Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Saturday! Yes, I forgot to write a tip yesterday. I took this week off from my day job and I forgot what day it was. Which brings me to your tip.

When you’re traveling, on vacation, or otherwise outside your usual routine, set up reminders for tasks that you still need to do at a particular time.

It’s better if you can schedule things in advance (like I should have), but sometime you can’t and it’s easy to lose track or time or even what day it is. 

I hope you’re enjoying your summer so far!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 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!

This week’s tip is about sparking creativity. Sometimes you’re just at a loss when trying come up with a new act or new costume. Try this:

Set some constraints.

It’s actually easier to be creative when you have guidelines. That’s often why themed shows speak to us. So, pick a theme or maybe chose a move you can’t use in your choreography. Decide that you’re going to make a costume only out of materials in your stash. And maybe, while you’re brainstorming within these limits, you’ll get a fantastic idea out of the blue that blows it all to hell. That’s  great too!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 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,

You almost didn’t get a tip today. Early this morning, my neighbors found one of the feral cats we feed. We don’t know how he died; I just hope it was quick. I had only ever seen him on our backyard camera, eating at our shelter, and only late at night. He was black with scars and matted fur. We called him Scruffy. He had clearly had a hard life. Because he was only around erratically, it was hard to plan to trap him so he could either get TNRed or adopted. I wasn’t as attached to him as to Tux or Tom or Lord Julius*, since unlike them, he didn’t hang out in our yard and let us get to know him. But the loss still hurts. I wish we could have done more for him.

Your tip is:
Get to know your neighbors.

Community is important. It’s good to have someone nearby that you can turn to. Maybe you need someone to water your plants, and they need someone to hold onto a delivery until they get home. Maybe you all organize a block party. And maybe you care about stray cats and cry together. It’s better not to be alone.

*Julius, now known as Tim, decided he wanted to be an indoor cat and lives in splendor with two other rescue cats in a highrise in downtown Boston with his very patient humans. He sends us occasional video updates.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! We’ve been rehearsing for our shows in Salem and Hyannis next month. Something that occurred in rehearsal inspired this tip.

What is the surface of your performance space vs. your rehearsal space? Can you do all your choreography in both places?

I’ve talked about stage surfaces before in the context of tap dancing, but now I want to expand that to anything. In a recent rehearsal Ava slithered across the floor, which was easy on the studio’s marley floor. However, the stage at Deacon Giles has carpeting on it — not conducive to smooth slithering. Knowing that, she can be prepared.

So, if you’re doing something floor dependent, like roller skating, be prepared to modify if necessary. Someday ask me to tell the story that involves performing on sawdust over dirt…

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 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! I had an exciting time last night (but not the good kind of exciting). I drove to the storage unit to get some folding chairs for tonight’s acro chair class with Kerri N’Fuego. On the way back I ended up on the side of the road with an overheating BeauTeaseMobile. Fortunately I was 15 minutes from The Manor and Betty was good enough to bring Scratch and a bottle of coolant to me and then follow behind until I was safely home. Happy ending (other than the hassle of getting the car into the shop and the expense that follows). However, this experience inspired this week’s tip.

Have a membership to a roadside assistance service.

In a previous tip I recommended having emergency gear in your car, especially when traveling. However, sometimes the problem is more than you can take care of yourself. Imagine being stranded on the side of the road in a strange town with a dead car. Being able to call a service for a tow or a new battery is invaluable.

And sometimes your membership can get you discounts on other services too, like hotel rooms or museum admissions. I know that’s the case with AAA and I take advantage of it whenever I can. (I’d rather buy rhinestones…)

Stay safe out there!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 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! We’re just one week from Not Just Sitting Pretty: Intro to Acro Chair Flow with visiting instructor Kerri N’Fuego and I can’t wait. And that brings me to this week’s tip…

Try a new skill.

If you have the opportunity to try something new, take it! (like acro chair…) You never know if it’s something you might use in a future act or you might just think is fun. Even if you decide it’s not for you, you’ve still had a learning experience.

I once took a class on rope tricks (yeah, like spinning a lasso). Not something I’m probably ever going to use, but now I have an appreciation for the skill of those who do it and make it look easy. And who knows, there might be a situation where I can use or share the knowledge I gained.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 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! B.A.B.E.’s second Student Showcase is this Sunday and I’ve heard that there are only 4 tickets left!

So many classes in May: Introduction to Burlesque with me, Floorwork with Devastasia, Intro to Acro Chair with Kerri N’Fuego, and Shimmy at the Speakeasy in Salem.

Onward to your tip…

Posture check!

I’m talking to you (and me)! Are you hunching, slouching, shrimping, or otherwise sitting or standing with poor posture?

Stand up. Straighten your spine. Roll your shoulders down and back. Lift your chest. Pull in your core. 

Now, don’t you feel better? You look better too.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 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,

I am so excited for the B.A.B.E. student showcase tomorrow! I’m doing a little last minute costuming, which brought this tip to mind…

Keep the humidity in mind when working on a project.

Ah, humidity! The bane of summer — frizzy hair, runny makeup, sticky costumes… and slower drying times. If you’re painting or gluing or dying something, just remember that it’s going to take longer to dry. Factor that into your timeline along with everything else.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 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 recently spent a couple of days in New York (but that’s a separate missive) and found myself in the Garment District with some time to kill, which brings me to your tip.

Keep a wish list for impromptu shopping.

You never know when you’re going to find yourself in a fabric store or a thrift shop or some other emporium of goodies that might have some component for a project or an act or a costume. Are you going to remember what it was you wanted?

Thus, a list, not only of the items, but quantities or sizes. I used to keep my list on paper in my wallet, but now I just have it on my phone. That’s how, when I saw the rhinestone zippers, I could confidently buy a 7″ zipper to replace the boring one on my NYE gown.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.