We all know what are the hot sellers these days. Most of these items look great on youtube. In real life situations they might be entirely impractical. But what the sellers care most about is selling – not practicality.
The other night my friend Banachek and I were talking about what we both try to teach to performers. Neither one of us really cares to teach fly-by-night trickery.
What we are passionate about is not sexy in any flash-in-the-pan way. We care less about the fast buck and the quick trick than teaching actual principles.
Banachek says he calls “principles” by the name “tools” because that is what we both care to do. We both wish to provide tools to others that can be used in a great variety of ways – rather than teaching a one-trick pony constantly.
I always wanted to contribute in a lasting way to magic and mentalism even as a young kid. Dr. Tarbell inspired me and I wished to do the same for others.
Tarbell taught tricks, sure, but most important were the principles he taught. Tricks were meant to be examples of principles.
That’s how I was raised in magical performing.
It turns out I am fortunate enough to say that I have contributed a bit to magic and mentalism. Wonder Words, the concepts of Dual or Multiple Reality as such, Indirection, Association, Trance Illusion, readings via new sets of linguistics and more have now become common fare in performances.
Still the tools are often glossed over for the mad race to the latest trick. At least it looked good on youtube!
Why should this matter to YOU?
Because when you go for the tricks rather than the tools you cheat yourself.
People have made full careers on a handful of tools or principles. Few have made careers on a handful of tricks.
The biggest names on television must rely on their principles or tools, so that they can keep up with the demand to provide new effects constantly. Otherwise they’d simply run out of new tricks.
If you have a tool in real life, you can build almost anything. The same is true for learning the inside tools of performing magic and mentalism.
You can buy a beautiful door, or a shiny window, or a sleek door knob, but that doesn’t give you a strong foundation or a full house in which to dwell comfortably.
More than a few people are living comfortably by using little more than dual reality, indirection and association.
So here is my plea to all wiser performers, including the casual hobbiest:
Get with the tools.
It’s better to have them than to be one.
