I went down to the river first to prepare. I found some of the magic white flowers I’ve been making friends with (they’re almost out of season, it looks like), and also took some small cuttings of a new smaller variety of sweet-smelling white flower with dark green almond-shaped leaves which has started blooming in little bunches since the last time I went down there. I came back up to my house with an abundant handful of nice little flowers, and set about arranging them into my costume and fitting them into my props. I stuck one of the bigger sprigs into my hat, and everything else I put inside my little portable Free Box.
The Free Box I made last night, out of the Yogi Tea brand Detox Tea I drank all of last week (for ritual - and actual - purification purposes). I turned the box inside out because there is a nice sort of faux-Indian lotus design inside the box. And into that I stuck a bunch of my business cards, which are hand-made seed packets with my name and the word “GROW” painted over the top of a stamp of an evergreen tree. On the back of each card, I wrote my new mantra:
The heart is a bow,
The mind an arrow.
Aim, let go.
And then stamped it with one of the animal footprint stamps (in this case a bird) which I got a while back at Joanne Fabric. Inside each seed packet are a few pinches of wildflower seeds which I got on eBay, which are allegedly supposed to attract butterflies, hummingbirds and songbirds if you plant them. Amidst the packets, I stuck the little sprigs of flowers and leaves which I picked down by the river, and pasted a label on the top of the box to attract attention visually, which said: “FREE (Take One)”.
I didn’t bring my little wooden begging bowl this time. I just walked up there with my guitar on my shoulder with a strap, and sundry items in my to go bag. Once up there, I started first juggling four balls, and then switched to three after I got comfortable in my space. A little girl was on the stoop next to me with her family, and the entire time I juggled, she sat watching me and imitating me with her hands, juggling invisible balls.
I pulled three handfuls of birdseed from my bag and scattered them on the ground in front of me to sanctify the space, then battled in my head for a little while about when I would be ready to finally bust out the guitar and just start singing. The little girl seemed to have my back, so I finally just went for it after about 20 minutes of juggling. As soon as I switched to the guitar, she put down her pretend juggling balls (she also copied me when I drank from my water bottle) and began fake-strumming the air - pretty much exactly in time with my music.
I played through about 10 or so songs, and was pleased to find that I remembered most of the lyrics for almost all of them. When I started singing, a couple people started lingering around on the periphery of my little bird-seeded area, and lots of people walked by. Some obviously Hampden-area residents, some hipster kids, and some random ass county people - or wherever they ship in anonymous masses from to buy stuff in this neighborhood.
Without intending to, I ended up making a total of $2.24 in change. People started putting the money into my Free Box - even though it was marked “FREE” - and they would take a little white flower or a business card in exchange.
Again, a bunch of cops drove by, looked right at me and didn’t seem to give a shit that I was doing what I was doing there - which is good. My plan is to become sort of a fixture in this and some other nearby neighborhoods just by always being there (but at random unpredictable times), so that people know me and I don’t end up getting fucked with by “The Man” as I expand my operations. We’ll see how that all goes.
I feel like what I’m doing right now is simply paying my dues, getting my stuff and myself out there for people to see, hear, feel and know. Building up both a repertoire and a rapport with the communities I “serve” in. It’s already going well, and it’s already building as I spotted this time a couple local peeps I saw last time, who seemed happy to see me back.
Playing and singing on the street (by that I mean sidewalk) is great. Once I started, I wasn’t nervous or scared or embarrassed or anything anymore. I immediately began to feel comfortable and confident, and was able to sing out and sing well. And people seemed to enjoy it for the most part. Lots of smiles, and lots more just activity and response than when I was just juggling.
True to the ritual that I started my last outing, I took the money I made and immediately invested it into a healthy juice. Since I made a little more than I did last time ($1.10 more), I bought a fancier yuppie juice. But I wish I’d just stuck with the plain old juice, cause it wasn’t so amazing. But whatever. You live, you learn. Or at least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.
- END -
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