off. If I’m on a roll, I take a 5 minute break and set the timer for another 30 minutes. Half an hour is a manageable bit for time for me — your milage may vary — that I know I get get something done, but it doesn’t feel too onerous.

Another option, combining work and entertainment, is to use a playlist or a podcast as your timer. I like to do this when I’m cleaning or sewing.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday — time for a tip! But first I want to recognize that it’s Juneteenth today. The artists of The Front Porch Arts Collective have been celebrating all week and you should check out today’s programs!

And now your tip:

Review, reflect, revise.

Take a look at your acts with fresh and honest eyes, especially if you’ve been performing for a long time. Are your acts still appropriate to be performed? What can you do to change them up?

Are they at your current skill level? You may have grown beyond where you were when that act was created. If so, up your game or retire the act.

If you’re using pop culture or current event references, are they still relevant? You don’t want the act to feel dated or to leave the audience confused. I’ve seen great topical acts that kill when they debut and the reference is fresh, only to bomb six months later when no one remembers.

If you have very local reference in your act, would they be confusing for an out-of-town audience? Maybe make a more generic version or do some research and tailor it to the locale. Audiences love it when you make the effort.

Are you using any tropes that are no longer acceptable? Even if a classic performer did it back in the day, it may not be okay now. “Vintage style, not vintage values”.

This also applies to hosts and MCs. Check your schtick. Make sure all your stock bits and jokes still fly. Comedy is hard — what’s considered funny changes all the time. Some classic burlesque bits that had them rolling in the aisles in 1930 are horrifying now.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

A little business before we get to your tip!

First, tonight we are presenting Live-ish From Deacon Giles (sort of)! on our FaceBook page at 8pm Eastern! I hope to “see” you in the audience!

Second, every Wednesday at 3pm I’m teaching a short burlesque lesson on IG Live. I’ve been posting them on YouTube afterwards. If there’s a burlesque move or technique you’d like to see, leave me a comment and maybe you’ll see it in a future Bite-Sized Burlesque Lesson!

When filming yourself, make sure your main light source is behind your camera.

If you only have one light, position it behind the camera (computer, phone, &c.). If you have two lights, shine one on the wall behind you, which will help create depth. For the best lighting, use two lights on you — one main, one for fill — so you don’t get shadows. Avoid overhead lights.

Here I am filming a reading for Booklover’s Burlesque in my bedroom using clip-on work lights. Very glamourous, no?

I have been learning A LOT these past few months about tech things I usually let other people handle… What new skills or knowledge have you acquired?

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I nearly forgot that this is the start of a holiday weekend… nevertheless, here’s your tip!

When doing a shoulder shimmy, keep your hands, arms, and shoulders relaxed.

You’re actually powering the shimmy with the muscles in your back. Keeping everything else nice and loose gives you an effortless-looking shimmy. Otherwise you can get the dreaded T-Rex look.

For a shoulder shimmy tutorial, check out my Bite-Sized Burlesque Lesson!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

In case you were wondering, it’s Friday! Here’s another tip.

If you’re going to take your gloves off with your teeth, prep your glove before you go onstage by loosening each fingertip.

This way you won’t accidentally chomp down on on your manicure. Evie Sphinx shows a successful use of this tip over on the right. Be like Evie!

If you are more industrious than I am, you could sew a large bead into each glove finger so you have something to bite and protect your finger at the same time.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Here’s a tip, so it must be Friday! And it’s a new month! That would be May, if you’d forgotten….

Don’t start a new sewing project after 10PM.

I’m pretty sure these words of wisdom came from my mother. You could just take the word “sewing” out — don’t take on anything difficult when you’re tired. And we’re all so tired these days. Start your challenging project when you’re feeling fresh and clear. It’s so much better (and less frustrating) to set things aside and take a break than forge ahead and have to redo your work later.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday again! Before I present your tip, a few announcements.

The Great Burlesque Expo was supposed to start today, but it’s been postponed until September. Tomorrow (Saturday the 18th) Expo staff, participants, and fans will be having an on-line get-together and you are welcome! Go to the Facebook event for more information.

I’m teaching a short burlesque lesson every Wednesday at 3pm on Instagram Live at @studyburlesque. If you miss it live, I’ll be posting the video to IGTV and YouTube.

And now for your tip!

Marking pens are a great addition to your costuming tools.

Just to be clear, these aren’t markers. They are special pens for marking fabric and the marks will disappear. They don’t brush away like chalk, so I use them on all but the darkest fabrics. Besides outlining your pattern pieces and making any sewing notations you need on the fabric, you can also use them to draw embroidery designs and mark locations of embellishments. The marks are just temporary — if you don’t like what you came up with, remove and try again!

There are two types of pens. Blue pens need to have their marks removed with water. I keep a little spritz bottle of water in my sewing room for just that purpose. Or just toss your garment n the wash. Purple pens are temporary — they’ll disappear on their own after about 25 hours. Less if it’s humid out. These marks can be helped along with water like their blue brethren. If marks don’t come out right away, just wet the again. you can also get fine point pens for delicate work.

A couple of caveats. Don’t iron directly on the marks — the ink can scorch and set, leaving a brown line on your fabric. I had a bad result rhinestoning on top of a purple marker line — the glue dried over the mark and it won’t wash out, protected by the glue.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.