This time of year is always a challenge for me – balancing what needs to be done versus what I want to get done in the amount of time that’s available. This is a job, 24/7. I think anytime you’re self-employed, it’s consuming on so many levels. And, during this time of the year, it’s very easy to loose perspective on what (or more appropriately, who) is most important in my life. There are so many projects that must be done in order to keep the business moving forward. At the same time, it’s vital that personal relationships be given the attention they deserve in order to have them grow and flourish. It is a tough balancing act! I’m not always as good as it as I would like to be…
Sometimes it’s exhausting trying to stay one step ahead of the game. We are constantly striving to put our absolute best forward for our clients and, at the same time, demonstrate clearly to them how and why we are different from other performers in the marketplace. Magicians, in general, have a tendency to be “less creative” than some other genres of the arts. It’s easy to look at what a successful magician is doing and just copy it – designs, tricks, staging, concepts, ideas, illusions, methods, etc. I’ve never really understood that way of thinking but it happens all the time. And when it does happens, everyone suffers. We all lose our individuality, our uniqueness, our appeal, and our competitiveness. Perhaps that’s what some of them are looking for – to “level” the playing field because, somehow, they feel like they “deserve” to be here. Funny thing about life – it’s never a level playing field, no matter how hard we try to make it that way.
The famous magician and inventor of the early 1900’s, Guy Jarrett, once said “A bum fiddler in no way hurts music, but ‘drugstore magicians,’ making a bum out of magic, have killed magic.” His definition of a “drugstore magician” perfectly describes a lot of performers these days. Magicians who have not taken the time to develop stage presence, hone their acting skills, or studied the psychology of an audience. They are simply people who have purchased some magic tricks and then hit the stage – without regard for their presentation or their impact on the audience. It’s disturbing in so many ways, and yet, audiences will often watch (or endure) mediocrity in magic…because magicians rarely give them anything more than that.
We have really been working to provide our audience with an amazing, unique, theatrical spectacle for this upcoming tour. It’s been a long process but definitely worth it. The new show is filled with original illusions from some of the most creative minds in magic – and we’ve combined them with some of the most beautiful elements of theatre. I never want to be accused of being “mediocre” in the presentation of our art. I want the show to be “theatre in the truest sense of the word.” And I never want to be accused of being a modern-day “drugstore magician.”