It is nice to see traditions that are passed down from father to son. There is just something special about a family skill that is passed on from one generation to the next. It is wonderful when you see people sharing their talent because they love what they do. There is a sense of pride and professionalism. In any case, the real winner is the customer.
If you love magic, it may not necessarily be part of your family tradition. In that case, you will probably need to find mentor outside your family. Chose well, there are a lot of great magicians in this world. If you are lucky, perhaps there is a magic shop near you where you can get personal instruction and tutoring on a regular basis.
We are very fortunate to live in a world full of gadgets, multimedia, Internet...DVDs and the like. It is easier than ever before to get information on any subject you are interested in.
There are so many great teachers and performers out there. However, my suggestion for anyone who is starting out, is to do lots of research. Buy lots of illusions. Learn as much as you can to figure out what kind of magician you want to be. By that I mean...there are many kinds of magic. Take two examples, stage magic compared to street magic.
Stage magic is a nice venue...street magic is also beautiful in the right hands. However, if you are born to be a street performer, you shouldn't invest most of your time trying to work on stage. On the other hand, if you were made for the stage... it wouldn't necessarily kill you to do street magic, but you should really place your focus on on the stage where you belong.
One of the best places to learn magic is on the Internet. There are many places where you can learn magic for absolutely free. I have mixed feelings about that. You tube has an innumerable amount of surprisingly and impressive tutorials on magic and illusions.
Some of the "best stuff " is still the stuff you have to pay for the traditional way. To me, when you have to pay for something, you have more respect for it. You are not in a hurry to give away the secret because you spent your hard earned money on that illusion. You will realize what I am talking about when you are performing an illusion you really love in front of a group of people...they are awestruck..then out of nowhere some wiseguy blurts out, "Oh yeah, you used a thumb tip, I saw it on you tube."
There are so many great, professional magicians who teach on DVD, or sell illusion products that will make you a better performer. Sure everybody knows the names Criss Angel, David Copperfield, and David Blaine. However, if you yourself are becoming a magician, you need to do some research and learn some of the other names behind magic...and there are MANY...too many to mention.
I will name just a few. This is by no means a complete list...not even close. This list is just to wet your appetite and point you in the right direction. You will discover your own list of favorite people to learn from as time goes by. Michale Ammar, John Cornelius, Jay Sankey, Daryl, Michael Skinner
There is also a wonderful training course for free on you tube. If you want to get out there and be a real magician, if you want to learn how to do paid performances, If you want some great research material to start you off in the right direction. This course is for you.
However, it's not just for beginners. Even if you have been performing for a while, and just want some ideas to help polish up your act , you will find this information helpful. Perhaps you need help figuring out how much to charge your clients or how to negotiate for more money...or even how to get gigs lined up ... you will also find this course useful.
The link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNVc_CLtJyc There are at least 26 lessons in this course. Each one is only a few minuets long. You can watch them all in one sitting, or you can watch a couple at a time it's up to you. When you download the link, the title should read "Lesson 1: Magic is a 24 Hour Job - Brian Campbell. Enjoy.
Last of all, I will tell you the same thing I always tell every magician that I coach...after you've been in magic for a while...you really have to invent your own stuff. That's just my personal opinion, but I think it's a legitimate point.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Creepy Dream Guy
It is often said that sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction. Such is the case with the person I call "The Creepy Dream Guy". His story is a strange one indeed. He is known as "This Man". Basically, This Man...if he exists, has found a way to inter a sleeping persons dreams.
As I understand it, someone can be asleep and This Man just shows up unannounced. Once he shows up, a number of things can happen. He may just sit there like a bump on a log and stare at you unnervingly. He may give you a sense of comfort by smiling at you. You may be trapped inside a strange place and he will lead you out.
Other times, he will do something that frightens people. The same smile used to comfort some people, can scare other people. Sometimes, he will do incredibly weird things...like turn his head into a balloon. Yes, I know, it sounds crazy, but I am not making this stuff up. Some people say This Man has been showing up regularly in their dreams since they were a child.
What does he look like? Well I will draw him for you and upload a video of the drawing to this post. If I had to describe him, I would have to say he looks like a middle aged guy. Maybe medium build, perhaps a little chubby. Thinning hair on the top. Unusually big eyes that seem to say he knows something you don't.
There is even a web site dedicated to This Man: http://www.thisman.org/ Lots of people have dreamed of This Man. As the story goes... In January 2006 a well known psychiatrist in New York was treating a patient with sleep disorders. Someone she called"This Man" frequently showed up in her dreams. However, she had never seen This Man in her waking life. She drew a picture of this strange person who kept showing up in her dreams.
The psychiatrist left the drawing on his desk. A completely different patient saw the drawing and said he had seen This Man frequently in his dreams as well. This new patient also said he had never seen This Man in his waking life.
So it began, and as it turns out, person after person has testified to seeing This Man in their dreams. The strange thing is, this is a world wide phenomenon. It is happening all over the place. That is, if the stories are true.
If this is true, who or what exactly is This Man? Is he good or bad, friend or foe? Is he something encoded into our DNA that is naturally occurring and only happens when we are asleep? Is it all some unknown social phenomenon, or just one great big hoax?
Perhaps, this is an actual person...some kind of mad scientist nerd with too much time on his hands. Maybe he is one smart cookie with all kinds of "PHD ABC-Degrees" pasted all over his wall. He has invented a machine that sends out special alpha radio waves which allow him to manipulate peoples minds while they are asleep. (Yes he is one sick puppy)
I'll tell you the problem I have with this situation. When you and I are asleep, we are in our most vulnerable state. We are helpless. People can hurt you or do things to you that they couldn't if you were awake. Now I don't know if This man is real or not real, but if he is in fact real, I can only think of one other person he reminds me of...FREDDY KRUGER.
Freddy goes around invading people's minds like it's his own personal playground. He acts like he's a God and he can do anything he wants, and no one can stop him. If Freddy were real, I wouldn't like him. So Mr. This Man, I don't like you for the same reason. You trespass on the most sacred of private properties...a persons mind. You have no right to do that. You have no business doing that.
So go get a life. Get a Job, whatever, but knock it off. You have no right to do whatever you want...to whoever you want...whenever you want to do it.
If you are a real person, I think you have the perfect "Clown Face", so why not invest in some clown makeup? Really, you'd make a great clown and I think you'd make a lot of money with your big clown shoes and a few animal balloons.
Hang up the mad scientist routine, because no good can come of it. Another thing, you'd better stay out of my dreams, you looser. If you have something to say to people, you should say it to their face, instead of sneaking through the back door of a person's mind to play games with their head.
Last...don't let me catch you out in the street. Out in the real world were you can't turn into a balloon and fly away. If I see you, I will probably shove a hot dog up your nose or something.
As I understand it, someone can be asleep and This Man just shows up unannounced. Once he shows up, a number of things can happen. He may just sit there like a bump on a log and stare at you unnervingly. He may give you a sense of comfort by smiling at you. You may be trapped inside a strange place and he will lead you out.
Other times, he will do something that frightens people. The same smile used to comfort some people, can scare other people. Sometimes, he will do incredibly weird things...like turn his head into a balloon. Yes, I know, it sounds crazy, but I am not making this stuff up. Some people say This Man has been showing up regularly in their dreams since they were a child.
What does he look like? Well I will draw him for you and upload a video of the drawing to this post. If I had to describe him, I would have to say he looks like a middle aged guy. Maybe medium build, perhaps a little chubby. Thinning hair on the top. Unusually big eyes that seem to say he knows something you don't.
There is even a web site dedicated to This Man: http://www.thisman.org/ Lots of people have dreamed of This Man. As the story goes... In January 2006 a well known psychiatrist in New York was treating a patient with sleep disorders. Someone she called"This Man" frequently showed up in her dreams. However, she had never seen This Man in her waking life. She drew a picture of this strange person who kept showing up in her dreams.
The psychiatrist left the drawing on his desk. A completely different patient saw the drawing and said he had seen This Man frequently in his dreams as well. This new patient also said he had never seen This Man in his waking life.
So it began, and as it turns out, person after person has testified to seeing This Man in their dreams. The strange thing is, this is a world wide phenomenon. It is happening all over the place. That is, if the stories are true.
If this is true, who or what exactly is This Man? Is he good or bad, friend or foe? Is he something encoded into our DNA that is naturally occurring and only happens when we are asleep? Is it all some unknown social phenomenon, or just one great big hoax?
Perhaps, this is an actual person...some kind of mad scientist nerd with too much time on his hands. Maybe he is one smart cookie with all kinds of "PHD ABC-Degrees" pasted all over his wall. He has invented a machine that sends out special alpha radio waves which allow him to manipulate peoples minds while they are asleep. (Yes he is one sick puppy)
I'll tell you the problem I have with this situation. When you and I are asleep, we are in our most vulnerable state. We are helpless. People can hurt you or do things to you that they couldn't if you were awake. Now I don't know if This man is real or not real, but if he is in fact real, I can only think of one other person he reminds me of...FREDDY KRUGER.
Freddy goes around invading people's minds like it's his own personal playground. He acts like he's a God and he can do anything he wants, and no one can stop him. If Freddy were real, I wouldn't like him. So Mr. This Man, I don't like you for the same reason. You trespass on the most sacred of private properties...a persons mind. You have no right to do that. You have no business doing that.
So go get a life. Get a Job, whatever, but knock it off. You have no right to do whatever you want...to whoever you want...whenever you want to do it.
If you are a real person, I think you have the perfect "Clown Face", so why not invest in some clown makeup? Really, you'd make a great clown and I think you'd make a lot of money with your big clown shoes and a few animal balloons.
Hang up the mad scientist routine, because no good can come of it. Another thing, you'd better stay out of my dreams, you looser. If you have something to say to people, you should say it to their face, instead of sneaking through the back door of a person's mind to play games with their head.
Last...don't let me catch you out in the street. Out in the real world were you can't turn into a balloon and fly away. If I see you, I will probably shove a hot dog up your nose or something.
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