On this particular example; my very simple routine with a lotta bowl is very involved. I use a Native American theme and literally cast a circle in the traditional way, using a pipe to send prayers to the 4 directions, smudge the whole gambit that would be involved with a spiritual ceremony in which a shaman would be seeking counsel from the Great Spirit & Ancestors . . . Bear in mind, the only effect I'm doing is a Lotta Pot . . . a simple ceramic pot used to carry water. The story line centers on a drought and what a particular shaman did in order to help bring hope and change (the original routine was written by Mary Tolmich). . . my point being, the actual effect is very elementary but with the framework created around it -- the ceremony -- it becomes a thing of wonder and enchantment -- a "Miracle" -- in the minds of the beholder.
The "catch" to this approach is that you can't get overly wordy and try to project yourself as some sort of great Orator or Bard. Trust me, you're not! I'm saying this strictly due to the fact that too many people in this business go too far the other way when it comes to presentation; even my Lotta routine noted above, is pushing the proverbial envelope of being "too much". But, it's right at that thin line between too much and not enough. . . my secondary goal after all, is to educate people when it comes to what shaman do and how they go about their work; my terceira agenda being to paint myself as being "the real deal", which entails a lot more than performance. . .
Background is a key factor and how believable that foundation is. I always encourage people to tell the truth about their lineage and pedigree. Trust me, you have far more novel "bullet points" in your life that will sustain the idea around your claims than you may presently believe. For me there is a known family connection to things spiritualistic and religious (hoodoo or Mountain Magick) as well as direct occult ties and ties to the macabre via two particular cousins, one being a writer of some note named Edgar Allan Poe and the other a film director named Tod Browning. But such ties go beyond the surface level of family memory, entailing some serious genealogical digging. My father made such an issue, tracing our family lines back 5 generations or more. But look at the history of your home town, I promise you'll find tons of applicable material that will lend itself well to your personal legacy. Look at your own life and things you've studied and been involved with; I've been writing and contributing to Pagan & New Age publications off and on for nearly 35 years. These are the people I tend to hang around, study and party with (hence, my ties to Ren Faires).
Find the factual connections & influences and allow them to become a supporting aspect of your backstory but don't lie about or exaggerate things; you want to retain your personal integrity for those situations in which some pain in the hinny magician starts investigating you in the hope of proving you a fraud. . . and they will, as will others. The thing is, you have only one major illusion to maintain once you start down this path -- who & what you are! You can't let the naysayers shake you. . . I've even had friends attack me with deliberately public onslaughts so we could share some press time. . . that includes ministers that I've coaxed into a fever so they can generate curiosity within the ranks of their younger minds, the very curiosity every good cult-maker depends on. ;-)
The Urban~Shaman path IS NOT for everyone; it is tough and not intended for glory seekers, which is to say that you must remain humble and function more as a magickal creature vs. a magick maker or performer. This is a path that involves lots of hard and very invasive personal work -- contemplation, concentration and study, in that there is a legitimate demand for belief/faith -- how can you create magick if you don't believe in it?
Think about it.