Creative Strategic Planning: When Clowning Meets Business Development

Most strategic planning sessions can be overly serious, emphasizing the more intellectual and linear forms of planning and seeing the world. This is not surprising and is aligned with the general trends in most modern organizations and institutions.

For example, neoliberal education that defunds the arts and emphasises more 'masculine' subjects like science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Western medicine that is based on treating the specific ailment versus Traditional Chinese Medicine that is focused on treating the whole system. The systems thinker Fritjof Capra does not see these opposing qualities (see list of qualities below) as good or bad, bur rather necessary and natural.

What is currently plaguing society is an imbalance. Capra refers to this imbalance, that is ultimately contributing to the breakdown of human and non-human ecosystems, a crisis of perception.

Barnaby and I are just wrapping up the final day of our 2026 Clown Spirit seasonal strategy session.

Coming into it, we set a bold intention: to weave more clowning and clown ethos into our strategic planning process. We aimed to bring together different modes of planning — bridging the intuitive and the intellectual, structure and chaos, serious work and free-flowing play.

We created space for both formal and informal connection. In creative systems thinking terms, we designed an environment that allowed for emergence.

Throughout the process, there were moments of deep presence. We immersed ourselves fully, giving our undivided attention to Clown Spirit for four full days. Not only was it productive it was also restorative. And because it took place in my home (last year’s was at Barnaby’s), it deepened our trust, understanding and oveall friendship with each other.

Structure and Chaos: Strategy the Clown Way

We worked intentionally with the dynamic interplay between structure and chaos. These two creative forces guided our approach, each one opening different kinds of insights, breakthroughs, and clarity.

TABLE — Mechanistic vs. Systemic — adapted from Fritjof Capra, 1996, Web of Life, p.10

Chaos: Clown & Play Integrations

Here are some of the ways we integrated non-linear process into our strategic planning processes:

• Each day began with about an hour of clowning or play, followed by a guided visualization.

• The opening day began with ceremony — a mix of bibliomancy, clowning and meditation — invoking the qualities of ancestors, elders, and inspiring figures.

• We did meetings inside the home, at the park and on long walks, welcoming different forms of inspiration and thinking.

• We welcomed feedback through focus group conversations with members of the Clown Spirit Village and the wider clowning community.

• On the second to last night, we brought in the spirit of Carnival - creatively exploring, celebrating and stepping out of our normal day-day rhythms and responsibilities.

Structure: Organizational Leadership 

Here are some of the ways we integrated more linear, structured processes into our strategic planning process:

• We applied the SOAR framework (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results) to guide visioning.

IMAGE - from The Change Handbook, Holman, Devane and Cady, page 692

• Our collaborative planning systems helped us quickly access last year's archives and update core documents like our mission, vision, values, principles, strategic priorities, and goals.

• We conducted Project Action Reviews for key initiatives from the previous cycle — allowing us to learn from what worked and adapt what didn’t.

• A tactical, month-by-month timeline emerged, aligning specific actions with projects and creative experiments we hope to bring to life this year.

Carnival Night: Where the Wild Ideas Live

That night of Carnival brought unexpected insights and moments of creative clarity. Here are three highlights:

• We realized we’re growing Clown Spirit with the same joyful intensity that a clown develops a performance, or a band writes and shares new music. Business development can be approached with the care and creativity of making art. This was a realization to me personally about why I enjoy working with Clown Spirit so much! 

• A new interview series idea was born: Barnaby visits clown teachers in their hometowns (or wherever they are), and they go to their favorite cafe or local-spot for a playful interview - inspired by Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee but with Clowns ! .

• We noticed that we often host others better than we host ourselves. We’re now planning to include a small moment of play or clowning at the start of every meeting we have (whether 30 seconds or 10 minutes) to stay rooted in the spirit of what we’re building.

In Conclusion: Trusting the Clown Spirit Process

We’re walking away from this strategy session feeling clear, connected, and creatively charged. We know that not everything we planned will happen; some things will, some won’t, and many new ideas will emerge along the way.

We’re inviting the spirit of experimentation. Learning from successes. Learning from failures. Staying open to surprise and magic.

We are grateful to all the members of the Clown Spirit Village and the wider Clown Spirit community and are committed to continue listening and applying our creativity towards building a thriving village.

If you’re not yet part of the Clown Spirit Village, now is a great time to join. The next three months are packed with incredible events (see list below)*, and because we’ve added so much value over the past year, we’ll be increasing our prices in September.

Joining now means you’ll lock in the current pricing and gain access to a rich archive of high-quality clowning events and community.

Learn More about Clown Spirit Village

As always, we would love to hear from you !

*Upcoming List of Workshops in the Clown Spirit Village

• Aug 9 - Dean Evans (Clown and the Cosmic Quest)

• Aug 11 - Tad Hargrave (Effective, Fun and Ethical Marketing)

• Aug 18 - Jeff Raz (Crafting a Clown Career)

• Aug 25 - Mark Gindick (Professional Clown Essentials)

• Sept 13 - Sabine Choucair (Humanitarian Clowning)

• Sept 15 - Scot Nery (Formula for Renown)

• Sept 22 - Karen Hall (Self-producing comedy)

• Oct 11 - Stefan Haves (The Power of Ha!)

• Oct 13 - Martin Ciesielski (The Magic of Money)

• Oct 20 - Lucy Hopkins (Creating Change through Clown)

• Oct 27 - Dan Rudolph (How to be an organized clown)

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Joining Clown Spirit Village will give you access to every single one of those classes in addition to a growing archive of clown learning and wisdom and a supportive clown community!