Discourse in Magic

Pipo Villanueva joins Jonah for episode 143 to discuss adding impact to your magic. Pipo is a magician from Spain who has performed at the Magic Castle and is known for performing impactful effects. Pipo started fairly late in magic. In his mid-twenties, he became frustrated with music and changed course to pursue magic. He had always worked with his hands and needed a creative outlet that would allow him to explore the world. Magic became the art form he chose to pursue. His interest in magic was the intellectual, puzzle solving side and coming up with ideas. Living in Madrid, he had the opportunity to meet, arguably, some of the most skilled and knowledgeable close-up magicians who helped him grow. From day one, magic was a career for him. Over time he would eventually grow more serious about magic as his connection to the community became deeper. It became a basic part of his life that helped him understand himself better. Frustrations and Failures Pipo explains how frustration and failure is a necessary part of the process. You have to accept that magic will highlight your worst qualities, and you will need to confront them if you want to improve. Simply ignoring the issues will result in you either stagnating or quitting magic altogether. When Pipo was starting out, he would have conversations with magicians and see people perform, only to think to himself that he wasn’t going anywhere with what he was currently doing. It was in these moments, the ones where he failed or became frustrated with the art he was putting out, that he learned the most. These moments helped him find the way that was right for him. Authentic Magic An authentic connection with the audience is built when the artist does something that is meaningful to the performer and the audience, Pipo explains. People are interested in people; they want to see you, and you want them to leave with a sense of who you are after the show is over. You shouldn’t be trying to put together an act that is deliberately trying to touch the audience’s heartstrings as it will not be authentic. It may work at some level, but you won’t be establishing a real connection with the audience. Pipo goes on to say that, while you shouldn’t pander to your audience, you shouldn’t ignore them either. Magic is not about having superpowers. It’s about celebrating the intelligence of the audience. You need to provide meaningful connections within your act so that the audience can create the effect. It is up to the performer to craft the psychological state of the spectator so they can fully experience your magic. The audience should be allowed to watch a four phase routine without knowing that the routine is going to have four phases; they should be able to experience the suspense while piecing together the puzzle. Plot Structure Every effect you perform should be connected to a deeper idea that will resonate with the audience. However, this idea is implicit, not explicit, and is meant to bring meaning to what you’re performing. When crafting his material, Pipo believes the less information the better. If you throw out too much information, it becomes meaningless to the audience as you are pulling away from the point you are trying to communicate. Wrap-Up Recommendation Luis Olmedo Miguel Muñoz What do you love about 2018 magic? What do you hate about 2018 magic? Pipo loves that Derek DelGaudio’s show, In & Of Itself, was able to happen. Pipo dislikes the lack of good magic exposure. Most of the magic in media is built on manufacturing conditions and reactions. However, he believes in counter-attacking this with good material. What was your favourite part of the episode? Jonah liked the idea of being authentic in your magic and being conscious of the connection between the expression of the artist with the audience’s understanding of said expression. Pipo highlights the idea that you’re doing something wrong if the audience doesn’t have a sense of who you are after your performance. Word of Wisdom Put the best of yourself in the magic you do. It’s relevant and makes a difference to put yourself in your magic. Plugs Learn Magic by Pipo Villanueva Pipo’s Blog Instagram The post Impact, Emotion, and Frustration in Magic with Pipo Vilanueva appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Episode 142 is a new take on the catch-up episodes. In the first half, Jonah is addressing a topic in the magic community which has been a part of many recent discussions: Magic exposure online. In the second half, he sits down with his writer and editor, Jacque Swan, to discuss magic in Toronto and behind the scenes of the podcast. Part 1 Exposure Online Discourse in Magic has always vouched for being positive about the future. As the internet changes the way we interact and share content with each other, Jonah believes that we need to take a “yes and” approach to magic online. To him, it is not rational to believe that we can completely stop magic from being exposed online. The logical approach would be to embrace technology and help establish how secrets are shared online. What Shouldn’t be Exposed It should go without saying that you shouldn’t be exposing tricks someone else has published. That is their livelihood and their reputation that is being exposed alongside their effect. However, there are tricks that may be considered “public domain” due to the number of times they have been taught. The French Drop, the salt shaker through the table, these are simple tricks that people learn as kids that may spark someone’s interest in magic. Young People Paying Their Dues The internet, like the library or your local magic store, has become another resource for people to use to learn and further their magic. To claim that young people are not struggling to find and learn secrets is inaccurate; they still need to watch hours upon hours of video to even begin to understand magic much in the same way previous generations had to read dozens of books. If you speak to a young person in magic, you will find that they are knowledgeable about their field and have been putting in the effort; they just happen to be excelling at a faster rate than what was previously possible. Your Magic Online People fear the idea that their magic is going to be exposed online. They’re afraid that after their performance people will pull out their phones and Google the method for the effect. Yes. This will, unfortunately, happen every once in a while, but the response to this should not be “magic shouldn’t be shown online,” it should be “how can I make my magic un-Googleable?” Jonah refers to the article by the Jerx for ideas on how to elevate your magic beyond search terms. We should be trying to elevate our magic beyond the standard fair rather than trying to fight against something we cannot stop. The Nuance of Magic Online We shouldn’t be saying “magic shouldn’t be online” because, unfortunately, it is going to be exposed. It is going to be exposed by performers, by the very people selling magic, and by people who have no business in magic. So, we should be asking how we can take control of how magic is being distributed online. What can be exposed? What shouldn’t be exposed? Who are the teachers we should be directing people to? We should be encouraging people towards the correct resources rather than demonizing the whole concept of magic online. Part 2 Jacque Swan, the writer and editor for the podcast, sits down with Jonah for the second half to discuss magic in Toronto and behind the scenes of the podcast.  Jacque has only recently joined the Toronto magic scene, but she has been coming in and out of learning magic since she was five years old. She didn’t learn there was a magic community until she stepped foot in Browers Den of Magic four years ago. When she’s not spending her time learning/watching magic, she’s a freelance writer who is attending school for Broadcast-Television Production. Women in Magic The two briefly discuss Jacque’s experience as a female in the Toronto magic community. She highlights how accommodating most of the magicians have been to helping her find solutions and how welcoming they have been. Continuing from this idea, she explains how she likes that people are treating her like “one of the boys” rather than an outsider who could be potentially scared off. Felice Ling, part-time performer from Boston, recently performed on Newest Trick and blew away everyone in attendance with her performance. Jonah came up with a new term for what she did–Magic Foreplay–as she interspersed little effects throughout her prediction routine; from beginning to end, Felice captivated the audience. Young People in Magic Jonah wanted to recognize that there have been a lot of young people coming out to TMC shows and going to the magic shop; he also wants to recognize that the Toronto magic community has really stepped up to help them learn. He highlights two kids in particular who demonstrate why we should be inviting young people into magic rather than pushing them away. Behind the Scenes Jacque explains that the audience only loses out on about 10% of the conversation. She mainly removes long pauses, “ums” and tangents that stray too far from the original point.  You may lose some gems, but they are necessary to strengthen the episodes. Wrap-Up What are your top episodes? Jacque: Ed Kwon, Carisa Hendrix, Suzanne, Garrett Thomas Having consumed so much magic in the past year, what advice do you have? Jacque: Do what feels right for you. Learn the basics and the fundamentals, but from there, perform what feels right for you.     The post Exposure and Behind the Scenes appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

After several recommendations, Joe Diamond finally sits down with Jonah for episode 141 to discuss ritualistic magic, believability, and engaging your audience. Joe is a mentalist based in Illinois who delves into the weird side of life through his magic. He has headlined at the Chicago Magic Lounge, performed alongside David Parr, and hosts a weekly show called The 13th Hour. Joe’s introduction to magic is fairly standard. He was intrigued by the David Copperfield specials and received magic kits as a kid. However, it was not the puzzle side to magic that drew him in; it was the magic side of magic. Magic was a way for him to bring the weird and impossible things he loved to life. After seeing the first World’s Greatest Magic, he realized he didn’t have to do large stage illusions and could do effects that let him express his interests. When he was seventeen, he worked at Six Flags performing seven hours a day for three or four days a week. During his time at the park, he was able to go out to try everything from mentalism to card magic to geek magic. His learning wasn’t isolated to a single vein of tricks. During this time, he also had the opportunity to fly to Toronto and work with Jay Sankey on a video called Underground Jam; this would eventually lead to them working on future projects together and becoming friends. Joe only completed one year of college before realizing he was making enough money by performing magic. However, his decision to become a full-time magician was just before the 2018 financial crisis. Fortunately, he was able to adapt his mentalism and approach to marketing his shows to make it through the recession as a fulltime performer.  The 13th Hour The 13th Hour is Joe’s weekly show for thirteen people. What started as a one-off show before he went on tour quickly became a weekly event as people in the area continued to show interest in coming out to the experience. The 13th Hour is held in a reportedly haunted mansion which has been turned into an artist space. Joe has a yearly lease with the building to rent out one of the studios which is where he performs the show–a show that has been tailored for that specific venue. The intimate studio allows for him and thirteen guests to see and experience the magic with each other. Starting with traditional mind reading, Joe slowly moves into more esoteric tricks before convincing the audience that time travel is real. Believability First, Joe believes you should stop doing disclaimers at the beginning of your show. He views it as being condescending to your audience and underestimating their intelligence. By giving a disclaimer, you are not setting up a world that will draw them in, but, rather, telling them how to experience what they’re about to see. If you approach your show wanting the audience to believe you have some gift, you are limiting yourself in what you can perform. This is why Joe has replaced the idea of believability with the idea of being “engaged with the premise.” Believability doesn’t matter if the audience isn’t engaged with what you’re doing; you should be going down the rabbit hole together. If you want your audience to believe in a concept like time travel, you need to build towards that, progressing your effects so that the audience is on your side by the time you reach the finale of the show. Categories of Performances When approaching performances, Joe breaks down effects into three different categories: Ritual Effects: A ritual effect follows the formula of A+B=C. A good example is his trick Diamond Jacks: the spectator needs a good luck charm, he has a good luck charm, they perform the effect. Setup and Payoff: Joe credits Carissa Hendrix for this definition. Much like how a joke has a setup and payoff, so do many tricks. Picking a card is your setup, finding the card is your payoff. One Act Play: Joe credits David Parr for this definition. You can approach your performance like a play where you have characters, conflicts and a plot surrounding your effect. Joe goes on to explain that you can do three pick-a-card tricks with these three styles and your audience will experience different effects. Wrap-Up What do you love about 2018 magic? What do you hate about 2018 magic? Joe explains how magic has given him so much, and how he is delighted to see kids still reading and learning from books. He is not a fan of how people are hung up on online exposure. While he agrees that exposure can be bad, he reminds people that you can find a lot of these secrets at local libraries. Joe goes on to explain that you should be making your performance so captivating that people are Googling you after the show, not your methods. Recommendations Jay Sankey Ross Johnson Christopher Carter Christian Cagigal Bill Cook Brian Brushwood Plugs Joe’s Instagram Joe’s YouTube Joe’s Website Journal of Alchemy Underground Jam Resources Mentioned Absolute Magic by Derren Brown Definitive Sankey by Andi Gladwin and Joshua Jay Spirit Theatre by Eugene Burger Magician Business Podcast Successful Performercast   The post Rituals, Experiences and Engaging Mentalism with Joe Diamond appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Jonah sits down with Zivi Kivi for episode 140 to talk the business of performing. Zivi is not only a children’s entertainer, but he operates several podcasts like the Balloon Artist Podcast, Generous Podcast, and the Magician Business Podcast while also instructing with the Kids Entertainer Academy.   Zivi’s interest in magic started while he working in Japan as a software developer sent over from Israel.  While in a toy store, he saw the invisible deck performed and immediately purchased the trick. On the plane ride home, he discovered the instructions were all in Japanese; he ended up sharing the experience of learning the trick with a passenger who spoke Japanese and English. Over time, his interest in magic and performance developed. Soon, magic became something Zivi wanted to pursue full time, so over the next eight years, he slowly built a reliable business. With a background in business, Zivi thought he was set to succeed in the entertainment world, only to quickly learn that the business of magic is drastically different from selling marketing software solutions. His journey to improve led him to discover the  Magician Business Podcast which radically changed his approach to marketing his services. The Ten Percent Rule As Zivi continued developing his business, he realized that applying an extra ten percent of his time to a task would scale the vale he received from said task. For example, if he is performing, he can film and edit a quick summary of the event which he can send to future clients. By applying an extra twenty minutes, he is able to create an additional resource for marketing his business. Zivi emphasizes that there is always one more thing you can do to achieve this ten percent. Ten Hour Principle Having worked with performs from around the world, Zivi noticed that everyone shares the same problems. He began to note how people approached solving the issues and began to apply these tactics to his own teachings, which led to him developing the eight marketing tactics: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Ad words Paid and unpaid Facebook marketing Instagram Email Champion building system tactics (focus is on creating and driving fans) Cold calling and outreach Ninja tactics (leveraging connections and networking) The ten-hour principle comes into play when you choose one of these tactics and focus on it for ten hours each week. By spending ten hours a week on one thing, Zivi says, you can reach a tipping point with your marketing where you’ll begin to see results; he says that most people follow marketing tips but don’t apply enough time to see results.to see results. He goes on to say that if you’re not happy with the results, you can always change next week, but you need to focus and get to the point where your marketing is productive and efficient. Eventually, as you learn what does and doesn’t work for you, you will have developed processes and systems that will allow you to achieve the same results in an hour; you just need to learn what works for you first. You will need to measure your results and understand the numbers to figure out where your time is best spent. By measuring what you get out of ten hours, you will understand where to focus. Failure Marketing & Ten Mistakes You need to plan for failure, Zivi says. By embracing the things that don’t work, you can learn from your mistakes and improve your approach to marketing. If you don’t see results after spending a few ten-hour slots on something, then go back to the list of eight to find an approach that may work better for you. Zivi goes on to break down the ten mistakes he made when he was starting out, reminding the audience that what didn’t work for him may still work for you. Branding his car: the branding on his car had no call to action and no way to track how many people were actually seeing it. Purchased too much: he had to throw away thousands in materials because he overestimated the amount of time he would have for tricks and what he would need. Ad words: he entered into a competition with his friend to see who could get the higher ranking. They spent a fortune during the competition buying competitive ad words rather than focusing on cheaper, niche keywords. 90-day social challenge: he did a 90-day social challenge where he posted for 90 days straight. While he had nice graphics and stories, he wasn’t being social in his posts and interconnecting with people on the platform. Water bottles: he had a plan to hand out silicone water bottles with his branding so that kids would be hydrated. The bottles got confiscated at customs which would have required him to pay a hefty fee to prove they were safe.  Not practicing practice: he was not practicing in an effective manner to truly improve his skill to amaze his customers. Not developing one more skill: he wishes that he could add one more amazing skill to his repertoire to accompany his balloon and magic skills. Backlinks: he didn’t understand the importance of backlinks for SEO and how 25% of your SEO should be dedicated to legitimate backlinks. Health: up until six months ago, he wasn’t being conscious of his body’s importance. Balancing wife and kids: he realized that fixing the balance between his work and home life gave him a sense of security. Wrap-Up What do you like about magic in 2018? What do you hate? Zivi isn’t actively looking into the magic trends. However, he has been interested in and enjoying close-up magic. Recommendation Matan Rosenberg Take Home Points Jonah enjoyed the part about diving into magic full time and taking an honest look at how you spend the hours in your day. Zivi enjoyed the overall theme of being an eternal learner and being open to new concepts. Resources Mentioned Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn The One Thing by Gary Keller Willpower Doesn’t Work by Benjamin Hardy Plugs Instagram Facebook Kivimedia.co Influence Marketing: 10% Principle Magician Business Podcast Kids Entertainment Podcast Generous Marriage Podcast Balloon Artist College Kids Entertainment School CBS E-Book: Use the code discourse for 90% off The post Marketing Secrets for Entrepreneurial Magicians with Zivi Kivi appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

This week, Jonah sits down with Ondřej Pšenička to discuss creating magic, Fool Us, and the importance of community. Ondřej is an award-winning magician who has performed at the Magic Castle, on Penn & Teller, and is the creator of the Butterfly Deck. Ondřej doesn’t really have a story about how he got into magic, it was always just an interest.  With the help of his mom, he was able to find a magic club in Prague and soon began to work on his own competition routine. Magic became a career path for him when he met Alan Vejr of Eve’n Alan. Ondřej showed Alan a video of his performance, and, seeing potential, Alan became his mentor for four years until his passing. During his time under Alan, Ondřej was exposed to magic outside of Prague through videos of masters like Dai Vernon, Fred Kaps, and Cardini. Creating Magic When Ondřej creates magic, he is focused on creating effects that are strong in presentation because it is impossible to come up with something no one knows. However, he still wants to create magic that will fool laymen and magicians. With this goal in mind, Ondřej approaches magic creation by looking for methods and moments that he can implement in unexpected ways. Ondřej goes on to explain how it’s important to embrace your strengths and weaknesses. For him, clean magic means no sleight of hand. He doesn’t enjoy performing it and prefers the impact of mental effects. The Butterfly Deck is a prime example of how you can create stunning effects with simple concepts used in unexpected ways. Butterfly Deck The Butterfly Deck was designed to fool magicians. Ondřej says that it’s not special in any way because everything you need is hidden in the beautiful back design.  In response to those who feel like they can’t use marked decks out of fear they’ll be caught, Ondřej says that only magicians tend to check or suspect that the deck is marked. When laymen tend to look at his deck, they just comment on the design. He goes on to say that when you’re working with a marked deck, you should perform effects that can’t be explained away with a marked deck. When asked why Ondřej would reveal the secrets of the deck, he replies that he wants to see what people can do with the tool he created. If you have a Butterfly Deck, and you have interesting ideas on how to use it, email him at: Ondrej@butterflyplayingcards.com. Fool Us Ondřej never had the ambition to go on Fool Us. It wasn’t until he was working on his Magic Castle act that he developed an idea that was perfect for the show. He had this image of him, sitting beside Teller while watching Alyson fool Penn on stage. With this idea in mind, he created a video at the Magic Castle and sent it into the show. His primary goal for the effect was making Alyson the star of the show. Ondřej encourages you to submit a video to the show if you have an idea that you feel would work. When making your video, he urges you to consider the environment you will be performing; they have monitors where they can watch in detail what you’re doing, meaning they will catch some things but miss others. Additionally, and this goes for any TV performance, work with the directors and producers. They want to make you and the show look as good as possible for everyone watching.  University Magic Course Ondřej attended the University of Dance and Circus in Stockholm for a magic course. Over the course of three weeks, Tom Stone instructed Ondřej and his fifteen classmates, teaching them various magic methods and concepts. From there, the students split off in pairs to develop and brainstorm tricks that utilized what they had learned. The focus was never on teaching tricks but letting them develop their own material. Ondřej describes the course as life-changing. He learned the power of working with people to brainstorm ideas and develop tricks. Without his time spent at the university, he wouldn’t have his show, he wouldn’t have had his Fool Us Performance, and he wouldn’t have met the designer for the Butterfly Deck. While the course is not currently open, it may be running again in July or August in 2019. Follow Tom Stone on Facebook for details. Prague Magic While there have been prominent Czech magicians like Pavel Pomezny and Lubor Fiedler, there is not much magic in Prague. However, with the KIM club–which focuses on creating a magic community for young magicians in Prague–and lecturers, like Karl Hein, bringing in their magic perspectives, Ondřej says that it is getting better. He calls back to the idea of community when talking about how the magic culture is improving in Prague. With his upcoming show, 52 Lovers, he says that he is only the tip of the iceberg and owes so much to his magic friends. The material may be his for the one hour set, but none of his ideas would have developed without the assistance of the community. Importance of Scripting In Ondřej’s magic club, they were recently talking about Pete McCabe’s On Scripting Magic books. Coming from an acting background, Ondřej sees script writing as one of the most important and beneficial aspects of creating a performance. By scripting, you are able to lay out how you want the audience to feel while weaving in things like callbacks. Ondřej suggests watching the ending of Derren Brown’s Enigma to see the perfect example of how scripting can help you perform powerful magic.  Wrap-Up Favourite Part Jonah liked the idea of deadlines and limitations. They breed creativity and make you take action at a rate you weren’t taking before. Ondřej liked the part about having friends in magic. They are the people who will help you develop and improve. What do you love about 2018 magic? What do you hate? Ondřej likes that people are coming back to theatres for the live shows to move away from the special effects in theatre. He feels that magic is going the right direction, and he is excited to see where it goes. Recommendation Rico and Lisa de la Vega Drummond Resources Ondřej’s Instagram Ondřej’s Website Recommended Literature   The post Creating Magic and Fooling Magicians with Ondřej Pšenička appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

It’s a solo episode for 138 as Jonah sits down to catch you up on his trip to Austin, where he’s at with his magic and new ideas for the podcast. Austin, Texas Jonah recently traveled to Austin, Texas to perform a private show for a group of online marketers. While there, he had the opportunity to listen to their expertise in marketing while being able to share his knowledge of performing. One of the highlights of his trip to Austin was seeing a political satire show that mixed music, sketches, and large-scale illusions–performed by Ray Anderson–together to create an incredible show. The show, Esther’s Follies, sees new skits each week as the performers meet up to create the show based on the week’s news cycle. This constant change in performance alongside the collaboration of talented people provided Jonah with a moment of inspiration.  Down the road, he hopes that he can incorporate the talents of outside people into his shows to elevate the overall experience for the audience. Len Cooper Award During the Browser’s Den of Magic 44th Anniversary party, Jonah won the Len Cooper Memorial Award which recognizes a magician under the age of 26 who has shown a dedication to the art of magic. Jonah is honored to have received the award and recognizes that he is in good company alongside the previous winners like James Alan, Ben Train, Chris Westfall, and Jeff Hinchliffe. Jonah was able to take a moment to sit down with Bernice Cooper — the wife of Len Cooper who the award honors — to discuss why Len was such a staple in the Toronto magic scene, and what qualities she would like to see in the people who win the award. Bernice replied that Len was very kind to young people entering into magic and that he was gentle in his approach. Her words resonated with Jonah, and he hopes that he can continue to apply these traits to his own magic. A Twist on the Classics Recently, Jonah has been moving away from trying weirder magic concepts, like potions and amulets, to putting his own spin on classic effects. His current focus is a chop cup routine that he has been performing at Newest Trick. Soon, he’ll be looking at putting his own twist on a metal bending routine. It’s a new approach for him, so he would like to hear from the listeners who may have suggestions or resources. Corporate Season While TMC slows down their shows during the November/December season, Jonah is picking up more and more private shows. After years of hard work, he now has a steady client base who continue to recommend and bring him back to perform. He highlights how important word of mouth can be for a magician as the audience members who recall what they saw, are recalling an impossible moment. That’s why it’s so important to have good, memorable material that you have spent time honing. Discourse in Magic In a few weeks, one lucky listener will have the chance to win a prize worth $200. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for details on how to enter the contest. Soon, Jonah will be releasing a new theory resource guide to replace the current one. If you are interested in the old one, you should check it out soon as once the new one goes up, the old one will disappear. If you haven’t yet, consider joining the mailing list for updates and additional resources to enjoy alongside the podcast. The post Monthly Catch up: Len Cooper and Esther Follies appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Magic podcast hosts collide this episode as Carisa Hendrix, co-host of Shezam, sits down with Jonah to discuss performance, women in magic, cultural theory, and “It Factor.” Carisa is an award-winning magician who brings her background in visual arts and sideshow to her magic. Carisa’s reason for getting into magic is a complex one, but she can trace the root of her inspiration back to Max Maven’s Canadian kid’s show, “MAXimum Dimension.” Even now, she notes, you can see how the show inspired her character. Magic, however, was always a secondary outlet as she there was no one else in magic around her. When she was kicked out of her house at the age of sixteen, Carissa took up a position at a haunted house as a sideshow performer, honing her fire eating and juggling skills. She soon landed a job as a magician’s assistant. Eventually, Carisa went off to university to pursue a visual arts degree while continuing her work as a sideshow performer. It was at the age of 25 that she realized she hadn’t decided to live the life she was living. It was then that she made the conscious decision to embrace magic. Creating a Performance Carisa has a crafted her magic and sideshow acts over the years based on what she wants to show the audience. By sitting down and defining what success means to her, Carisa is able to write enough material to meet her individual goals. While she recommends looking at what other people have done, she warns that you shouldn’t try to be like them. When it comes down to it, you want to define your reputation based on your wants, not by what others have achieved. One of the most important aspects of polishing your routine is practicing your material wherever you can, Carissa explains. You need to find places where you can be terrible, like open mic nights or variety shows, in your city. In the end, the quickest way to achieve a polished set is to perform it over and over again for an audience you don’t know. Authentic Magic Being the most visually literate culture in history, our audiences can better derive meaning from and pick up on subtle aspects of texts. With this in mind, Carisa goes on to explain that you need to be authentic in your practice or your audience will pick up on your lies. Pulling from her own experience, Carisa says that she was originally creating magic just to be extremely fooling. The realization that she was forgetting to put art into her magic was a heartbreaking moment which made her start her routine from scratch again.  For her, magic is about realizing the aspects of your life that you deeply wish and fantasize about. People come to magic shows to experience real power or feel a different experience that they cannot otherwise achieve. Magic, just for a moment, allows people to step outside of adulthood and experience something else, returning them to a simpler time. Women in Magic Alongside Kayla Drescher, Carisa co-hosts a podcast focused on women in magic called Shezam. The podcast was born from the fact that everyone trying to solve the issue of women in magic was a dude. After five months of bouncing around ideas, they finally released the first episode expecting nothing to come of it. However, people were listening. Primarily, men who were interested in helping women feel accepted in magic were listening. Since the launch of Shezam, Carisa and Kayla have attended four conventions and have received funding from the IBM. For those interested in how they can make the community a more welcoming environment, Carisa recommends starting with advocacy. Advocate for women by inviting them to be on lineups and share their experiences, but be aware of tokenism and the effect it can have. If you don’t move beyond the “we need a single woman on the lineup” mentality, you set up a culture where the women who rise to the top can either play with the boys or are okay with being completely alone. Furthermore, you will continue to see the same faces over and over again because they fall into one of those two categories. Carisa explains that women shouldn’t be expected to grin and bear any misogyny that comes their way if they want to succeed. Men and women need to recognize that to be supportive, you have to acknowledge the issues that come with tokenism. When approaching the topic, try to put yourself into their perspective. Realize what it’s like to work by themselves, or what issues they were facing. Don’t subjugate them to the role of assistant.  The culture won’t fix itself overnight, but we can start fixing each part. Start with empathy. Start with questioning your default assumptions. Recognize that everyone is different. Meta-Modernity During her lecturing tour with John Reed, Carisa spoke about the idea of Meta-Modernity and how magic adapts with cultural shifts. Where visual art tends to be the first through the door when adapting to a new cultural art style, magic tends to be the last. Modernity was the era of cultural understanding after World War One. There was a sentiment and a generosity behind the idea that tech would solve all the problems. It wasn’t until Copperfield and Doug Henning, in the 80s, that magic really started to adapt these sentiments into the art. Following Modernism was Post-Modernism— an embrace of cynicism—which took shape in magicians like Criss Angel and David Blaine. With each cultural shift, these magicians became the stand out names due to their embrace of the culture. Currently, we are in a culture of Meta-Modernity: we’re tired of just irreverent cynicism but we’re not ready for overly cheesy material. We want to experience the swing of emotions in the narratives we’re told. It Factor The idea that some people are just born with a certain star quality is not an idea Carisa subscribes to. To her, “it factor” and “star power” are convenient lies we tell ourselves. Becoming a good entertainer takes time, polish and careful choices—chalking it up to “it factor” doesn’t do the performer justice. Carisa emphasizes the idea that you need to be unapologetic about who you are. Every struggle you have should be seen as a point for you, something you can draw on and embrace in your performance. Bubble U Until recently, Carisa has been performing bubble shows—a variety act that utilizes the amazing qualities of bubbles. With no expectations or gendered traits tied to them, bubbles are easily adapted to different genres to meet your purposes. Bubble U is Carisa’s online course that teaches performers the basics of manipulating bubbles and how to perform her routine. If you would like to sign up, visit http://www.nonsensekids.com and use coupon code “Discourse” to receive $50 off your purchase. Wrap-Up What do you love about magic in 2018? What do you hate about magic in 2018? Carisa loves that small, niche branches of magic are becoming popular. Magicians are able to embrace who they are and perform the magic that defines them. Carisa doesn’t like the way magic has been commodified. Lots of performers are just looking at the top ten on Penguin and cycling through them. Magic PSA There is no such thing as “it factor” or “star power.” These are oversimplifying complex choices made by performers over the years. Question of the Week How do you want magic to be remembered? Endless Chain Christopher Barnes Alba Plugs Instagram Website Shezampod Bubble U   The post Secrets to Developing Your Act with Carisa Hendrix appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

Musician-turned-magician Jonathan Friedman joins Jonah this week to discuss combining outside passions with your magic and how magic has changed over the years. Jonathan is the best selling author of The 80’s Called…They Want Their Magic Book Back Vol. One and The Magic of Jonathan Friedman: The Musical. Jonathan was first introduced to magic at the age of six when his father showed him a few simple tricks. Magic, however, was never at the forefront of his hobbies. He would drift in and out of it over the years during his time as a musician. It wasn’t until he stopped playing music that he stuck with magic. A Changing Field After spending years away from magic, Jonathan came back to a completely changed landscape. Suddenly, everyone had access to information online, people’s attention spans had become shorter, and the tricks that were in style had drastically shifted from the packet tricks he is fond of performing. Rather than turn up his nose to it, Jonathan embraced the idea that the internet is a new venue for magic. Like the stage or close-up, you need to adapt your magic to the new style. Online, that first magical moment needs to happen in the first thirty seconds to meet the short attention spans and makeup for the lack of personal connection you can have in a real-life venue. Additionally, Jonathan highlights the benefit of being able to see the tricks performed online. Magic is a visual medium, so being able to see how the trick is performed helps him understand what the effect is supposed to look like.  Magic Stores Currently, Jonathan works part-time at the Market Magic Shop in Seattle, WA.  Recounting a time when a man took a moment to show him a Paul Harris trick at Tannen’s magic shop, Jonathan says that he wants to assist new magicians on their journey. His time at a brick and mortar store has put him in a position where he can pass on his knowledge to up and comers. When recommending material, Jonathan believes that to move up a level in magic, you’ll have to use books. However, if someone is trying to get into magic, a book nowadays may not be the right place to start. He emphasizes the idea that you need to offer them material that appeals to them in the beginning. Overlapping Interests   If you want to combine one of your passions with your magic, Jonathan recommends a few ways to approach it. You have to make sure the passion is universal to everyone. Music, food, movies are all interests that everyone can understand to a degree; you can mix them with your magic and not lose your audience. The passion you bring into your magic should bring an extra layer, a hook, to the effect and presentation. Second, it shouldn’t be a challenge to combine the two passions together. Jonathan believes that if you have to fight for two things you’re interested in to work together, then maybe one of them isn’t as strong of a passion. If you have to use a lot of emotional effort to create a hook, then the emotional impact just isn’t there to begin with. To find out how your passions connect and overlap, Jonathan recommends brainstorming, and trial and error. You will eventually discover how your passions emotionally resonate together.  Wrap Up Question of the week Why have you stopped doing specific tricks? Is it because they don’t play well for the audience? Or because you’re tired of performing them? PSA Slow down. Recommendation Seth Race (Columbus Ohio) 2018 love and hate Jonathan loves how, because of social media, the world has opened up. He is able to see magic coming out of different parts of the world that he otherwise would have never had access to. He hates how the art has been devalued because it is so attainable. How can you have a real appreciation when it is all a click away? Also, accidental exposure in reference to the person doing an effect so poorly and posting it so that everyone can see what’s going on. Plugs Magicana in Genii magazine The Magic of Jonathan Friedman: The Musical The Fifth Fourth Instagram The post Music, Magic and Using Your Other Passions with Jonathan Friedman appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

This week, Jonah finally sits down with Andi Gladwin—co-founder of Vanishing Inc.—to discuss the business of magic, publishing magic, and how to manage your time. Andi has also appeared on Fool Us and The Next Great Magician where he performed his Man in a Balloon act.  Andi never planned to be a full-time magician. Unlike his magician friends, Andi left university to take on a job with a web hosting company. While he loved his time there, he found that he was falling behind in the magic world. He wanted to be the best magician he could be but couldn’t with a full-time job. With the help of his magician friends, Andi was able to start performing magic while earning what he did at his web hosting job. His approach to magic is driven by Gary Vaynerchuk’s saying: legacy over currency. Everything he does in magic is based on the desire to improve the quality of magic in the world. Vanishing Inc. Andi and Joshua Jay launched Vanishing Inc. six months before Andi left his job to pursue work as a professional magician. The idea to launch the company came after frustration with not having control over the quality of their products; they could create the content, but it was out of their hands once they sold it. The idea to start Vanishing Inc. came from this desire for a magic shop that focused on quality over quantity. With the recent acquisition of The Art of Magic, Andi explains his appreciation for what Dan and Dave have created. While he’s not sure how Vanishing Inc. and Art of Magic will work together, Andi promises that they’ll continue to deliver high-quality products. You can see Dan and Dave’s goodbye video here. The Business of Magic Asking magicians to trust them with their creations after telling the story of how Vanishing Inc came to be is always a tricky situation for Andi. He is asking magicians to trust him with their content when he himself started a company to control how his material is released. However, he believes that Vanishing Inc, with their ten years of proven experience, can provide magicians with the quality they seek. Any magician Vanishing Inc. partners with must match their ethos of wanting to create good magic; they don’t want people who are solely creating tricks for the sake of financial gain.  In terms of going pro, Andi recommends doing it slowly. Create a business plan, look at the numbers, determine if it is a doable situation for you. It will take time to develop a steady flow of gigs, and you shouldn’t rush into it. Andi reminds you that, if it’s not for you, you can always return to your old job. For creating and publishing magic, Andi works off the Michael Close theory: For it to be a publishable effect, there needs to be a change to the presentation, effect, or method that improves it. Furthermore, Andi explains that a magician should perform the trick a few hundred times to understand the ins and outs of their creation before trying to sell it. Managing Time Running a business, performing and practicing magic, meeting with friends and spending time with family can be hectic. To balance his life, Andi foregoes movies and television to put hours into his work and practice. He goes on to explain that he taught himself how to sit down and focus on the task at hand. To better manage your time, Andi recommends a few useful tips: Assign certain tasks to certain days of the week Designate locations for doing work Set aside specific times in your day for specific tasks Create a to-do list using a scheduling app or a day planner Ultimately, Andi’s goal is to set aside time to practice and perform magic. Round-up Who would you like to see on the Podcast? Benjamin Earl Danny Buckler What do you love about 2018 magic? What do you hate? He likes how video is such an important medium in magic now. Magic is visual, so filming your trick allows you to better share your content. He doesn’t like the people who hate on the current direction magic is going or the politics that sometimes comes with magic. Question of the week: What are we going to do this week to give ourselves more time for magic? What do you look for in a magic shop? Social Media and Projects Andi Gladwin on Instagram Card magic of Edward G. Brown is a project Andi is currently working on. You can expect to see the book released in a few months.  Resources Mentioned: 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss Going Pro Magic in Mind Wunderlist and Asana  The post Vanishing Inc, Going Pro and Publishing your Magic with Andi Gladwin appeared first on Discourse in Magic.

It’s a short episode this week with Jonah talking about the state of the podcast, the Banksy painting fiasco, and the Toronto Magic Company. The Banksy Painting Referencing David Parr’s episode, Jonah relates the shredding of the Banksy painting to David’s idea of a narrative allowing you to get away with a method. This comparison was sparked by an article that attempts to determine if the painting was actually shredded. Jonah explains that people were so focused on a painting being shredded immediately after being purchased that the people present didn’t stop to question what they were seeing in the moment. Toronto Magic Company Jonah provides a brief catch-up on the current state of the Toronto Magic Company, as events that were on pause over the summer are now in full swing. The Newest Trick in the Book – Canada’s only open mic magic show – is back and in its fourth week. Every week, different magicians take to the stage in Toronto to perform new tricks. The best part about the show, Jonah explains, is that he gets to see a variety of acts to inspire him, rather than the same shows each week.   In the wake of five sold-out shows, the sixth Art of Magic returns in the November with the Sentimentalists headlining the show. Each month, these shows feature an amazing line-up like the Evasons, Mark Correia, Keith Brown, and Nick Wallace. Alongside the draw of talented magicians, Jonah credits the combination of TMC’s content and paid marketing on Facebook alongside the relevance of their name. If you have any questions about starting up shows in your city, they encourage you to reach out to them or check out the episode they did for the podcast.  State of the Podcast Jonah would like to thank everyone who has reached out since the last episode. He was touched by the number of qualified people who offered to be the new co-host for the podcast. However, Jonah will be hosting the podcast solo, but he does plan to bring on guest hosts in the future. There will, potentially, be a new mini-episode on Mondays based on the listener’s participation. You would have the chance to send in your questions via an audio clip, and Jonah would address them on the show. The question would then be turned over to the audience for further answers. If you like the idea, reach out to him over Instagram or through email.   The lineup behind the scenes of the podcast has changed. A few episodes before Tyler left, there was a new edition to the team. Jacque Swan, a magician in Toronto, has joined the podcast to do the episode write-ups and edit the audio. Feel free to reach out and say “hi” to her on Instagram.  Question of the week What is one thing in magic 2018 which you love? And one thing in magic 2018 which you hate? The post Co-hosts, Banksy, and Getting Caught Up appeared first on Discourse in Magic.