Recorrecting my course 35 years later…
In the Olden Days…
I dropped out of school after the 8th grade to perform full time. Graduated from Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Clown College when I was 17. Performed magic and related arts in Alaska until my early 20s when I burned out because I didn’t know enough about the marketing part of show business.
Then I discovered computers and that kept me enthralled for almost 30 years. But I always has a couple boxes of magic books and props that I carted along wherever I moved.
In the last few years I’ve dived back into the mystery arts, focusing mainly on mentalism, but doing it in my spare time while the day job (computers, of course) pays the bills.
What is THIS place all about?
I’ve always been a “creator” type person, which is probably why programing sucked me in so hard — you can start with nothing, throw some ideas in (and a ton of time), and you have a fun game to play, or a cool app that makes you more efficient.
And back here in the magic world, I’m not content to just “buy a trick and perform it.” I want to create them from the ground up, or even just change the presentation on an existing effect — a presentation that fits me better.
So I want a place where I can present my ideas and others can use them if they fit, tweak them if they don’t, or just use those ideas to spark ideas of their own.
What I’m Really Aiming For
I don’t want this to be all me. I’m hoping to attract others who are willing to share their ideas on presentations, methods, and such. Other people who find creating magic the thing that gets them up in the morning (maybe even more than actually performing).
A whole community of mystery creators would be awesome. A place where we can brainstorm ideas, get feedback on the effects we’re working on, and even collaborate on creating things that need input from different sources.
But For Now…
Until I find those people, those creators, I’ll be posting my ideas and articles about creating and performing effects. I’m shooting for a “full” article once a week and maybe some smaller tid-bits in between those.
When I get others involved and we have more information to be shared, that schedule should change.
Your Next Move
If you’re interested in creating your own magic or mentalism effects, I hope you subscribe — you’ll get some great ideas that will help with your own creation efforts. And if you’re already a mystery creator and like the idea of helping others (while helping yourself), please subscribe and then contact me to let me know how you’d like to participate.
