The Things No One Teaches You About Building a Circus Career

The stage is what we work for.

But it's everything in between the performances that often shapes the opportunities that come next.

In this solo episode of The Artist Behind the Art, Jennifer shares a collection of career lessons, observations, and practical advice that every circus artist should revisit throughout their career. Some of these ideas came from incredible mentors, some were learned through experience, and many became clearer through years of coaching and observing artists navigate the industry.

These aren't rules or a checklist. They're conversations worth having—topics that can help you become not only a stronger performer, but a more prepared, thoughtful, and well-rounded professional.

In this episode:

✨ Building financial freedom and planning for the future
✨ Why relationships matter more than networking
✨ Creating your own performance support team
✨ Continuing to learn while on and between contracts
✨ Respecting the cultures and countries you work in
✨ Staying ahead of your physical health
✨ Becoming someone people want to work with
✨ Navigating difficult conversations professionally
✨ Finding your tribe while on the road
✨ Embracing opportunities that challenge and stretch you

Because the artists who build long, fulfilling careers aren't just talented.

They learn to balance the artist, the human being, and the business of being a performer.

Whether you're preparing for your first contract or your fiftieth, this episode is an invitation to step back, reflect, and invest in the parts of your career that happen between the performances.

Thanks so much for listening to The Artist Behind the Art.
This podcast exists to support performers in building sustainable, aligned, and castable careers — beyond just the skills.

✨ Work With Me: Own the Stage Act Creation Mentorship

I’m currently building the next round of Own the Stage: Act Creation Mentorship.

If you feel like you have the talent—but when it comes to act creation, something just isn’t fully clicking—this is for you.

Most of the time, it’s not a complete overhaul.
 It’s a few missing tools and a few shifts in how you’re approaching the process.

That’s what takes you from second-guessing your work
 to becoming the artist who is ready to go for the opportunities you actually want.

If that resonates, I’d love to connect.

📩 Email me at jennifer@aretementorship.com

📲 Or DM me on Instagram at The Artist Behind the Art

🎙 Follow the podcast on Instagram:
 https://www.instagram.com/theartistbehindtheart/

Remember — you already have what it takes.
 The question is: are you ready to prove it to yourself?

Until next time — show up big and own the stage.

Transcript

Speaker 0:01

Welcome to The Artist Behind the Art, the podcast that lifts the curtain on what it takes to thrive as a professional performer. I'm your host, Jennifer Pierce, artist coach, creative strategist, and lifelong advocate for performers who are ready to go from unsure to unforgettable. This is where the gatekeeping ends and your journey to thriving in the industry begins. Let's dive in.

Speaker 2 0:26

Welcome back to The Artist Behind the Art, and today's episode is a little different. I sat down recently and started making a list of all of these thoughts, lessons, and pieces of career advice that I've collected over the years. Like so many of us, I thought success was about becoming a better artist, landing the next contract, and getting on the next stage. And while those completely and absolutely matter, I've come to realize something. The moments on stage are beautiful. They're what we train for, they're what we dream about, but it's the moments in between contracts, rehearsals, performances, and auditions that often determine the opportunities that come next. I've also realized that some of these topics don't have one right answer. They're meant to be thought about. They're meant to evolve as you evolve. So some of these are practical, some are simply food for thought. My hope is that one or two of them land with you exactly when you need them. Because I found that the artists who want to build long, fulfilling careers aren't just talented. They learn to find harmony between the artist, the human being, and the business of being a performer. So one of the biggest shifts in my own career happened when I stopped moving 100 miles an hour, long enough to step back and observe. I started to notice patterns in myself, in the artists around me, and in the careers that seemed to thrive over time. So today, I want to share 10 of those observations with you, as ideas that I hope help you build a career with more confidence, more perspective, and ultimately more choices. Because having more choices in your career, that's real freedom

Speaker 3 2:17

So my number one recommendation is to find a financial partner, someone that can help you with your taxes, helping you with saving money and investing in your future. This is something that I think I had one of my first jobs That was where I was an employee. Um, when I was young, I was mostly a contractor when I was doing different, um, small gigs. So that end of the business I really understood. But when I was an employee, I think I had checked a box wrong, and all of a sudden I owed some extra money at the end of the year. I think I was 17 or 18, and this was just a completely, um, baffling experience to me, not really knowing how to do things right. So I think what's important is that with every contract, that you have someone that really understands the structure of how you're receiving your money, how your taxes need to be handled, and how you can invest in yourself in the immediate future and in the long term. And this is something that you don't want to get to the end of the year and wish that you had handled things a little bit differently. So having a CPA or whoever in your country of origin helps with taxes and all of your paperwork is just something that I think is an investment in yourself that is non-negotiable. So I really recommend sitting with what you have right now and what you plan to do with your future, and think about, number one, how are you gonna handle your taxes at the end of the year? Do you have a professional? And I think the best thing is ask your peers, and ask peers that are in a similar line of work, because an entertainment CPA and somebody that understands that line of work is completely different than H&R Block or just the run-of-the-mill tax professional. You need someone that really understands how to track your business expenses and what things are tax-deductible and what things are not. And another thing, as a entertainment professional in circus arts, sometimes we are potentially a contractor, and other times we're an employee. So there's this really sweet spot of when do you need to also open up your own company and be able to take other expenses. But this opens up a whole other layer of complexity that you really wanna make sure that you're making the right decision at the right time. So making that decision to find someone that is gonna help you really navigate that yearly and also for the long term is so important. Also, find a way to start saving money, even if it is such a small amount. Find that very low-risk but high-yield investment that you can make in your future, Such as a, in the US would be a high-yield savings account or a CD. Both of these are very low risk, but they help your money work for you. So definitely the things that I think that would be best for you to look into is saving your money, investing your money, definitely working on building an emergency fund for those times in life that we just can't prepare for. And yes, thinking about retirement, even though it is something that is so far off in many people's lives, it's something that if you really start building that early on, and there's seasons that you will be able to put money to that account, and there are times that you won't. But you don't wanna delay in building that because whatever money you're able to put into that now is gonna continue working for you even when you're not able to add to that account. So I hope this number one tip for you just opens up nothing more than just thinking about how you want your money to work for you and finding that person that's gonna be on your team to help you be successful not only today but in the future

Speaker 5 6:42

Okay, number three. Build your performance team. The best athletes, performers, artists, they don't do life and performance alone. So I think it is so important to surround yourself with professionals who help you perform and just keep on gaining so you can continue to grow. So your team may include a nutritionist, a strength coach, an athletic trainer, a physical therapist, a massage therapist, a mentor, and just other people that can help you keep on skilling up. So these are not found easily, especially quality. You kind of like have to kiss the different frogs to be able to find the magical ones. But I would say in the top six, those are the ones that I think are going to help you when you find in your life that you're just feeling like something is off. A nutritionist can help you if you already have an established relationship and you're going to a different country and you are struggling finding protein sources or just not feeling well. Or if you all of a sudden have a slight injury and you really wanna make sure that you get back on top of your physiotherapy routine. That's somebody that you might be able to, if you have a established relationship, have a call over Zoom and be able to really target what's going on if you don't have that that resource on your contract. So having these people as part of your team when you need them is going to help you really troubleshoot and stay at your best when you are on tour

Speaker 6 8:35

All right, number four you have heard me talk about before, but it is never stop learning. And especially just because you're on contract, make sure that you are bringing something with you that is helping you continue to grow. So thinking about workshops that you could maybe do online or books you can bring, reading, podcasts, learning another language, getting a degree as a circus artist in business is something that is a fantastic just door opener for understanding how to just better manage your career. You could take acting classes or dance, learn an instrument, because every new skill really expands your opportunities, and sometimes you find that other artists that you are on contract with have similar likes, and you never know just how that really creates more of a synergistic relationship. So really stop and think before you leave on a contract, what is something that you can set up for yourself that is going to help you really maintain a really good emotional and mental health, so you're not really draining yourself physically when you are exhausted. You can refuel in a way on your rest days that still feels constructive, and really leave that contract feeling like that you have grown in more ways than one.

Speaker 7 10:07

All right, number five. When you are traveling for work, really take a moment to understand the culture and the country that you are going to be visiting or working in. One of the fastest ways to earn respect is to show respect. So really make sure that you understand local customs and laws, because there are some definite intricacies that can get you into trouble very quickly. So understanding what is expected of you and how you need to dress. Um, having an understanding of just basic language is something that I really enjoyed while traveling. I found when you meet people and they see that you are making an effort to be able to speak in their language, they're usually going to extend a little bit more sympathy and help you a little bit more if you are struggling. So also understanding food culture is really, I think, an important component because we never want to say something and for it to be offensive. Often we're not even trying, but understanding what that norm is of the culture that we're visiting really helps the-- us really navigate our choices that we make. And then just in general, the etiquette that is really asked of for that culture, I think, is really important. Um, there's many countries that you can't take photos in certain places, and if you stand on certain objects, you're gonna have, um, some legal problems. So making sure that as circus artists, we often find different objects and we go, "Cool. Let's hang from this. Let's go ahead and get a really amazing photo op." But in the wrong country, that can really wind you up i- getting in a lot of trouble. So we want to make sure that in our new experiences, that we stretch ourself prior to going into the culture to make sure that we can be a good guest of that culture and that country

Speaker 8 12:15

So the next one, number six, is not the most fun, but it's necessary. Stay ahead of your health. Don't wait for something to hurt or to not give attention to. So before contracts, make sure that you see your dentist, that you maybe get a physical therapy checkup just to make sure that when you are leaving, that you have your physio routine down for where you presently are in your body in that moment. Seeing an eye doctor and making sure that you are taking care of your vision. Um, basically just any preventative care that you need to do to make sure that you are staying healthy is something that you want to make sure to keep up with when you do go home. So making these appointments well in advance of going home is going to be something that is going to help you stay healthy and being able to go out on contracts instead of having something that is going to now keep you at home. So making sure that you have your prescriptions for the-- over the length that you are gonna be away is another thing that can sometimes take a little bit extra time, especially if you do have insurance. They're often asking for extra visits for you to be able to have that medication in advance. So I don't know why, but problems always seem to happen when you are on tour. I remember when I was training in Canada, I all of a sudden had a problem with my wisdom teeth, and I had to find an emergency dentist and had to be out of training for a few days. And it was a very frustrating moment because I was there to train full-time, and I had to take three days off and when I should've really been ahead of getting my wisdom teeth extracted. So don't wait till something hurts. Really make your plan ahead of time so you can make sure that you can stay in the game.

Speaker 9 14:19

All right, number seven, become someone people want to work with. And I think the easiest way to do this is observing when you go into a room, observing before you speak. Before changing the room, make sure you understand the room. In any contract, there tends to be something that's called the chain of command. So where and who you take that problem to that you may be experiencing matters. So really understanding who that first person is in the line of communication, and also really thinking about when is the appropriate time to take that, that concern to somebody. Understanding a company's culture is so important to really being somebody that people want to work with. And I think sitting back on day one and really observing personalities and just people's likes and dislikes makes it a little bit easier to just cohabitate not everyone does this, but if you are somebody that does, I think you're just gonna find that your overall experience in a contract is going to be that much better. Um, when we step back and we take a look at how decisions are made, often we can really understand why certain choices are being made, and maybe we can then understand how to ask for something that is not quite working well for you or just overall for the whole team. So I want you to think of observation is a leadership skill, and it's going to help you really make sure that you are that person that someone wants to work with time after time

Speaker 10 16:08

All right, number eight in my top 10 sort of piggybacks off of number seven of being someone that people want to work with, and this is bringing concerns professionally. We don't wanna avoid difficult conversations, but we want to learn how to have them well. So when we are having something that is either not working out well, either schedule-wise or there's a interpersonal conflict, we wanna think about the timing of when we bring that concern to the person that we are supposed to bring that to, and really making sure that we keep emotions in check, that we really try to remove the emotional aspect and speak in facts. And also just bringing possible solutions, so then that way you can then have that conversation in private, but also have it be very solution-minded and really have that communication be professional. So you don't wanna be someone that is just identifying problems. You wanna become somebody that can help solve them, so then overall you feel like your concerns are being heard, but that things are going to improve and that you are going to have an amazing contract

Speaker 11 17:33

Number nine, find your tribe. I think one of the most important parts of being away from your regular support system is finding those people that you can just be yourself with. It's really good to be able to, I think, find a relationship with anybody in your cast and find that commonality where there is a really strong working relationship. But there's always those amazing group of people where they're gonna celebrate your wins, they're gonna hold you accountable, and they're just gonna be there to let you be you. And I think that is really important when you go into a contract is find those people, and they're just gonna make every moment that you have on stage and also off stage that much better.

Speaker 12 18:25

All right. Number 10, and I think my top one is to chase discomfort. We all have a vision of what we want our professional career to look like, and I think we definitely have our inherent likes and dislikes, and it is important to take those into consideration when we start selecting the different opportunities that we're gonna apply for. But often we, if we don't put ourselves in those places that either are not necessarily our preference or if an opportunity scares you, those are things that we can often shy away from. So I think if traveling on a bus or a plane is not necessarily your jam, definitely I think do it once, maybe twice, and then decide. Don't let fear make the decision before you have experienced it. You don't truly know what's possible until you stretch yourself

Speaker 13 19:27

As we wrap up today, I hope this episode gives you a different way of looking at your career and the moving parts that go with it. Because at the end of the day, your career isn't just built on the stages you perform on, but by the small decisions you make every day, the relationships you maintain, the way you invest in yourself, and the way you show up for the people around you. If there's one thing I hope you take away from this episode, it's that don't let the dream of where you want to be steal from the place you are now. Because every contract has something to teach you, simply if it's just teaching you what you want or what you don't want. The artists who build long, fulfilling careers are the ones who learn to balance the artist, the human being, and the business of being a performer. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I truly hope one of these ideas stays with you And serves you somewhere down the road. And if this episode sparked a thought or reminded you of someone who's building their career right now, I'd love for you to share it with them. As always, if there's a topic you'd like me to cover or a question you're working through, send me a message on Instagram at The Artist Behind the Art. Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and keep becoming the artist behind the art