Thursday, February 17, 2011

ART, CRAFT, AND ORIGINALITY OF A STREET MAGICIAN













JIMMY TALKSALOT
street magician








alot of people unfamiliar with street magic,

Who see a good street magician always ask,

"where did they learn that show or where did they get those quality props?"

"where did they come up with that way of doing that trick or where did they get that character?"

welp, they made them.

you see along with being an art and business, this is a craft.

if you can't make your own show,

you may not belong in this business, unless maybe, you can pay some one to make you a unique original show for you.

but even then you should ask yourself, "if i'm not creative enough to make my own show, why am i getting into the creative business?"

granted maybe your charismatic enough to entertain people from a tellemarketing script,

but,

if your not creative enough to create your own routines, lines, bits, and shows, you may just be a common salesman, who by the way can be very entertaining,

but of course for a different motive and venue.

and if you are a common saleman, i assure you there is much more money in tax annuities than busking.....go there, because that should be the motive of a salesman.

you see, the motive of a magician is to be a magician and to live that life.

you see, a magician makes his living by doing magic, not by any other product that will make him more money.

if you can't make your own props, it maybe because your not a creative person....and what makes you think you should be in a business that is intrinsically creative?

the reason we make our own props, is because one size doesn't fit all characters, physiques, and comfort zones.

heck, most of the props we need are not made because we maybe the only person doing that trick.

if you want to be a proffessional magician, you should do a lot of soul searching and strict self criticism to see if you really are this thing.

because i wouldn't wish this on my own worst enemy.

we are born this way, more than we are made.


if you weren't born to be a magician, my gad please look into what you were born to be.

it will save you years of up hill battle.

many amatuer magicians are always looking for that newest one big trick that will make their career.

the place to look for this trick is in research, stage time and in your own imagination.

now, i know that there are a lot of tricks, props, and other products on the market that promise you fame and fortune......

wake up!!!!!

these are made by creative people for uncreative people, just as a magic show is created for people who can't do magic.

these products are wonderful to use as research and a thing to get the creative juices flowing, or as another color on the palet.

please don't get me wrong products are great!

but what you do with them and how you make a new tool from the original idea is what is most important.

and i assure the reader it will be the self made, or proffessionally written, original presentation, of a very unique effect that will make you successful.

this of course is extremely difficult and not many of us, myself included, have achieved this to perfection, as many of the great legends have, but this is the work.

the real work.

in my book i try and teach this.

i go in length how to create a show and props.
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i don't want anyone to get the wrong idea and think i am full of myself and think that i am the most creative person, blah blah blah.

infact i am not saying this at all.


it should be noted i believe of course, that everyone is creative, to some degree, and with their own thing.

i fancy myself a good cook, but i simply wasn't born to be a proffessional chef.

i am not driven for that, hence my creativy wont excell in cooking, as much as some one driven to do it.

lord knows i love to eat good cooking and try my hand at it some times.

but that's a big difference from thinking i am a master chef and i will take on the world with it.....

also i am well aware that there are many more creative people than me in busking,

certainly many of my students and all of my teachers are,

but i'm the best at doing my show, because it's mine.

this is about being honest with yourself and knowing your limitations.

this is about not pretending to be something that your not.

this is about keeping up the quality of our society as magicians, by being where we are needed most.

your pal jimmy