Search results

A legit point. Sometimes we evolve into different roles. No matter what, it always remains true that you can't please everybody. Even if you move on to a different market, you still have to keep focused on that and not waste your energy pursuing tangential markets and clients who in all...

Originally I was going to talk about building a website, but I decided instead to talk about something a little more important. Find Your Target Audience The problem I see all too often with magicians and other artists trying to make it as solo entrepreneurs is that they make no attempt...

I've never had that problem. Why do you run when you're not being chased? Anyway, why is it that sleight of hand purists never just lie? They're also aware of some rudimentary sleights. That's why I lie. Like, all the time.

And considering most of us who say that are actual mentalists, there might be something to it. I have one huge question: Why do you not have access to a mic stand at this?

Then maybe weekly isn't the way to go. Coming up with 12 contests a year is easier than coming up with 52 in the same time frame. Now can we please lock this? It's over and we've still got people who read the first post and then hope that if they post anyway they might still be able to win...

I just finished plowing through Mastery by Robert Greene this past week and it is true that too many people are looking to bypass the learning process and cut straight to the money, the fame and the groupies. Not necessarily in that order. I could go on a lengthy rant about the many, many...

Rather than break the video down as I normally would, I'm just going to link this.

Yeah, this "senior" magician is a pompous armchair magic never-was. Full-time? And he's only done a couple of shows? Somebody needs to put this smug know-it-all in his place. Mastery is achieved not solely through academia but from real world experience. If he never has this kid performing then...

Okay, primary problem identified. What we have here is a loose collection of stuff, but not the real fundamentals needed. The first thing you need to get is Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic. It's 20 bucks and has everything you need, including stage illusions. If there is a theater...

Optimistic? I would say I'm more just in a good mood. If the threadstarter wants to brag about his accomplishments in one year, then by all means let him describe them and enumerate that. The more they hasten to prove me right, the more time it saves.

I had no idea you could be so passive-aggressive. High five! On that note, it would be useful to know what this repertoire he bragged about actually included.

Okay, in order to give you good advice, I need to know 4 things. 1. What is your timetable? How much time do you have to prepare? 2. What do you already have? Don't tell me the single tricks, tell me what books and compilation DVDs you have. I need to know how good your fundamentals...

Exactly, I'm being more useful than you are. We're in agreement. If you're talking **** on Jon Stetson then we're going to have a problem. Are you seriously going to attempt to argue that I'm wrong about crowd control being more important than knowing a crap-load of tricks? Ooh, taking the...

And I didn't come here to have some random tell me what is and is not my business. But hey, here you are! Guess we can't get everything we want, huh? On that note, I don't see you rushing to answer the question either. At least my advice was useful. Is that a fact? You want to actually...

Oh, so upon the realization that you're mouthing off to a guy with at least 5 years of experience on you, now you want to have a civil conversation. Honestly, if you can't control a crowd, no amount of tricks is going to help you. Learn how to perform and get back to me when you actually...

Logical flaws or grammatical flaws? I don't like to harp on the latter because I don't want to accidentally insult a non-native speaker of English by assuming they're a kid who thinks that without an English teacher hovering over his shoulder he's free to type with his elbows. On the other...

Perhaps, but the how is far less important to me than the why. I keep telling people, your audience is asking themselves the same thing every time you do something: "What am I looking at, and why am I looking at it?"

On that note, I attended a Jon Stetson lecture in 2010 where he showed me the eight most powerful words a magician can ever say for the purpose of crowd control: "Come over here, you'll get a better view." Yes, it really is that obvious, and yes, it really does work.

Since you chose to open that can of worms, I've been performing for paying audiences and busking since 2007. I've done shows at a Harry Potter release party, Business Networking International, and Pittsburgh Comicon among others. Hell, the Comicon show took 6 months of rehearsal. See that...

The cold hard truth is that will never happen for most of them. Again, this is a form of theater, but there is a major critical difference between magicians/flourishers and actors. A magician, unless he starts performing constantly, never needs to break down his ego the way an actor does...