Come June I'm going to be in need of a new job. I'm considering busking. For those of you who don't know the definition of a busker is, "a person who entertains in a public place for donations." Evidently it comes from the Italian buscare meaning "to guilt pedestrians into giving money to your 'art' because you aren't headlining your own gig at the Showbox." I'm not a musician but I could stand around and spontaneously lecture about art and architecture. It would be unique and, I feel, offer a valuable service to the art starved American public.
I'm currently a teacher. For those of you who don't know the definition of a teacher is, "one who willingly enters into a classroom to face a group of young people who are actively resisting everything one is trying to do for them." When you are a college professor, as I am, the strangeness of the student resistance is compounded because your students are actually paying the university for the privilege to be annoyed by their education. Add to this the fact that I teach art history, which most American students consider entirely superfluous. Thus, every time I step into the classroom it is as if I am a street performer. I'm sharing something with a group of people who can't get away from it, aren't sure they want it, but cough up the money to support it anyway.
The way that I see it my skills as a college professor will translate well into street performance. After another job hunt on monster.com I'm going to write Pike Place Market for an annual busker permit.
http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/applications_permits/become_a_busker
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