Edge of the World

[Anthony Bass]

Hey, everybody. I’ve received a lot of messages/emails on what I perceive as “passion”, and I decided I’d share my insight here.

A lot of magicians today don’t know what others mean by “having a passion for magic”, and I must admit, neither did I at first. It was until I started reading books on magicians that I realized what “passion” really meant. A lot of magicians think passion is loving to do something, like magic for example. That’s only a fraction of what “passion” really means. To me, passion means a DEEP love for something. I mean DEEP. When I ask people if they’re passionate about magic, the majority say something along these lines: “Oh, I’m very passionate about magic. I enjoy performing, I love the look on people’s face, and I love making people happy.” That’s not passion. That’s enjoyment. Passion for something not only means you love how others feel when you do it, but how YOU feel. Think of it this way. When you feel passionate about a person, maybe a girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife, you love them more than anything in the world. But then there are the times when you just enjoy being with them. There’s the difference in passion and enjoyment. If you feel passionate about something/someone, you will be ready and willing to sacrifice damn near EVERYTHING to keep that thing/person with you. If you have a passion for magic, you will be ready and willing to sacrifice DAMN NEAR EVERYTHING to keep going with it. Not as a hobby, as a career. As a way of life. As a passion. Having a passion for something is not only enjoying it, but falling in love with it. I’ve fallen in love with magic. I’m not talking about obsession, where I would go out and buy millions of effects because I want to know everything I can. I’m talking about LOVE. For about two or three years now, magic has been my top priority. My top concern. I LOVE performing magic. Lately, I’ve been performing for myself. Sure, I’ve been performing for people’s enjoyment, but mostly, I perform for myself. A lot of magician’s like to be a little cliché and say “I try to get my magic at an emotional level with my spectator.” That’s great, but don’t you think you should get it at an emotional level with yourself as well?

Just a few thoughts on the subject.

Anthony Bass

 

[Tally]

dude man...while i was reading this....man it meant alot to me. you are my favorite non-staff person on theory 11. you have the same mindset as me,no homo. I love performing. I love the reactions my audience gets. I love how it feels when i accomplish a flourish or make an impact of the expression of my audience. I spending hours and hours looking at videos, reading book on magic, practicing sleights and trying to be natural with the audience. I love EVERY SINGLE THING ABOUT MAGIC! Even thought i hate it when i get fusterated because i cant seem to get a flourish about hours of practice on it....I love it for letting me know how my failure reminds me of how much I LOVE MAGIC.

 

[Close-Up Expert]

This is where I get to a certain point, and just say my thoughts, regardless of anyone's opinion.

I'm not THAT passionate about magic. Really, I'm not. I enjoy performing, and I'm damn good at it, but it's not my top priority. I have many things that are higher up on the totem pole than magic.

Also, I do magic for myself, and so does everyone else out there. The people that say they "do it for the spectators" are full of ****. If they did it for others, they wouldn't be trying to make a quick buck. Also, they wouldn't be complaining about every time they get a bad reaction. But you know, that's okay too. There's nothing wrong being selfish, when others enjoy you being selfish to lol. It's good to have a hobby for yourself, such as magic. But please, don't kid me and say you're doing it for the spectators.

Rant over.
-Steve

 

[Delta]

you have the same mindset as me,no homo.

Was the no homo part really nessicary?

Honestly?

 

[Anthony Bass]

This is where I get to a certain point, and just say my thoughts, regardless of anyone's opinion.

I'm not THAT passionate about magic. Really, I'm not. I enjoy performing, and I'm damn good at it, but it's not my top priority. I have many things that are higher up on the totem pole than magic.

Also, I do magic for myself, and so does everyone else out there. The people that say they "do it for the spectators" are full of ****. If they did it for others, they wouldn't be trying to make a quick buck. Also, they wouldn't be complaining about every time they get a bad reaction. But you know, that's okay too. There's nothing wrong being selfish, when others enjoy you being selfish to lol. It's good to have a hobby for yourself, such as magic. But please, don't kid me and say you're doing it for the spectators.

Rant over.
-Steve

Exactly. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with not really having a passion for magic, but I am tired of magicians saying they have a passion for magic, when they really don't have any idea what passion really means, which is why I started this thread.

And you're correct. I don't know any magicians who REALLY perform solely for the spectator.

Anthony Bass