The Choice

a story from Bern, Switzerland

Here is a short story that I witnessed while walking the streets of Bern, Switzerland.

A juggler and his partner, along with their 2 Labrador dogs set up their juggling act outside an open restaurant on the street of Bern. Their team looks cute. Dressed in black and with all the gear possible, they look promising.

The guy starts his act (pic below). His partner stands behind him, waiting to join.

The juggling performance looks impressive, but it seems like something is missing. Within seconds, it becomes apparent that they are failing to captivate the audience. Despite their efforts, they are unable to grab the attention of the people seated and dining at the restaurant in front of them.

As I watch, it becomes obvious what is going wrong. They are not enjoying their performance and it is rubbing on the audience. They look like they are under pressure - maybe it is that month’s rent or the next meal or simply the pressure of being an artist.

As their act is crashing, another juggler starts performing on the right side of the restaurant (pic below). He is dressed for the act - funny! He opens with a fun stunt which immediately catches the attention of those sitting. Then he starts engaging with the audience. Bring them into the gig! Into his world. Steals the show.

Which brings me to why I’m telling you this story - the picture below.

This is them watching the other act after being forced to halt their own.

There is so much happening in this picture despite its apparent stillness.

2 artists whose gig just bombed. 2 dogs they have to take care of. All the money they spent on the equipment. Are they good enough? Will they make it? Will their relationship survive this struggle?

The whole story of what it means to be an artist is being played out at this very moment.

To the civilian eye - a cute pic! To an artist - a defining moment.

I don't know what they are thinking at this very moment, but I know it would define their career as a juggler. Whatever they choose to be in this moment is what their art will eventually become.

Their art would perish if they give in to jealousy. A sorrowful tale of assuming victimhood would unfold, blaming the world for not recognizing their talent.

If instead, they chose to be students of art and learn from this moment - they would have a fair shot at this game. It wouldn’t guarantee success in their next gig or the one after but it would make them better artists than they are in this moment.

And that is the best you can hope for in this business: To keep getting better at your art and hope in hell that your audience finds you.

A ‘defining moment’ is a point in your life when you're urged to make a pivotal decision, or when you experience something that fundamentally changes you. It’s meant to be rare. But for an artist, It comes almost every day.

Every single artist ever to walk this earth knows this moment intimately. This feeling. We have all stood like this at some point or the other. We have all questioned our art. We have all had a choice to make.

I hope these two made the right choice.