Knowledge - Help or Hindrance?

[OwnerM]

I have to agree with you guys.

The egos and hypocracy on the forums just amaze me. I don't mean to bash, I really don't but there's no "nice" way to put it.

I'm kind of in a unique position here. I am both an "old hat" and a noobie. Because even though I've been doing stage hypnosis which includes some Mentalism, for quite a few years (and yes, getting paid for it), when it comes to magic, I still consider myself a noob. I'm about at the 18 month mark for that.

Now I've performed quite a bit of magic since then, mixing it in with my hypnosis bit.

But my philosophy hasn't changed either way: I am no better than anyone else. My skills as a hypnotist may be better than a lot of people here, but that's only because I've practiced and studied. Anyone in world can do what I do. A lot of people can do it better than I can too. So everyone can teach me something, even the most noobiest of noobies. The idea here is to share interests with other who have it. To encourage them to become better artists and performers.

This isn't a competition. We are not a group of people who are better than others simply because we can juggle cards, or move a card from the middle of the deck to the top, or fool people into doing what you tell them to do. No matter the experience, no matter how much you practice, no matter how much you know, we are all just doing something others can do, with a little knowledge and a lot of practice. Some better, some not. But still everyone with an interest can find out how to do any of this stuff.

That's why I like the Artists and Board members of T11 or E, for that matter. They project that idea of "Hey, we are a part of this."

So I just don't get the hypocracy. I don't get the superiority complex. It bothers me a lot because it does nobody any good.

Sorry, this is a very long post just to say "I agree"..

 

[praetoritevong]

That's cool, thanks for the post - I agree with your I agree post

Actually, something you said reminded me of a point I've been wanting to make too.

Namely, this isn't a competition.

I'm young but I come from a performing background, an actor, in fact. I've worked on many productions over the years, and the one thing that took me many many years to realise is this: As an actor, you can make yourself look decent. However, only the other actors can make you look brilliant. And so it is between magicians and other magicians, between magicians and spectators, between advanced and beginning magicians. As you said, you can learn from the best and the worst, we're all in this together.

Acting is paradoxical because it builds up the ego in so many ways - but in performance, it relies so much on humility - subtle plays best, at least in front of a camera. The industry is a tight one, and I can tell you that the ones who are remembered in the industry and respected are the ones who are humble and kind and generous. There may be 100 people on set filming a film - and all of them are there for the purpose of making the actor look good.

The most important thing to realise from this is that in so many ways, we have to give way to others. To a great extent, it's others who make us look good, and who improve us. We look good - but only when we make it not about us, but about other people. This is true of performing, down to helping people here in the T11 forums.

It's not always about us, it's mostly not about us, and the more we make it so, thet more we play on our superiority, the further down we push ourselves.

After we are gone, whether we move on or simply finish a performance, it is the magic we create, supported by others, that lingers, that is remembered.

Peace

 

[FOO:L]

I havent had the same experiences as most of you guys writing here ,being laughed at when you were beginning and so on, because frankly, most of the people I've met over here in Singapore are extremenly friendly (cept that one time wayyy back when i think i pissed off a group of magicians/flourishers that may have been the virts, sorry dudes!)

But like praetoritevong said, this isnt a competition. We're all here on the forums to DISCUSS and HELP each other out.

(its surprising that there havent been any major ego/sarcastic posts here yet.)

 

[d34thg0d]

I haven't had such experiences too. Probably because I don't approach people for help. When I have difficulty in sleights or flourishes, I just keep watching/reading the dvd. If I ever approach someone for help and that guy/girl laughs at me, I'll beat the crap out of him/her.

There isn't any major ego/sarcastic posts yet here because people out there know they will get bashed up if they do post.

 

[The Prestidigitator]

I havent had the same experiences as most of you guys writing here ,being laughed at when you were beginning and so on, because frankly, most of the people I've met over here in Singapore are extremenly friendly.

Yeah me neither because I can execute my sleights perfectly, I make my audience laugh because im hilarious and I have red hair.Im not surprised that most of you

are Noobs, I could tell by the responses.

 

[FOO:L]

liars go to hell brianationX