As a working journalist with several year’s experience in national newspapers I thought I may be able to present some useful working knowledge for my fellow students.

A point of note – this piece is about at how to get news coverage. Areas such as attracting reviews are not delved into.

What is news?

There are several varieties of news stories, coming under a wide range of genres. These broadly come under two categories – hard and soft news.

Hard news stories include areas such as crime, court stories, finance and politics.

Soft news includes animal stories, entertainment, fashion and human interest.

Stories about magicians usually come under either celebrity or human interest, Of course there are exceptions, such as Roy Horn’s tiger accident, David Copperfield’s FBI investigation, or more historically the deaths of Houdini and The Great Lafayette, but these are exceptions.

At this stage it is probable that any story you will be involved in will be human interest, and it is important for your publicity seeking efforts if you know what makes a good story.

Local or national?

Before pitching your story however it is important to know whether it will attract local or national coverage.

With creativity it is possible for an unknown magician to get national coverage.

Something important to remember is it is extremely unlikely that winning a magic competition will make national headlines, with the possible exception of FISM, or other notable competitions.

However local newspapers need that sort of fodder all the time, and will be absolutely delighted to hear from you. As a benefit you will have a press clipping and perhaps get some free professional photos.

What is a story?

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, you will be appearing in the news for positive reasons. Of course it is very difficult to sell good news with the constant barrage of death and destruction in the world, so you need to be unique.

Winning a magic competition is a good way to get positive local press. It may also attract national attention if the magician is especially old or young*, or if there was some bizarre event on the way there.

For example you were arrested in a case of mistaken identity, were finally released and then made your way straight to the show to give a winning performance with no preparation. Another possibility would be cancelling your wedding as it clashes with the big contest.

I have a personal example, when I got some publicity for a fellow magician who won the Scottish national title. On the face of it it was a pretty boring story, but he told me he had broke his arm in a skateboarding accident, which meant he could not his move his hand and wrist properly. I hung the story on that and he got a full page story in one of the country’s biggest Sunday newspaper and a little bit in the country’s biggest daily. It was a good return for the rather mundane story of a magician winning the Scottish national close-up competition.

An interesting caveat is the fact this injury happened when he was a teenager years ago, but with clever writing it appeared to have happened much more recently – which was key to the story being printed! I write this because having a bit of licence with the truth can be beneficial. But do not make up wild lies, as they are sure to bite you in some way.

Other potential story ideas could include – if you have an animal act, your animals having offspring, Even if it is not the most amazing story, baby animal pictures play big. A magicians rabbit giving birth while loaded in a top hat would be a hilarious story. A superfat magician losing weight so he can do the metamorphosis effect, preferably winning a big event into the bargain. These two ideas are examples of stories that could attract local, national and perhaps radio and television coverage.

If you bump into a celebrity in a pub, wow them with an effect and then they buy you a drink it would be a great story. Just make sure to get pics if you want to be believed. And the status of the star is important too. If you wow the likes of Clint Eastwood or Brangelina you are more likely to get press than if you impress Deacon Blue’s Dougie Vipond. I heard Barack Obama is a good guy to get just now!

Stunts may also be effective ways of attracting publicity, but it has to be spectacular to get national attention if you are an unknown. For example, escaping from the jail of a famous castle, getting pushed off the edge of a famous landmark in a crate and making a miraculous escape, being set on fire in a city square. Stunts are not as easy to sell as a very good human interest story, partially because it is hard to replicate the feats of the famous magicians, but it can be done.

What media?

As a newspaper reporter I have to be be biased and suggest newspapers.

The reason for this is newspapers feed rest of the media. A good local story may be picked up by a national newspaper, and the broadcast media often look at newspapers to find good quirky stories for their news bulletins.

Press agencies are a good place to get national coverage. As a former agency reporter my job was to find stories that could be sent to every national newspaper. Agencies have their own photographers and reporters, and know how to sell a story.

National newspapers often rely on agencies to scout out good local stories and provide them with the words and pics, so working with an agency could give you a far better chance of getting coverage.

Of course if you are proactive you could approach your local radio station to do radio magic – you would likely not get paid, but get some very precious free exposure.

If you have a story look-up the local newspapers and news agencies in your area. The person to ask for is the news editor, and if your story is interesting enough they will be delighted to hear from you.

If Your Story is Picked Up…

Do not mess about reporters and photographers. They have busy schedules and expect you to be punctual and reliable. By contrast they also appreciate flexibility – if there is a murder you will drop down the priority list. Be easy to deal with and your chances of exposure will be far higher.

Wear the right gear. Cliches like top hats, playing cards and magic wands may not be your preferred image, but they make you look like a magician. A magician in jeans and a t-shirt will not look good in print. A flamboyant look is far better, as magicians are meant to be glamorous and, well, slightly weird.

Also have props ready for the pics and, very important, SMILE for the camera. People will be reading your story for entertainment and light relief among the heavier news items.

If you have any, have pictures from your younger days available. They make for a more attractive picture spread.

The same tips go for TV and radio, though obviously it is less important to look good for radio. But you also have to sound polished and confident, while this is not so vital when chatting to a press reporter.

A Final Thought

If one story idea does not work, try pushing it to more news editors and agency chiefs. If it still does not work, move on. There is no point wasting your energy on something that is clearly not worth the effort.

*enter a show Charles from Switzerland!

Look around you – I mean it- look around. Did you see anything magical going on? Is anything happening that is unexplainable? Maybe not, but if you pay attention, real moments of magic will happen right in front of you. Even though I have been performing magic for three years now, it took me those entire three years to experience a moment of real magic. I experienced a moment like this while performing a magic trick at a party for a man named Tom. I knew Tom was a retired police officer, he had slicked back hair right off of the Soprano’s, sat with his arms crossed, and wore a tough guy facade that I was about to bring down. I performed a trick for Tom at his kitchen table. In the trick, I “blindfolded” myself by placing two playing cards between my eyes and the sunglasses I was wearing. Next, Tom and another volunteer each chose a card and then replaced their card in the deck. Later, their cards vanished from the deck and were found to be the two cards I had earlier put between my eyes and sunglasses.  After I removed the cards from between my sunglasses, you would have thought I was a comic genius like Rodney Dangerfield or Jerry Seinfeld because Tom laughed hysterically and literally cried over the trick. I never would have expected that kind of reaction out of him..  At that moment, I realized what magic was all about.

On the surface, one might think this was a more magical moment for Tom than it was for me. After all, I know how the trick is done, so how could it be more magical for me? It was more magical for me since around that time I had the blues about performing magic and I was on the verge of giving it up. I did not seem to grasp the value in magic anymore. After performing that trick for Tom,  all the tumblers fell into place and I said to myself, “That’s it! This is what it’s all about..” It was an epiphany. For me, magic was no longer about impressing anyone, getting paid, or learning secrets. Magic was about connecting with someone else and giving them an uplifting moment away from reality. My experience with Tom was supporting evidence to an assertion by magician Jeff McBride, who said, “… always leave a room in a better condition than when you entered it. Uplift all the folks in the room with your magic; you will be uplifted soon” (McBride).I realized then with Tom, regardless of what I did in life, the ability to create a magic moment like that with someone else would be necessary for me.

My experience with Tom also brought me closer to understanding  an assertion by magician Tenkai Ishidi who wrote, ” Magic is not tricks, it is a way” (Burger 4). Indeed, the word “trick” seems to undermine the beauty a great magic effect can bring to an audience. The word “way” here is a even more philosophical thought to ponder. Magician Eugene Burger gives his insight into the “way” of the magician saying:

…it requires so much thought and work and more thought and more work.   It demands that we try and fail and then try again and then probably fail again.. And then keep on working and trying with absolutely no guarantee of final success. You might wonder why any magician is crazy enough even to follow this way. And my answer is: They have to. It isn’t so much a decision as an inward calling” (Burger 4).

Very true. After performing for Tom, it seemed that I did not make a decision to continue magic; instead, magic called me. If I can focus my magic to bring a positive influence upon others then I certainly consider that a way of life. Eugene Burger refers to his own writing as a footnote to Ishidi’s quote.

In 2007, I was fortunate enough to spend a weekend at the Magic and Mystery School in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was fortunate since I was able to convince my Dad travel to Las Vegas, the moral toilet he despises. The head teachers of the Magic and Mystery School are Jeff McBride and Eugene Burger. Magicians young and old, beginner and professional, from all over the globe come to learn at Jeff’s own home, which is called “The House of Mystery”. It is a weekend class, or it can be a full week class,  providing private lectures, video feed-back of your performance, special performances from Jeff and Eugene, and much more. I vividly remember watching Jeff, Eugene, and others perform in Jeff’s living room, by candlelight, surrounded by all the strange masks that decorate his walls. It was my first time watching a professional magician perform in person and boy that was an eye opener. I saw what a great, polished, piece of magical showmanship can be. I raved to my parents afterwards about their amazing show since only the students were allowed to watch.

Strangely, it was soon after attending The Magic and Mystery School that I got the blues about performing magic.  It would seem that going to this class would have further motivated me to learn and perform magic. In fact, that experience with Tom was almost a year after I returned from the Magic and Mystery School. I went to Mystery School hoping to improve my stage-magic and enter magic competitions. However, a contributor to my blues was learning that the stage-magic routine I had practiced for months and months in preparation for the class was an impractical dream routine. A dream routine typically has too many tricks, requires music, the proper venue, and includes tricks that are easy to screw up. My routine had all of those qualities, and I simply had too many tricks crammed into a short four minute routine. I realized that I needed to go back to the close-up magic I had neglected. Close-up magic is performed close to audience and provides more interaction than stage-magic.  To put it in laymen’s terms, moving to stage-magic without close-up magic experience, would be like going from high school basketball straight to the NBA. Close-up magic would allow me to perform an act in front of audiences much more than a stage-magic routine would. The lessons of crafting a routine in a close-up magic setting could later be applied to the stage.  My new journey is understanding close-up magic before moving on to stage-magic. So, my dream stage-magic routine had been shot down, that was tough. Do not get me wrong, the class was a blast; however, when I came back home I felt something was missing.

I later realized something that fulfilled that empty feeling I came home with. Which is, however cliché it may sound, that life really is about the journey and not the destination. I learned this by observing how much I wanted to do a stage-magic routine and enter magic competitions. But, in chasing my dream stage-magic routine, I was missing out on the journey of performing magic more regularly in the close-up magic setting. The journey is the unforgettable moments that have an effect on our future, such as my experience with Tom. The destination is a mystery and I think that is what keeps us all going.

As I was leaving Jeff’s home on the last day of the class Jeff invited me to take a gift out of a box. I searched and searched, and finally found the perfect one. It was a green rubber bracelet that had written on it “Solve et Coagula” which means dissolve and coagulate.. This phrase defined exactly what I needed to do with my magic. I needed to dissolve my stage-magic routine and slowly coagulate a new one. But first, I have to go back to close-up magic and perform more shows to learn what kind of magic is practical for me. What a perfect gift. Thanks Jeff.

In this second part on The Magic of Creating we will explore my Three Laws of Perception®. I had already written this essay but decided to rewrite it together with my good friend Tom Meseroll, the Martial Magician. He brought the physics of perception into the mix. As a result the Laws are even more inescapable than before. So fasten your seatbelts because, paraphrasing Niels Bohr -the famous phycisist-, if you are not shocked by what you are about to read, you didn’t get it !

“At the quantum level, all of reality is but a probability. These probabilities become truths depending on the perspective of the observer. Perspective therefore determines reality, and it is your focus, that determines your perspective. The will controls your ability to focus. Thus by developing the will, you can control your reality.”

Nicholas Thompson

from ‘Magus: Master of Martial Magic,

Book 1, The Magician’s Primer’

Magicians change reality at will. Somehow they have gained knowledge not only about how to manipulate our psychological reality and perception but also about how to transform our physical reality. On stage they appear to have the power to control natural forces and to create a seemingly supernatural reality. We can see this in all magical effects from illusions to mentalism to sleight of hand.

It is important for Magicians and Laymen alike to realize, that this ‘supernatural’ reality might not be that far beyond our everyday reality. The magical reality on stage does in fact coincide with our reality off stage for a very large part. Theatrical magic portrays the way reality actually works on a level that is invisible for the eyes but is rapidly being uncovered by Quantum Physicists. Examples in Quantum Electrodynamics (Q.E.D.) theory and experiments are not too far off from some of the possibilities being explored by the magician on stage today, including, teleportation, invisibility, and levitation. If we take, what we believe to be, our reality apart and break it down to the level of atoms, and then we take those atoms apart, we would end up with quarks. If we would go on and delve into the makings of a quark, we would, in the end, discover that there is no such thing as solid matter. Even at the Atomic level if you were to magnify the nucleus of an atom to the size of a basketball, the nearest particle, an electron would be the size of the head of a pin, five miles away. The majority of matter is actually nothing but emptiness. How can matter be solid if all there is at the atomic level is mostly empty space? What is in the vast abyss of void within the atom? There is only energy. And this energy can take any shape we want, and the possibilities of how to direct this energy are infinite.

Without going into the complex science behind the quantum theory in this article, the protagonist Nicholas Thompson points out in “The Magus”: “The probability of the existence of matter is determined when the act of observation collapses the ethereal wave function into solid form. Reality as we know it is actually only a probability; a wave pattern, like a spinning wand, until the mind of the observer freezes the wand causing the reality of the object to materialize at a single point.” It is the act of observation that determines the reality we experience. Look around you: everything you see started with an idea; a mere image in the mind of one person. And now, it has materialized to tangible reality. In fact the invisible energy of the idea has condensed to a slower and thicker form of energy! When a magician produces a coin he is only mirroring how we actually create our reality. Two-hundred years ago radio, television and the World Wide Web would have been perceived as impossibilities yet they have materialized. Take the element of time out of the equation and the materialization of radio, television and the Internet is sheer magic! Once we start to perceive things in our minds eye and stay focused on them, we start to materialize this reality, however impossible it may seem at the time we created the idea. We shape our reality by our perception. Not only on a psychological level but also at a physical level.

Let’s look at the psychological and physical levels first. Then we will zoom in on the part the magician plays in opening us to master the art of creating.

George Parker’s Three Laws of Perception®

The Psychology and Physics of Attention

“Everything that receives attention starts to grow; it starts to live and evolve.” A simple line with big consequences. Once you start to experiment with the power of your attention you will discover that you can instantly create the reality you experience by shifting your focus to something else. You maybe absorbed with what you read right now. But if you looked outside and start to concentrate on the traffic and the environmental problems related with it you will see that your reality start to change and you might start to feel a little depressed. But if you looked at the traffic and you would pick out a beautiful car and started to fantasize about a road trip you might experience a feeling of excitement. Focus means concentrated attention. On a psychological level we select data and we connect those data in a very personal way until we have created an image that makes sense to us. If we select a different set of data and/or connect those bits in a different way we would create a different reality.

But attention isn’t just a psychological phenomenon. If you take a look around you you will see hundreds of objects. And everyone of those objects started as an idea. By putting energy in the idea it eventually materialized to the object you see right now. Once you understand that attention equals energy you will start to see that the world around you is nothing more than thoughts that have materialized into something we call ‘solid matter’ but is in fact also nothing more than energy, be it in a more condensed form. The act of focusing attention is actually the act of concentrating energy. The longer you are able to focus the more likely you will create the reality you wish for. There are two basic reasons why the reality we experience doesn’t always look like the reality we dream of: we get either lost in time or in space. If we get lost in time we stop focusing on the reality we want to create because it takes longer than we expected. We might still have a clear vision in our mind’s eye of what we want to create but we loose patience, get bored or shift our focus for some other reason before this reality has had a chance to manifest itself. If we get lost in space we loose track of what we wanted to create altogether. We get distracted by other ideas and changing circumstances. In other words: we loose focus. And once we loose focus the energy disperses and we have to start all over again. As a result, we get stuck in the old reality we created accepting things as they are. Chances are we even forget we are the creator of this situation, thereby avoiding responsibility for it and turning away from our creative powers. The longer we avoid using them the weaker they will grow. But the more we use our innate creative powers consciously the stronger they will grow. Imagine: creating the reality you really want will actually reinforce your creative skills! What a great way to train!

To help you understand how focus affects our reality and how we can get lost in the reality we created we will explain the The Three Laws of Perception®:

1.Focus creates your Reality

2.Perspective creates your Focus

3.You will and you can change your Perspective

Of course they are interrelated but for purpose of clarity we will explain them separately.

1.Focus creates your Reality

Focus is concentrated attention. Attention is energy. On a psychological level it becomes clear that we are not capable of perceiving all of our reality. At least not on a conscious level. If you would hand out the same newspaper to fifty different people and interview them about what they have read you would discover that they had read, for at least 30% a different newspaper. Not only because they selected different articles and details but also because they interpreted the parts they read in a different way. All day long we deal with data by making selections and connecting the dots in our own specific way (interpretation). And we call the image we build up as a result of that process ‘reality’. But in fact it is one of the infinite possibilities of reality. We could have selected different data and we could have connected the same bits and pieces in a different way (or a combination of both). This is why in the same family, team or organization people will have different images of the same fact, situation or event. Because much of the logic behind our selections takes place on a subconscious and unconscious level we sometimes end up with a reality we don’t like. To be able to fix that we need to dig deeper. The Second Law of Perception will help us out there.

On the level of quantum-physics the first Law of Perception is even more true. Quantum physics teaches us that reality is, on a subatomic level, pure energy. There are infinite possibilities of what reality is, and becomes based on the perspective of the observer. And the act of observation creates the one ‘you’ that you are now, at this moment, consciously or not, out of those infinite possibilities of you and your reality. In Quantum Physics there are infinite possibilities known as probability functions, which create an infinite opportunity for multiple realities, known as ‘multiple universes’. BUT remember, all you need to be concerned with is that there are infinite possibilities for your reality and regardless of multiple universes, or not, you are living in one reality, and this is the one you must learn to control and influence.

2.Perspective creates your Focus

To be able to create the reality we want we need to become aware of how we select data and why we interpret those data in a certain way. We need to learn about the things that guide our attention causing our reality to manifest itself the way it does. The second law states that our point of view not only determines our focus but it actually creates our focus. Perspective is determined by our point of view. This could be a physical point of view but also a psychological point of view. Suppose you are standing behind a big tree. The reality you see is a big chunk of wood. But if you want to change your reality and see what is behind the tree you need to change your perspective by just stepping aside. While this is easy to understand and achieve on a physical level it’s very hard to do the same thing on a psychological level. We tend to get stuck in the so called ABC-trap. ABC represents the three levels in which we grow more attached to our own point of view.

A= Assumptions

B= Beliefs

C= Conviction (or Paradigm)

Beliefs are assumptions you seldom question. Convictions (or paradigms) are assumptions you never question again.

Being confronted with new data, we make assumptions about how they are connected. For example, when we enter a restaurant we assume they will serve a steak. When we find out this is the case our assumptions turn into beliefs. We grow more attached to the thought: ‘restaurant>steak’. When it’s just an assumption and the restaurant owner tells you: “Sorry no steaks here, only cheesecake and wine” you might be surprised for a moment but you will get over it pretty easily. But when your assumptions have evolved into beliefs because of multiple experiences that confirm your assumptions and the restaurant owner tells you the same thing you might be quite upset. Now because of the first law, chances are that most any assumption will turn into a belief. And you create experiences that fit your initial assumptions. And because of the same law it’s not surprising that beliefs turn into convictions or paradigms. Once you are interested in salsa-dancing you will look at reality from that perspective and create a reality in which salsa-dancing is a big part. You will discover new friends that are into it, places you can go to enjoy it, books, movies, newspaper articles about it and what not.

The beauty of this ABC mechanism is that it creates balance. You create a world that contains exactly what you need and there aren’t many surprises. The ugly side of the ABC mechanism is that you can get trapped in your past. Because of the creative power of our thoughts on either A, B, or C-level we tend to repeat our past over and over again. We focused on a reality we wanted to create and once it has materialized it starts to influence our way of thinking. Before we know it we’re stuck in this loop and as a result of that we forget the fact that this reality is just one of the infinite possible ones. And this leads to the third law and ultimately the role of the magician.

3.You will and you can change your perspective

We will change our perspective because we are confronted with changes outside of us. Society changes, administrations change, the weather changes and even the cells in our body renew themselves. We need to adapt to those changes by changing our perspective and choose thoughts that better fit the situation. I call this kind of change reactive change. The other kind, that I call creative change moves from inside out. You can change your perspective (and the related assumptions, beliefs and paradigms) at will. And when you change perspective you will, according to the second law, change your focus. And according to the first law this will result in changing you will change your reality.

Now bear in mind that reactive and creative consist of the same letters! Only the order is different. This is also true for the reactive process and the creative process. The ingredients we have to deal with in shaping our reality are the same for all of us. The reactive mind however isn’t aware that it is creating reality. It’s convinced there’s just one possible reality and it starts from there. It deals with reality as if reality consisted of pure and single facts. The creative mind is fully aware that reality consists of infinite possibilities. Starting from there it discovers that it has to decide upon which reality it wants to manifest. By creating a vision the creative mind starts to determine it’s perspective and focus. On a psychological level the creative mind starts to select the right data and ignore irrelevant data; it uncovers data that were invisible before and it even starts to create new knowledge that was non-existent before.

Although the difference between the letters in the words ‘reactive’ and ‘creative’ is just one position it has huge consequences when you shift from the reactive perspective to the creative perspective. The reactive mind tends to create a world in which it feels helpless, limited and a victim of the circumstances. The creative mind tends to be excited and feel an everlasting urge to explore, experiment and play. Because of the challenges we encounter, the pain they cause and the way we manifest our reality it’s sometimes very hard to shift from a reactive perspective to a creative perspective. Or, if we are already very much leading our lives from a creative perspective, to hang on to it if we are confronted with difficulties.

The Magician

And this is where the Magician comes into play. The Magician/Magus knows we are already creating our lives. We simply cannot ‘not-create’. The moment we start to think and act we will influence our reality. But he also knows we tend to get distracted and disperse our energy and we sometimes get so attached to the reality we created we can’t get out of it anymore, even if the current situations screams for change. The Magus helps us to refocus and helps us to feel more comfortable in periods of transition (that by definition never feel easy or comfortable). Using all kinds of means like stories, illusion, herbs that will change your level of consciousness, song, dance, silence he creates rituals (‘rites of passage’) to help you to your next level. If you’re stuck he throws you off track turning your world upside down and inside out. If you’re feeling miserable because of the change you’re going through he will comfort you. If your attention is caught by insignificant or irrelevant subjects he will shock you so you will stay awake.

His magic can open your mind and make you question your reality again. Turning the world upside down and inside out he creates ecstasy (derived from Latin: ex-stase; being next or beyond yourself) so you can have a fresh look at yourself from the outside in. This ecstatic experience will create new ideas, deep emotions and affect your subconscious mind. The more you will open yourself to new dimensions and new possible realities the more your perspective will shift. The more intense a magic ritual or act was for you, the longer you will feel the effect. And once your perception starts to change, your reality will change as well.

An example of the ability for the belief, even briefly, in magic, to change the reality of the individual can be seen in the eyes of children with terminal cancer watching a magician perform not ‘tricks’, but magical wonders at their bedside in the hospital. The true placebo effect takes place on occasion, where the changes in the perception of the reality of the children actually assists in the healing process. Even if it is only a small belief, or just entertainment for the child, the mind is the observation tool that causes our reality to exist, and as we all know, the mind is a very powerful tool. It can change the perception of reality in the child’s mind and therefore potentially change the reality of the child. This is why belief in the ability to change and create reality is of such vast importance in today’s world of magical possibilities. It has the potential at least, of making the biggest difference in the lives of others. Just a little belief in the possibility of magic can potentially make a difference in the reality that these small terminally ill children see and perceive.

But it is not just the children who can benefit from the realization that reality can be changed, and that magic is a stepping stone towards that belief. It is for everyone. The more the magician realizes that the stronger and more magical their performance, the more they realize the likelihood that the impact may in fact change someone’s true reality in the future.

Performance Magic reminds the observer of the wonder of the universe and makes the mind wonder about what it accepts as real. It begins to question reality and by asking new questions it will come up with new answers and ideas. In a world full of opinions and convictions we badly need magicians to open our minds and teach us about change and the way we can make that happen.

The question remains: do you believe this to be true? If you do it will rock your world and deeply change your attitude towards the world you live in. If you don’t you will create a reality in which all of this doesn’t exist. And that’s still an act of creation. Ponder that!

My magic mentor Jeff McBride, wrote me a letter. “It’s great Romany, that you’ve lots of creative new ideas but it seems to me that you avoid finishing projects and don’t spend your time to polish the piece until it’s really finished.”

Deep in denial, I ignored Jeff and I ignored his letter. Except that I did pin it on my notice board where I could see it every day. Each time it caught my eye, I became a sulky 5 year old and stamped my foot in a very spoiled brat sort of fashion.

Then my friend, the new winner of the Dutch championships, Ray Joel, came over to visit. He brought with him ‘The Secret’, a film that has become a world bestseller. The film is a compilation of speakers explaining the Law of Attraction, how we attract what we concentrate on, good or bad. How we manifest our dreams by focus. I had known most of this before but the principle I really hadn’t grasped is that we create WHATEVER we put our attention on. For as long as I’ve been interested in performance magic, I’ve been focusing on my frustration that my act isn’t good enough, isn’t finished, isn’t the stuff of my dreams. And guess what? The act wasn’t finished; my professional life wasn’t what I’d dreamed of, etc. Whatever you focus on you create! Doh!!

After watching the film a couple of times I changed my mind and my story. My story was now that my act IS finished and in demand all over the world, I have an abundant income, I enjoy the challenge of finishing projects and I’m buying a Diva convertible car on the profits!

Before Ray left, he casually said. ‘You know Romany, the reason you don’t finish anything is because you flit like a butterfly from this to that and don’t focus…’

Wow, truth hurts. I angrily replied, ”How dare you? That’s a really offensive thing to say.”

Ray said, “Why would I want to offend you? I’m just pointing it out.”

An hour later, after I had taken my pride for a stompy stompy walk, I returned knowing that he and Jeff were spot on. And, that it was time to change. Change to the new mantra of Focus & Finish.

I promise you that that very week, I did start to focus. And while focusing on finishing, I discovered why I avoided it in the first place. Finishing is terrifying. If a piece is never finished, I don’t have to show it to any one and it’s safe from critical eyes. Maybe, when the piece is packaged and ready, it will be apparent that it wasn’t worth the work in the first place. If I don’t finish it, I am safe. Safe but always saying, “Ah, I have this wonderful idea…” Always feeling a little sad, that if only this wonderful dream of mine was present then more fantastic adventures would happen.

Look at the stars of the magic convention circuit. We love them not only because of their original ideas and presentations but because they’ve had the tenacity to polish their creation bright as bright. I’m thinking of Gaetan Bloom, Topaz, David Williamson, Tommy Wonder… When we think of their acts, there’s no doubt that they are finished and the product of intense focus. They don’t bumble or wing it.

I shall not bumble. My fingers will be sure, because I have practised until the point of certainty. I will not wing it either. I will turn off the phone and shut off the laptop. I will not make another cup of coffee. I will not write an article about finishing things before I have started finishing things….

I have a confession to make. I wrote the article above in the summer of 2007. And then… guess what? I didn’t finish it. It’s now nearly 2009! But… I can report at least that I did change my behaviour and for the last year I did focus on finishing my act without being distracted by seductive new ideas. And…well, it’s getting there. You’ll be able to judge for yourself next time you see it.

And by the way, which dream did you want to finish???

AFFORDABLE OPTONS

$50

A number of years ago on AllMagic.com Richard Robinson wrote some interesting articles on affordable stage tables. In one article he suggested getting a cube-like fibre musician’s case for about $50. I think it could be an 18-24” cube. You will want all the corners to be reinforced with metal for durability. This case is like a sample case. It consists of two boxes, which are essentially the same in shape. The top is a slightly larger five-sided box that slides completely over the outside of the inner box. For travel, the two are nested together and secured with straps. On stage the idea is to stack one cube on top of the other to your liking. The bottom box should be mouth down or mouth up for stability. The top box could be open-end facing up or open-end facing back. As you can see, a good functional case does not need to be expensive.

OTHER AFFORDABLE OPEN TOP OPTIONS

John Cassidy is a wonderful magician you may have seen opening for the Amazing Jonathan, at the Magic Castle or at one of our national magic conventions. He’s also the hilarious Guinness World Record Animal Balloon Twister. John has done thousands of shows, and he swears by – get this – conga drum cases. These tall (forgettable) tubular containers are light, durable and affordable at $50-200 each. They come in fiberboard or very durable hard plastic, and the plastic ones come with wheels on the bottom. Rivet and glue some “industrial strength” loop Velcro™ to the top edge; add a pleated skirt of fabric and you’re ready to go! Companies that make them include Nomad (fibre only), Latin Percussion (hard plastic) and Humes & Berg (fibre and plastic).

The Latin Percussion “Road Ready Conga Case” shown below is 33” high, 22.5” deep and 22.5” wide. http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?ItemID=36061

Consider the “Humes & Berg” Fiber, Round and Enduro models with casters. All H&B conga cases are 31” high. If you’re on an extremely tight budget for an open-top case, look at the affordable “Humes & Berg Vulcanized Fibre Conga Case w/Casters,” which I found online for $84 at http://www.explorersdrums.com

SPECIFIC MODELS MADE FOR MAGICIANS

SUITCASE TABLES: If you don’t have anything, get one. You’ll be happy you did. They solve so many problems at once, and you can use them in multiple venues. My children’s birthday party show is always set up in one. It makes life easy.

Joe Leffler’s “Pro Suitcase Tables” come in two sizes. The smaller measures 18″ wide by 22″ tall by 12″ deep when closed and 18″ wide by 36″ tall by 14″ deep when open. It retails for around $300 and has served me faithfully for ten years and hundreds of shows. The larger $350 case measures 24″ wide by 24″ tall by 12″ deep when closed and 24″ wide by 38″ tall by 14″ deep when open. Each one has two shelves and the lower compartment is good for ditching props. The grey fabric is Velcro™ friendly and resists marking. They weigh a moderate 30 lbs. or so. The smaller case fit quite nicely on the front floor of my Honda Civic hatchback. See the “magic catalog” at www.wearefun.com or your favorite dealer.

Viking Manufacturing Company makes a most elegant Pro Table Case. It is made of ½” plywood and includes two drawers, a large lower compartment with double doors for large props. Add-on accessories include a prop holder, shelf and ditch bag. The exterior has dark grey Velcro™ friendly carpeting and the edges are covered with metal, so it is quite durable. Because of all this, it weighs a hefty 41 lbs. empty. ($425 at www.vikingmagiccompany.com sometimes out of stock, so call.)

Mak Magic has a neat “mini” suitcase table for $200. It is a dark solid color (unlike their very cheesy-looking larger suitcase table). This nice mini weighs only 17 lbs. and is narrow but quite tall: closed it measures 12″ deep x 12″ wide x 28″ tall, opened it is 12″ deep x 12” wide x 39″ tall. The back lower flap with the lock hinges down for better access to the larger compartment. The image below is from www.hocus-pocus.com.

Consummate stage and cabaret performer, David Charvet, sells the unique and very compelling “Ten Second Table” designed by Mark Evans. It is a lightweight but very durable ATA case and not too big. It’s not as forgettable as the other cases mentioned here, but still, people just see a road case on a stand. The lid becomes the base with smooth rolling inset casters while a two-piece center post holds up the main container at a good height. When you order, you need to specify whether you want the opening at the top or the back. Custom sizes can be made for a small fee. I know people who use and swear by this case; it has been tested around the world for years. ($249 http://members.aol.com/dcstudios/tables.html)

BONUS: THE ADVANTUS MULTICART #500 METAL HAND TRUCK

One tool I would never do without is my 8 way multi-cart. When I perform my large show, I may bring as much as my case-table, another case of props, a portable sound system, compact lights, backdrop and an illusion. It is much easier to make one trip from the van. It also looks very professional. The pneumatic wheels make curbs and stairs much easier. The whole thing collapses down to a very small size, but also opens up into a five-foot long dolly that can carry 24 cubic feet and 500 lbs. It forms eight different configurations and the company makes 3 or 4 different models including the R2, R6 and R8 starting at around $90. I keep my show stacked on it and just roll it out the back of my van – very nice. The larger one can be found online for $160. Staples sells them for $216.99. (Hmmm… Max Maven’s show in a manila envelope is sounding tearfully beautiful.)

“MAKING MY CASE”

Thank you for stopping by to consider practical road cases. I prefer to keep it lightweight, stable, rolling, forgettable, customizable inside and out, with optional covers, at just the right height and with an appropriate opening for my show. Cases can be custom designed or prefabricated. Carefully consider the weight; ponder its stage position and be sure to cut the clutter. Options range from fiber music cases to professional magicians cases costing hundreds of dollars. Finally, try not to over-think these things. Experiment with different options and see what works best for you! Next time I would like to break from my usual “tech” and share some thoughts on performing for free or for charity. I’ll see you then… Now get out and perform on the Magic Tech Road!