Did Mimi the Clown get a makeover for 2017? The answer to that question is definitely not!
I have wanted to create a lite-auguste character since reading the Clown Antics article on the subject in May. (See On the “lite”r side ) (Okay, so that was seven months ago. Maybe that is the gestation period for a new clown.)
Several things were hindering me from actually working on this new clown. One obstacle was that I didn’t want to be ‘Mimi with a makeover’. I didn’t want to do the same things in the same way. I thought that if I became a new character, I had to do things differently. To me, it was like starting to clown all over again. I sure hope someone can relate!
Embarrassing as it is, I am showing some of the faces I tried. I hated that hair thing with the pony tails, but it was worth a shot, and I only considered the freckles for a short time. I was also struggling with the eye accents.
I have been putting the makeup on occasionally since October, and gathering possible costume options since August. Of course, it is much more fun to look for wild clothes than it is to try clown makeup on! My hair is too short at the moment to do much with it so I tried on different hats…
While working on costume, makeup, and routines, I also needed a name. I wanted something Arabic because I am still clowning here in Tunisia. I wanted a word that had a funny meaning so I asked Tunisian friends for suggestions, but nothing felt right.
It was while in Egypt the first week of December that I heard an Arabic word. It had a lovely sound and it had the perfect meaning.
But…you guessed it! I forgot the word when I got back to Tunisia! I asked friends for an Arabic word that meant a person who makes other people happy and starts with a ‘Shh’ sound.
I finally got it!! My new clown is “Chahloula” (pronounced sha’ lou la). People are even familiar with the name because there is a song about Chahloula. (You can listen to it on Youtube Chahloula song ).
I hope Chahloula will be busy in 2017 as she grows and matures into who she is destined to be.