I do amateur improv comedy; doing it with people who have done clowning, it just feels like they're on another level. "Baboon in makeup" is the first-order obvious thing to say, but there's so much skill in a good clown-actor. I've been toying with doing a clowning course for a while just because I'm in awe at what these people can do during improv.

From the article, "The body tells the story.", "Have an emotional reaction and invite the audience to join in your experience.", "A clown is costume and makeup. Clowning is a verb." - these all capture some of what it is. The ability to wholeheartedly commit to a bit with absolutely none of your personal baggage coming along for the ride, to use your body expressively to cause the audience to feel something, to be a perfectly smooth lump of clay that's immediately formed into exactly what the scene requires; it's an astonishing superpower that right now I can only dream of having.