I've noticed something among many members on here. Something that I wish I had gotten a warning about at a young age. And so I want to share it with you so that it doesn't catch you off guard as much as it did me.
When I was much younger than I am now, not to say I am old, I wanted to be a performer. An artist. I wanted to live the big dream of seeing my name in lights. Walking a red carpet. Sneaking a glance past the curtain to see a theater filled standing room only of people just waiting to see me. I would practice for years; piano, guitar, magic, acting... I wanted this dream to become a reality. And in reality, it was a beautiful dream. It is a beautiful dream. But this dream came with a price. This price, was waking up.
This price came around the end of high school. I was always practicing. studying. reading. visiting forums. buying product. Sound familiar yet? But one thing was lacking. I started falling away from school. From family. From friends. I created a false illusion of my dream. I began to fail in school. Lost motivation for anything outside of my passions, which slowly morphed into a loss of motivation in my passions. Graduating High School was looking like a mission I just couldn't complete. Luckily I managed to gather enough passing credits (with flying colors) to graduate. But I was not prepared for the next step in my life. I was not ready for college. Nor was I ready for a career as an artist. Was I good? I think so. Others think so. But outside the talent built in my bedroom and the occasional recital. I did not have what it takes to become an artist.
I didn't get to join my friends at college. I ended up making a critical decision in my life that I never dreamed of making. It wasn't me. I was going to be an entertainer! I was going to show the world what it meant to entertain. That's not what happened. I discovered the reality to putting all of your eggs in a basket.
Not all dreams come with pixie dust and rainbows. I stayed behind while the rest of my family took off to live in Germany. I slept on friends couches and basements trying to figure out what to do with the next step of my life. I woke up every morning at 4am to go to the temporary labor agency to stand in line with 20 other people with no direction and hopefully get work. And this wasn't work you can be proud of doing. I did things no kid should ever have to do. I did evictions. cleaned port o potties. carried cement buckets until the boss decided it was time to end the day. Put up circus tents. All this to make enough money to afford gas and insurance to keep my car running. There eventually came a time when I could not afford insurance and had to drive illegally for a short bit until I could make the next payment. Praying that I would get things figured out soon.
Then it happened. My girlfriend and I were on the way back to her school 3 hours away after a wedding. Everything was going well. Had some car issues the day before, thought nothing of it this day. While on the interstate there was a loud rattle and boom then the front wheel came off. We slid at 70 miles an hour. We luckily made it to the side. This was it. I was stuck. Not just on the side of the road. Luckily we both came out without scratches. The car didn't make it.
That's the week I walked into the Army's office and asked them what I need to do to sign up. I met an amazing group of men there that worked night and day to get me in. And I am putting down my cards and props and entering basic training in April to have a chance at a good life. At college. and at a career doing what I love, performing.
I come from a great family. We're not billionaires, but we're not poor. This is just what happens sometimes when you put all your eggs in one basket and put the other important things in life to the side. I want you all to work for this beautiful dream you have. But realize that to truly get there, it won't come to you on a silver platter. Work hard. Go to school. Do well at school. Make great friends. Spend time with you family. Save some money. Enjoy life. I'm not trying to be a preacher. There's more to life than your art. You need these other life experiences to build the emotion necessary to go from talented to Artist. I just don't want to see anyone fall the way I have. Magic is a wonderful art. Give it a respectable chance at becoming what you dream of it becoming.
When I was much younger than I am now, not to say I am old, I wanted to be a performer. An artist. I wanted to live the big dream of seeing my name in lights. Walking a red carpet. Sneaking a glance past the curtain to see a theater filled standing room only of people just waiting to see me. I would practice for years; piano, guitar, magic, acting... I wanted this dream to become a reality. And in reality, it was a beautiful dream. It is a beautiful dream. But this dream came with a price. This price, was waking up.
This price came around the end of high school. I was always practicing. studying. reading. visiting forums. buying product. Sound familiar yet? But one thing was lacking. I started falling away from school. From family. From friends. I created a false illusion of my dream. I began to fail in school. Lost motivation for anything outside of my passions, which slowly morphed into a loss of motivation in my passions. Graduating High School was looking like a mission I just couldn't complete. Luckily I managed to gather enough passing credits (with flying colors) to graduate. But I was not prepared for the next step in my life. I was not ready for college. Nor was I ready for a career as an artist. Was I good? I think so. Others think so. But outside the talent built in my bedroom and the occasional recital. I did not have what it takes to become an artist.
I didn't get to join my friends at college. I ended up making a critical decision in my life that I never dreamed of making. It wasn't me. I was going to be an entertainer! I was going to show the world what it meant to entertain. That's not what happened. I discovered the reality to putting all of your eggs in a basket.
Not all dreams come with pixie dust and rainbows. I stayed behind while the rest of my family took off to live in Germany. I slept on friends couches and basements trying to figure out what to do with the next step of my life. I woke up every morning at 4am to go to the temporary labor agency to stand in line with 20 other people with no direction and hopefully get work. And this wasn't work you can be proud of doing. I did things no kid should ever have to do. I did evictions. cleaned port o potties. carried cement buckets until the boss decided it was time to end the day. Put up circus tents. All this to make enough money to afford gas and insurance to keep my car running. There eventually came a time when I could not afford insurance and had to drive illegally for a short bit until I could make the next payment. Praying that I would get things figured out soon.
Then it happened. My girlfriend and I were on the way back to her school 3 hours away after a wedding. Everything was going well. Had some car issues the day before, thought nothing of it this day. While on the interstate there was a loud rattle and boom then the front wheel came off. We slid at 70 miles an hour. We luckily made it to the side. This was it. I was stuck. Not just on the side of the road. Luckily we both came out without scratches. The car didn't make it.
That's the week I walked into the Army's office and asked them what I need to do to sign up. I met an amazing group of men there that worked night and day to get me in. And I am putting down my cards and props and entering basic training in April to have a chance at a good life. At college. and at a career doing what I love, performing.
I come from a great family. We're not billionaires, but we're not poor. This is just what happens sometimes when you put all your eggs in one basket and put the other important things in life to the side. I want you all to work for this beautiful dream you have. But realize that to truly get there, it won't come to you on a silver platter. Work hard. Go to school. Do well at school. Make great friends. Spend time with you family. Save some money. Enjoy life. I'm not trying to be a preacher. There's more to life than your art. You need these other life experiences to build the emotion necessary to go from talented to Artist. I just don't want to see anyone fall the way I have. Magic is a wonderful art. Give it a respectable chance at becoming what you dream of it becoming.