After a long day of busking, I’m writing about what to consider when creating an awesome street busker character. I’m writing about this because I decided to create a new character for myself and am going through the process of doing so.
I’ve been busking for over 6 years now, and have gone through many different characters. In the end, there are a few that people seem to respond to most strongly.
– clowns: funny characters that make you laugh
– musicians: people who play music well and entertain you
– animals: characters that act like animals and interact with you
– jugglers: people who juggle interesting things and do tricks with them
– acrobats: people who do amazing feats of balance and strength
– storytellers: people who tell stories in a way that captures your attention
There are many other kinds of characters, but these tend to be the ones that work best on the street. So think about which one of these you respond best to, and then try to create a character based on it!
Something that I have noticed over the last few years is that there are a lot of street performers out there who, even though they may be good at what they do, they go unnoticed, unloved and worst of all, unappreciated. On the other hand, some performers are so unique, so special and so talented that it’s hard to walk by without stopping to appreciate their art, even for a moment.
When I see these artists who get so much attention from passersby on the street, my first thought is “wow. how did he/she come up with something like that? That takes some serious creativity.” But then when I stop and think about it for a moment longer I realize that it’s not just creativity that goes into creating a successful persona; it’s also a lot of planning and hard work. And this is exactly why I decided to write this blog post: to give you an idea of what goes into creating your best street busking character.
1. Before coming up with your persona you need to decide what kind of persona you are looking for and what kind of message you want to send across through your art.
2. The next step is to research the type of character that you are trying to portray in order to learn
When you are creating your street busking persona, you should always think about what kind of performer you want to be. Do you want to be a clown? A magician? A juggler? A musician?
When you choose what kind of act you want to do, you should also think about who would be interested in seeing that kind of show. For example, clowns and jugglers tend to attract kids and families with children, but not so much teenagers or adults without children. Musicians tend to attract all ages, but especially people between the ages of 15-30.
Once you’ve decided what kind of performer you will be and who your audience is, then it’s time to think about how you will market yourself. Are there specific places in your town where your audience tends to hang out? If so, that’s probably a good place for you to perform.
Are there any types of clothing that your target audience wears that you can wear as well? For example, if your target audience is young hipsters, maybe wear skinny jeans and vintage T-shirts like they do!
Once you’ve considered all these factors, practicing your craft is the next step!
You have to be entertaining. That is what it is all about. Sure, you can play the guitar, sure you can juggle, but are you entertaining?
You have to be engaging. You really need to play with your audience. It is not enough to just perform something and then walk away. You have to make an emotional connection with the people that stop and watch you. If they don’t connect with you they will not give you any money (unless they are just feeling sorry for you).
You need to be original. This one is tricky because most street buskers out there just copy their favorite street buskers but that doesn’t work. You need to come up with your own original thing to do and then build on that by making it better and better over time.
You need to practice a lot. Street busking is hard and if you don’t practice enough then people will not be impressed and they won’t give you money either!
You need to be nice / funny / interesting / smart / whatever else works for you personally… Most importantly, you need a strong character trait that people want to see more of!
When you busk it is important to be highly fun so people will want to give you their hard earned money. Some people choose to be a pirate, others a princess, others just a normal dude. You could even be a zombie, or a clown!
But don’t just make your character super duper random. Have a reason why you chose that character. Is it your favorite animal? Does it represent how you feel?
Or do you look like that person? That is the best reason of all. Because then people will be like “Whoa! She looks just like the cheerleader from high school!” And then they will give you more money. And take your picture and post it on their facebook profile page.
Always remember to keep in mind the audience you are trying to attract, and be creative!
I have been a street busker and performer for the past 8 years, working professionally on the streets of New York City. Every city has its own street performances, and New York City is known as the “street performing capitol of the country.” I’ve learned many things in my time out on the streets that can help people new to street performance to avoid a lot of wasted time and effort.
One of the most important decisions you will be making when deciding to become a street performer (short of your choice of instrument) is how you are going to present yourself. This includes, but is not limited to, what costume you wear and how you interact with your audience.
There are several different types or styles of street performers, from clowns to jugglers to musicians. Each style has its own challenges and rewards. Clowns tend to be more kid friendly while juggling seems to attract more adult audiences. Musicians tend to attract both adults and children depending on their style of music and presentation.
In this article I will be discussing the use of a character or persona as opposed to just being yourself, which can also work if you don’t fall into any cookie cutter type personalities that audiences respond to easily. Many people simply dress up like a pirate or a cowboy or
Imagine you’re walking through your local downtown area. It’s a busy Saturday afternoon and you hear a familiar tune coming from the sidewalk. Looking down, you see an elderly woman playing a violin, her case open in front of her. Her sign says “Please help support my cat, Rusty!”
As you approach, she finishes off the song with a flourish and bows deeply to accept your applause. You drop some money into her case – even though you suspect she doesn’t actually have a cat named Rusty – and continue on your way.
What do you think of that busker? Are they any good? Do they make you want to stop and listen, or just walk by? Did their music or story touch you at all?
Now imagine that same scenario but with these changes: the busker is a twentysomething woman with long red hair wearing thick-rimmed glasses, skinny jeans, and a tight blouse that shows off her tattoos; she’s playing an electric guitar with an amp at her feet; her case is open next to it; and her sign reads “Please help me buy more strings!”
Which one did you prefer? Why?