Meet Nathaniel Allenby

Share This Article

Sed ut perspiciatis unde.

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nathaniel Allenby. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nathaniel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

My best friend pulled me out of a very deep depression in 2005, by offering me a one-way plane ticket to Europe and a bicycle when we got there if I would simply ride around with him wherever he wanted to go. He was mindful and aware of my decline in happiness and mental health when I dropped out of college earlier that year, turning to playing video games professionally. He saw my eyesight and physical health deteriorate, and out of care and concern, he completely changed my life. We traveled together for over seven months and seventy-five hundred miles the next year alone, continuing off and on over six years, across ten countries, thirty states, cycling over twenty-eight thousand miles. I met amazing people, saw beautiful places, and had incredibly life-changing experiences during this truly transformative period of my life. His benevolent and kind offer ended up teaching me so much about myself, the world around me, and what I could do to make it a better place. He also taught me so many things as we cycled around, including how to juggle, setting me on my career path. I’m eternally grateful to this incredible man for altering my life path, helping put me where I am today.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a professional entrepreneur, circus entertainer, and visual artist. I run two companies: Cirque Quirk and Allenby Art. I am also writing a book about my adventures on a bicycle, as well as pursuing a career in psychotherapy. I consistently perform around San Diego at public schools and libraries, convention center events, Gaslamp district night clubs, and corporate & private events. I also travel for work to Orange County, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Portland and the rest of the world. I am an independent contractor for around two dozen entertainment agencies and have performed for Harley Davidson, the US Military, the New York State Fair, the Orange County fair, the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), the Playboy Mansion, the International Beauty show, Cirque du Soleil and Disneyland.

Cirque Quirk is a Circus! Entertainment is our business, we are a talent agency and production company, specializing in performance art. We have a roster of over 150 highly skilled contractors, and I’ve been running the company alone for the past decade. Based out of San Diego, we get inquiries for shows in the Southwest United States primarily. I started the business because I wanted to bring positive, motivational, and inspirational messages to audiences worldwide; my aim is to uplift people’s belief in themselves by telling them of my humble beginnings and how I got to where I am through hard work, persistence, dedication and discipline. At first, I simply wanted to juggle more and get gigs to do so, but it has truly expanded; currently we have 29 different stage productions available for hire and I’m working on creating what I consider to be my magnum opus!

Circus arts are somewhat niche in the realm of entertainment, and it fills the need that people have to bring high-quality entertainment to public or private events. While we are certainly a luxury service, there is a longstanding tradition of the traveling circus that has fizzled and faded in recent decades, so we fulfill people’s wishes to see something awe-inspiring, wonderful and beautiful, out of the comfort of their back yard or community park. We heavily discount our services for people below the poverty line. I truly love seeing children light up with excitement and glee in response to our performances, it fills me up when they approach me after my shows and exclaim that they want to be in the circus. I also am uplifted by educating and training kids in the circus arts through private lessons or after-school programs; it’s incredible when I can quickly teach a young person what I know, and I see the drive and enthusiasm in their eyes and smile. Seeing kids feel empowered and enlivened by learning a new skill and finding a hobby that they love is one of the things that makes this job truly worth it.

I started AllenbyArt to sell my artwork and photography, the goal being to share my love of the natural world and inspire others to preserve it and be stewards of our environment. I love photography and traveling to unique and off the beaten path locations to capture incredible panoramic landscapes with unspoiled beauty. I also draw with a variety of mediums but primarily colored pencil and paint mostly with acrylics. My dream is to have my own show or gallery to invite people to contemplate how gorgeous nature is, and how important it is to conserve and protect.

As my life and work continues to evolve, I began writing my book about the unbelievable bicycle adventures in my twenties. My goal is to self-publish before 2024 and dream of being on the best-sellers list and having my story made into a movie. I know that this story can inspire and uplift people to live their best lives, and I want to encourage everyone, everywhere to follow their dreams and do what they are passionate about and love. We can fail doing something that we don’t love, so we might as well take a chance doing what we love!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My current goal is to be able to buy land with a fresh water spring, alongside an old growth forest in a place where I can raise my children peacefully as well as create my art, write, and help heal others for the rest of my life. I want to live as self-sustainably as possible, growing my own food in a permaculture fashion and living in harmony with nature. I dream of providing a place for others to heal childhood traumas or past wounds, utilizing a connection with our planet as a part of the process. I currently live in a small home, and dream of having an art studio to create within, and a sanctuary to administer psychotherapy from. I truly believe that a part of my life path is to help others, and be of service to the world. This drives my current hard work towards growth and motivates me to do my best, in all I do.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2017 I ruptured my Achilles tendon, as a side effect of an antibiotic, Ciprofloxacin, I had taken. After ten months of being in a boot and in crutches, I had to learn how to walk all over again, and then relearn how to stilt walk. It took two and a half years of physical therapy to undue the overcompensation in my body; one leg and foot are longer and bigger than the other. I also was simultaneously going through a divorce from my first marriage which was immensely difficult and heartbreaking. I like to joke, that as soon as I could walk, I walked out on her! There were times going through all of this I was incredibly depressed, downtrodden and hopeless; I contemplated quitting my circus career entirely and didn’t know what to do with myself. The road to recovery and revitalization was an incredibly difficult one, that has made me stronger, more resilient, wiser, and more knowledgeable about what I’m capable of.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Stephen Cammell, Marina Masterpiece

Suggest a Story: CanvasRebel is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Meet Nathaniel Allenby

Meet Nathaniel Allenby

Share This Article

Newsletter

Nathaniel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Leave a comment Cancel reply