Do I need to be a children’s performer?

Eek! That sounds terrifying!

When I reposted this clip of Yasmeen Ismail dancing on stage on Instagram last week, telling all illustrators a to ‘Retire now because Yasmeen is in the house’ (me being flippant and silly because Yasmeen being 100% herself on stage made me so happy) I got a few messages from illustrator pals explaining that they feel there is a pressure to be a children’s entertainer.

(Link here)

I should add, I don’t think dancing on stage makes you a childrens entertainer. I don’t think Yasmeen is doing anything she feels uncomfortable with, she is a naturally exuberant and life affirming human being.

And there is nothing wrong with being a children’s entertainer anyhoos! I love Mr Tumble. What a skill!

But of course, lots of illustrators are naturally introverted folks who like to express themselves through drawing and they enjoy working alone. The idea of getting on stage is terrifying.

Do I need to learn clowning skills, juggle, play guitar?

Nope. Phew, lets go home.

For me, it was not easy at first. I was nervous and had no idea what to expect. But I learned to do it through LOTS of trial and error. MANY errors and embarrassing moments like coughing fits or tech failure that meant I had to chat to an audience for ten minutes with no tech and no plan.

Through practice I have learned how to play with a theatre full of children while still being my pretty low key self.

So, this got me thinking…

In the early days did I feel a pressure to get on stage?

Well I was often invited, so I suppose that is a pressure of sorts. I could have said no I guess.

Why did I say yes when it made me nervous?

I thought there must be a way I could do it while still being myself. That idea made me excited. I always follow my nose and when I am feeling inspired or excited about something I know I have to follow that instinct.

Did I feel a pressure to be bigger or brighter or more entertaining than I really am?

Yes. Where did that pressure come from? From myself I think. But thankfully, I was too embarrassed to even try that! The idea made me excruciatingly uncomfortable. There was no way that was happening.

If I had said no would it have affected my career?

I don’t know, it’s hard to make that judgement. Maybe. I know I would have missed out on some of the most rewarding, exciting and fulfilling days of my career.

When did things fall into place for me?

I have learned that it is much easier than I ever imagined. It all clicked into place for me after my nieces, nephews and daughter were born. I saw their joy at the simplest things. I realised that children are always ready to connect. Connection and play with kids is easy.*

*Disclaimer. Unless you are trapped at home over a rainy school holiday when money is tight and life is stressful. That is a whole different ball game. It’s not non stop connection and play. Ha!

Play is simple: a drawing together, a chat where they take the lead, a story about literally ANYTHING, a game where the cheating is more fun than the game, let them stuff cotton wool balls between your glasses and your eyes (yes it happened), have a competition where you are rubbish at something that they are good at… All life affirming and genuinely entertaining.

Performing to a theatre full of children is actually no different. You are playing with nine hundred tiny nutters instead of one.

Connection is not about being big and showy. It is often about being quiet or contemplative. A good show has highs and lows, quiet moments and loud moments.

This was a revelation to me and made everything so much easier.

How to calm pre-show nerves:

It’s all in the panning. Prepare properly. This is really important. It was the writer, David Sanger who first told me this. He was my publicist at Scholastic at the time and he was so helpful. He said I should break the show into tiny sections and plan something for each section. Have some extras up your sleeve in case you whizz through things quickly, be ready cut something on the hoof if the audience are more rambunctious than usual, and the show takes longer.

I will talk more about that next time. I will share a stage plan I have used for the past three Children’s Book Shows.

Any final tips?

Before I go on stage I feel the nerves, but I take a minute in the green room to have a quiet word with myself. I have a ‘mantra’ that always calms my nerves and helps me feel grounded and ready:

I tell myself that we are all here: me, the theatre staff, the children, the parents or the teachers, to have fun together. The universe has brought us all together at this moment in time to enjoy each other. No one is waiting for me to fail, they are all open to having fun with me. If I ‘fail’ it won’t matter. We will all enjoy that too.

This is an interesting discussion isn’t it?

Would you like to see an example of one of my show plans?

Are you an author/illustrator feeling the pressure? Have you tried it? How did it go? Do you have any tips? Are you an author or illustrator who has never done this? Has that had an impact on your career?

More about planning next time.

Helenx

P.S. On Monday me and Jane Porter are doing a Picture Book Pitching Masterclass. It’s FREE! It’s at 1pm (uk time). See you there!