I think this is fantastic. I think this applies to ALL artists and I think I STILL have trouble remembering most of this stuff. Manifesto by Derek DelGaudio Find Mentors Get up right now, find magicians you admire and start asking them questions. Nothing can ever replace the experience of sitting across from someone you respect in your field. Seriously… Go. Don’t Be Lazy Despite what most magicians proclaim on their products, magic is incredibly difficult to do well. Practice, study, rehearse and perform at every opportunity. It will pay off. Embrace the Process The process of learning magic is as rewarding and as important as the end result. Explore, experiment and rehearse without expectations. You will find it opens doors you didn’t know existed. Forget About New “New” and “original” are not the qualities that define a great magician. Focus on technique, performance, theory, construction, history, scripting and effective communication. New and original will come as a product of your efforts to become a great magician. Stop Buying Shit You have enough tricks already. Go practice and perform at every opportunity. That’s it. Select a “Brain Trust” Find very talented folks and spend as much time with them as possible. Allow their creativity, knowledge, vision and points of view to help to shape you. Let them be a sounding board for all your ideas. If you choose wisely, your friends will be far and away your greatest resource. Laugh Laugh. Laugh as often as possible, both on and off stage. If you are not having fun and enjoying what you are doing, in general, it’s not for you. Stay Up Late Nighttime breeds creativity. Late night sleepy sessions can lead to irrational thoughts, which, in turn, can lead to great ideas and revelations. Look Down We stand on the shoulders of giants. Too many magicians forget the magicians that came before us, and their contributions to magic. If you are doing a trick, you should know who the hell invented it. Slow Down and Enjoy the Ride Great magic comes with time. No amount of effort can replace the experience that comes with time. Being in a rush to get a trick published, win a competition or have your own one-man show has nothing to do with becoming a great magician. Please Leave Your Shoes and Ego at The Door Set your ego aside and focus on the work. If your goal is to improve, create and perform magic, you will realize that not everything you do is great, not every show you have is stellar, not every choice you make is right and that is okay. The moment everything you do is perfect is the moment you become a douchebag. Read a F**king Book! Next to older and wiser magicians, books are the most valuable resource for information. Don’t give that “I’m a visual learner” bullshit excuse either. Videos are not a substitute for learning magic from a book. Not everything needs to be learned from books, nor should it. However, there is no replacement for the process of learning from the written word. If you love magic, you’ll pick up a book and read it. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a magic book. Learn Magic From a Cookbook Learn to see magic in everything. Take up other interests that expand your mind and challenge you. Learn about music, art, sports, mathematics, poetry, history, philosophy, technology, movies, theater, or anything you find interesting. Learning about anything other than magic will only help you become a more interesting magician. Explore All The Rooms Eugene Burger says, “There are many rooms in the house of magic.” Explore all the different rooms to see what you might find. Sometimes you will find hidden treasures where you least expect… even in the illusion room. Learn to Perform Being a magician does not make you a performer. Performing is an essential part of being a magician. However, more often than not, magicians focus on the technical aspects of magic and neglect to properly train, develop and rehearse their craft as a performer. Seriously invest time in developing your acting abilities, speech and movement. The more skillful, confidant and natural you are as a performer, the more believable you are as a magician. Perform Live Magic, like theater, comedy, opera, rock & roll and art, can only be fully experience live and in person. If you do not perform magic for other human beings in person, neither you nor your audience are truly experiencing magic. Be Fearless Put yourself in positions to make mistakes. Accidents and errors are bound to happen, so, embrace, learn and grow from them. Go out and try everything. If you are comfortable, you are standing still. The more risks you take in your work, the greater the reward in your craft. Be Present The ability to be present on and off stage is arguably the most important quality a magician can possess. Being present as a student allows you to learn at an accelerated pace. As a performer, being present on stage can lead to transcendent moments. Be You The may sound cliché, but it’s true. Magic does not make you cool, trendy, funny, charming or interesting. Magic is inherently interesting and people enjoy seeing it done well. However, this can be a trap for many magicians. Let your experience and real personality dictate who you are as a magician. Make it a Choice Understanding that everything you do sends a message to your audience. Your effects, attire, gestures, words, attitude, props, hygiene, lighting, circumstances, time of performances and venue all communicate something to your audience about you. Try to make whatever you are doing, good or bad, a conscious choice. Good Shows Teach You Less Having a great performance can be wonderful, but so can a bad performance. If you have a bad experience on stage, simply evaluate it, recognize the errors and learn from them. Juan Tamariz says his favorite shows are the ones where three thing go wrong. He is happy because that means that he learned three new things, and any day you learn three new things is “a very good day!” Find Your Voice If you consider magic to be a form of art, let us evaluate the following logic problem: All art is a form of self-expression. If you have nothing to say, why should people listen to you? If you have something to say, but are not saying it, you cannot call yourself an artist. Make Yourself Uncomfortable In every show you do, try to include at least one moment that makes you uncomfortable and nervous. This will ensure that you are truly present for at least one moment in your show. Cure Laughing Ears Many magicians and comedians have a condition that Mac King calls “laughing ears.” This term describes when a performer does a set that is met with little to no laughter, and he gets off stage and says, “Did you hear? I killed ‘em.” The result of this condition is the performer experiences death on stage multiple times, yet is unable to recognize it. The only cure for laughing ears is to acknowledge when you are shitty and grow from your experiences. Good News! Juan Tamariz, Mac King, Michael Weber, David Williamson, Chris Kenner, Max Maven, Ricky Jay, Mike Caveney, Derren Brown, Rene Lavand, Dai Vernon, Al Goshman, Del Ray, Tom Mullica, Eric Mead, Johnny Thompson, Lennart Green, Robert-Houdin and Hofzinser were all shitty magicians at one time. Sometimes it’s just nice to be reminded of that. Magic takes time, dedication, practice and countless hours of mistakes and bad magic to become great. Just ask the guys above (the living ones at least).
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 18:20:03 +0000
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