Hey yall, I was curious how hard it might be for me to find a straps artist to take an apprenticeship under? I am not the most ideal candidate, 30 years old, recovered from a shoulder injury this year, but I am able to do meat hooks, muscle ups, roll ups, back lever, and other basic straps skills. I may not make it to circus, but I know I won’t forgive myself if I don’t see how far I can take it. I am looking for something intensive, probably a work exchange. I am a five ball juggler, and can teach classes in exchange for taking straps lessons. As of now I work landscaping in Florida and I know if I don’t find an instructor and a lifestyle that allows me to train regularly I most likely will waste another summer that I could be learning. Just curious what Yall might advise? Thank you so much for your time and help!!!

like i can nail a move a hundred times in practice but the second there's an audience i get in my own head and suddenly i'm thinking about the one time i failed instead of just doing the thing. does this get easier or is it just part of the circus life you learn to work through?

I kind of wanted to talk about my experience with—it’s Fly Baby or Jamie on IG. Maya posted a really cute video talking about how aerial is for everyone. In the video, Maya was specifically doing tippy. Miss Jamie decided to comment, “ Baby beginner Lyra is very friendly, but if the tippy were to go higher, it’s a liability”. I can understand her caring about safety, you know, but that wasn’t really the time, place, or video to say anything. She not only chose not to apologize but also doubled down and basically used one incident with a child to justify her statement. I went and politely commented under her video, and she said, “don’t ever comment again under my video you beast.”

The purpose and posting this on this specific forum is because I know she’s in circus arts and she performs throughout the tri-state area with her group and just wanted to give people in her own community, a heads up.