Contrary to popular belief, going to clown school for college is an impressive feat—one that Jessica Aszkenasy can proudly say she’s accomplished. She not only went to clown college, she went through the rigorous Gaulier clown training program in Paris, France. When the aspiring clown ran into financial difficulties, she turned to an unconventional way to solve her problems. Aszkenasy is far from the first person to use OnlyFans to pay for expenses associated with schooling. Her unique approach to creating content, however, resulted in a creative rebellion that yielded an impressive piece of work that will be on display at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The clown school at the prestigious École Philippe Gaulier is a demanding program that asks much of its students. The 10-month program has a reputation for training in physical theatre and absurdist performance. While enrolled, Jessica Aszkenasy faced numerous hurdles. While many of those barriers were due to lack of access and visibility for underrepresented performers, many of the roadblocks in her way were financial in nature. Aszkenasy committed herself to addressing the inequities she faced in school in future creative works that she intended to undertake.

When Aszkenasy had to come up with a solution to her financial difficulties both during her time at Gaulier and after, she turned to OnlyFans to make ends meet. Unlike many young content creators, she didn’t treat her OnlyFans as a side hustle or sexy fundraiser. She made OnlyFans her full-time creative venture, committing herself to doing the creative work she wanted to do for whatever audience would show up for her online. Aszkenasy made an interesting choice that would lead to her page standing out in a crowd of content creators. Rather than trying to manufacture sex appeal that would draw in the masses, she rejected all of it. She eschewed all sense of glam, use of filters, and curated aesthetics that most content creators rely upon. She leaned towards a style that felt raw, real, and almost like the viewer had stumbled into a “dirty Instagram.” Her content had an air of authenticity that her subscribers clearly found refreshing.

Jessica Aszkenasy made roughly £2,000 in her first month on OnlyFans. Her subscribers did love the content she created for them, but Aszkenasy put in the hours to make sure that they had what they wanted to see. She’s been very open about the behind-the-scenes labor that goes into being a successful content creator. Content planning, emotional exposure, and the never-ending marketing that goes along with being a content creator on OnlyFans all take not insignificant amounts of time. OnlyFans has a reputation for being “easy money,” but the reality is that running a successful OnlyFans page requires the same amount of vigor as any serious artistic practice.

Aszkenasy has blended her experiences at Gaulier and on OnlyFans, and has created her Edinburgh Fringe solo show, TITCLOWN. The show is a brilliant, humorous, and defiant response to shame and expectations for women. This body-positive work is heavy with visual elements that help drive Aszkenasy’s point home. Red swimsuits, angel wings, and even some playful nudity all work together to challenge traditional beauty norms and celebrate imperfection. Jessica Aszkenasy is using her clown training as a tool for radical vulnerability—and joy.

While she veered away from the expected path, Jessica Aszkenasy’s creative trajectory is one that embodies agency and self-expression in a powerful way. Her work with TITCLOWN speaks to an ever-growing appetite for art that is honest and filter-free, regardless of whether the stage is in person or online. For aspiring artists like Aszkenasy, OnlyFans isn’t just a means to an end. It’s a powerful launchpad that can jumpstart their careers.