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The Approach
by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach
By
Jamie D. Grant
A guide to becoming a working
Walkaround magician.
The Approach
by Jamie D. Grant
Copyright 2013
Jamie D. Grant
The Approach
1 by Jamie D. Grant
Intro|Advice
“If you want to get discovered,
be awesome.”
-David Moses
Be awesome.
That’s what this book is about. It’s not about getting discovered,
making a zillion dollars, or getting famous. It’s about bringing out
the best in you and showing it to the world; via the greatest art there
is: the art of Magic. That said, there’s no reason why you
shouldn’t be able to make money at the same time. And I’m here to
hopefully help you with both.
But how do we do it? I mean really do it. How do we actually
get there? I’ll be honest; we’re going to take different paths. None
of us is going to take the same route to awesome-ville, but I can
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share with you my route. I can tell you the exact steps I’ve
taken to get to where I am today and, let me tell you, it’s brought
me happiness, joy, and wonder. I’m excited! It’s going to be a fun
journey, sharing all I’ve learned with you!
Before we get started, let’s go over some ideas I have for this work
of mine. I’ll be including a lot of anecdotes, mistakes, stories, and
lessons. Hopefully it’ll all make sense by the time this goes to press.
So bear with me as we go along. My plan was to go through my
career in chronological order; from the day I picked up my first
effect all the way through to yesterday. But there are simply too
many things that went on concurrently. So, instead, I’m simply
going to give you over 100 things to think about, study, and learn
from. They’ll be split up into:
Advice: Ideas that have worked for me over the years.
Essays: Longer pieces that I believe apply across the board.
Articles: Previous articles I’ve written before.
Tips: Quick ideas to apply.
Tricks: Secrets to making things easier for yourself.
Study: Introspective work to help make you a better performer.
Anecdotes: Stories from the road.
Lessons: Ideas to take things to the next level.
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We may jump around a bit, so feel free to start (and finish)
anywhere you like. And, on that note, let me also mention this:
please use this book. Make it your own. Dog ear the
corners, write your name on it, doodle your logo in it - the one that
will one day be splashed across the TV- put notes in the margins,
own it. Help me make it awesome. You’re the only one for the
job.
Finally, don’t let my formatting scare you. As a writer, I hate massive
chunks of text so you’ll see me use a lot of italics, bold, and
different font sizes to help break up the text. I’m also going
to be highlighting one sentence in each chapter that I think is the
most important. So have fun and jump right in!
All right, enough preamble, let’s get started.
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Chapter 1|Article
How Many Tricks You Should Know.
You can’t be a magician without knowing tricks. I think we can
all agree on that, right? Or effects. Or illusions. Or whatever you
would like to call them. A lot of people are very passionate about
calling them one thing and not another; but all I know is that if
someone is hiring you to come to their party and perform magic,
you had better know how to do something. So how many
“somethings” do you actually need to know? It’s easy to get caught
up in the latest and the greatest that the magic world has to offer
but, at the end of the day, how many tricks can you do at a
moment’s notice, blindfolded, while riding a bicycle? I wrote
this as an online essay a couple of years back so I’m going to put the
original here and then we’ll talk a bit more about it after…
Originally written, Sep.20/2010
I just thought I'd offer some insight into how many tricks/effects are
actually required to do a working Walkaround gig. Please let me preface
this by saying that this is what I've found, after years of doing every kind of gig
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conceivable to mankind, and it is simply what works for me.
Now a lot of people will say it all depends and that each person is
different, etc. Me? I'll just straight up tell ya...
9.
There's an old saying that an amateur can perform a ton of tricks
with average skill, but a pro can perform three brilliantly. That's true,
to be sure, but it needs a bit of refinement...
Basically, I find that you need three sets of three effects. Here's
why: you're at the event; it's a cocktail party type of setting where
everyone is standing and drinking. You approach a group of four or
five people and absolutely kill it with three amazing effects (tricks
1, 2, and 3). They're laughing and screaming and can't believe you
pulled the card out of their nose.
So what's next? Well, you take two steps (if you're lucky- sometimes
you'll just turn around) and begin for the group of eight people who
were standing behind you and sort of already watching. And you
don't want to pull a card out of their nose as well. Remember~
Once is magic, twice is a lesson. This is where you'll bust out
your second set of three effects (tricks 4, 5, and 6). You'll show this
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group something completely new and this will help if any of the
people from that first group are still watching.
Next? Same thing. Take a couple of steps and perform your final set
(tricks 7, 8, and 9). By this time, you should physically be far
enough away from your original group that, when you approach
your fourth group, you can start over with your original three tricks
(1, 2, and 3 again).
This will also give you the added benefit of, if less people come to
the event than were intended (which will happen way more often
than you think), you will be able to start over from the beginning by
showing that very first group your second set and carrying on,
essentially allowing you three tours of the room.
~jamie
After re-reading that, I think everything still holds true. The only
thing I might add is that, instead of thinking of it as 9 separate
effects, start splitting them up into 3 sets of 3 right away. That way
you’ll get an idea of how one trick can flow into another and how
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they work together. That’s how I try to learn new magic;
whenever I pick up something new I ask myself:
“If I start using this effect at working gigs, where will it go? Will it be an
opener, a closer, or something in the middle?”
Keep those questions at hand when purchasing new magic. And
don’t worry; we’ll be talking more about what makes great openers,
middles, and closers a bit later.
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Chapter 2|Study
Who Are You?
I know that sounds like a weird question, but it’s an
important one. And when I ask, “Who are you?” I’m referring
to who you are in your heart. Who do you want to be. This is the
question you need to start thinking about right away. So while
you’re working on your nine effects, describe your ideal you. Even
better, write it down here. I’m serious! Grab a pen and write down
who you are. I’ll give you my description, if it’ll help. This is how I
would privately describe myself on paper. You’ll do the same in a
second:
“My name is Jamie D. Grant and I’m a comedy magician. Now,
before you think I walk around making jokes, let me give you a
better idea. Picture Brad Pitt. Okay, with a little less hair. Now
picture Brad Pitt walking around a party and showing
people amazing card tricks and sleight of hand illusions. Everyone’s
laughing and talking excitingly. People are making new friends.
This is probably the greatest party these people have ever been to.
It’s the party of the century. All because I’m here helping them have
an amazing time!”
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Arrogant? Brash? Absolutely not! You need to get a mental image
of the type of person you want to become. You need to visualize how
you want others to perceive you. Yours might look like this…
“My name is John Smith and I’m a smooth man of mystery. I
float from group to group silently reading minds and changing
peoples’ lives. Not everyone will know I’m there but the ones that
do will remember me forever.”
Or,
“My name is Jane Doe and I’m absolutely hilarious. I can
make everyone laugh at the drop of a hat and I drop my hat a
lot. I can also do coin tricks like nobody’s business- all with a
smile.”
So why is this important? Because who you are is going to help
determine what kind of tricks you’ll be learning. Are you a
serious mentalist? If so, one of your 9 effects probably shouldn’t be
sponge bunnies. Are you the funniest guy in the room? Well,
putting a spike through your neck most likely isn’t a great fit. So
before you get too far ahead of yourself, picture who you want to be
and then fill this in.
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Seriously. Fill this in.
Who Am I (inside)?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
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Chapter 3|Lesson
Developing Your Sets ~ Part I
Okay, now that you’ve got an idea of who you are (and we’ll
be coming back to that) and who you’d like to become, it’s time to
start working out what effects are going to make up your sets. And
I’ll be honest, this list will change many times over the course of your
career. You’re going to be experimenting quite a bit and there is
going to be a lot of trial and error. But we can do a good deal of pre-
planning in the meantime. So let’s start with writing down 12 tricks
that you know.
If you’re already a “worker” (someone who performs
regularly), this is an awesome exercise. It’ll give you some insight
into what effects you’re actually performing regularly. 8 of my 12
regular effects are ones I started performing over ten years ago,
for example.
I know I said you only need to know 9, but you’ve got to have a
couple extra that you learned along the way. If you don’t have a
dozen, then use this list as a list of effects you need to learn. And
don’t worry about whether these are the latest and greatest magic
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has to offer. Just get learning. The classics are the greatest
place to start but it’s okay to explore the entire magic world. Some
things to consider, though:
~Can they be performed standing?
~Do they have a quick “reset”?
~Are they smaller than a toaster?
My 12 Tricks:
(E.g.): CHOP CUP by Dennis Loomis
1) ________________________by______________________
2)________________________by______________________
3_________________________by_______________________
4)________________________by______________________
5)________________________by_______________________
6)_________________________by_______________________
7)__________________________by_______________________
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8)__________________________by______________________
9)__________________________by______________________
10)_________________________by______________________
11)_________________________by______________________
12)_________________________by______________________
While you’re working on your initial dozen, we’re going to move
onto some other things that you should be working on. Before we
do, though, let me ask you this. Take a look at your 12 effects
up there. Now, ask yourself, when is the last time you performed
each and every one of them? Be honest with yourself. If we’re
going to pull the best 9 out of there and start charging people money
to see them we should probably make sure you really, truly, know
them. That’s not always the easiest thing to do, though. So the
question now becomes, how do we actually do that? In real life?
How do we practice?
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Chapter 4|Essay
How To Practice?
It’s is a 3 step process.
Step 1:
The first step is reading the instructions. Or watching the DVD. Or,
my favourite, reading the book. Knowing the moves and
performing them on yourself, this is always the beginning.
Step 2:
This is what I personally feel is one, if not THE, biggest stumbling
block that prevents people from becoming working
magicians. And it’s not that they don’t practice, it’s that they
don’t practice in front of other people. But wait, if you’re doing
tricks in front of other people, it’s not practicing, it’s performing,
isn’t it? No. And here’s why…
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You must find a group of people who you can regularly
show magic to without fearing failure.
You must find yourself a safe environment. What exactly does that
mean? It means if you drop the coin, you can actually say,
“Hold on, I dropped it, let me start over.” For a lot of people, it’s going
to be their wives or husbands, or family, or girlfriend or boyfriend.
But it can’t be just one person- and that’s hard for some. So if you
only have one of those people in your life, go find some others. If
you don’t trust your friends, start going to magic clubs or meetings,
socialize; find someone else.
Who are your three people that you can show new magic to without
stressing yourself out?
1)_______________________________________
2)_______________________________________
3)________________________________________
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Step 3:
My final step is taking it out into the real world for people who
aren’t paying you money. And this is where I can give you a
solution that I’ve been doing for the last 8 years.
Magic Friday.
If you have a day job, you’re golden. From this day forward, you’re
going to perform magic at work. No job? Time to start visiting
friends, family, and baristas at coffee shops, whatever it takes.
Because the plan to is to perform one trick, and one trick only, as
many times as you can, every Friday. Do you work in an office
with only three co-workers? Well, you’ll probably only get to do it
once. Are you in a warehouse with over a hundred? You can
probably get ten performances out of it. I’ll even give you the exact
script to get you started.
“Hey everyone, I have an announcement. I’ve been studying the art of
magic and, with your permission, I’d like to show you a trick today. Just
one. And I’d like to do this every week. Sometimes it’ll take 90 seconds,
and others, maybe 5 minutes at most. Whaddya say?”
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Homework:
Do a month of Magic Fridays.
Done? Really? Don’t lie to me (or yourself)! Come back after a
month…
Congratulations, you’re now a magician. Now before my magic
community starts cry ing from the rooftops, “What?!? You can’t
be a magician after a single month!!!” Let me tell you this: in
your co-workers eyes you absolutely are. People are like that. Let me
put it to you this way: if you show your coworkers a painting you’ve
drawn, I guarantee you that if one of them introduces you to
someone else and it comes up, they’ll say, “Jamie’s a painter!” In
their eyes, I am. And I only showed them one painting. Same
with juggling. “Jamie can juggle!” After only one time! So, the point
is, after showing someone one effect, they’re probably going to label
you as a magician. The only question is; are you a good one? And
how do you become a good magician? By practicing. Practice by
yourself, and then in front of other people.
Learn the moves. Practice. Show your three regulars. Reflect.
Practice. Show your Magic Friday Crowd. Review. Hey, that seems
like more than 3 steps! Life can be like that.
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Chapter 5|Anecdote
Your Magic Fridays.
Okay, lets actually do this right and document it. You’ll be doing
magic every week so don’t lose great information. Write it down!
I’ll provide space to record your first month and then I’ll leave it to
you to carry on your own. Be ruthless! Make notes, write
down the script you used, any changes you made, what the reactions
were like, and how it made you and your audience feel.
I can still remember the rush of my very first Magic Friday. What would
they say? Would anyone actually want to watch? I had no idea! This will
change your game.
Ready?
Set?
Start (performing) and writing!
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Week 1
EFFECT NAME:
______________________________________________
CREATOR:
_______________________________________________________
HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
_______________________________________________________
HOW LONG DID YOU PRACTICE IT?
_______________________________________________________
HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU PERFORM IT ON FRIDAY?
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WAS THE BEST REACTION?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WAS THE WORST?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
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YOUR PATTER:
_______________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
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HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL?
_______________________________________________________
DID YOU ENJOY IT?
_______________________________________________________
IS IT A “KEEPER”?
_______________________________________________________
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Week 2
EFFECT NAME:
______________________________________________
CREATOR:
_______________________________________________________
HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
_______________________________________________________
HOW LONG DID YOU PRACTICE IT?
_______________________________________________________
HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU PERFORM IT ON FRIDAY?
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WAS THE BEST REACTION?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WAS THE WORST?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
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YOUR PATTER:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________
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HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL?
_______________________________________________________
DID YOU ENJOY IT?
_______________________________________________________
IS IT A “KEEPER”?
_______________________________________________________
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Week 3
EFFECT NAME:
______________________________________________
CREATOR:
_______________________________________________________
HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
_______________________________________________________
HOW LONG DID YOU PRACTICE IT?
_______________________________________________________
HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU PERFORM IT ON FRIDAY?
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WAS THE BEST REACTION?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WAS THE WORST?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
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YOUR PATTER:
_______________________________________________________
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HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL?
_______________________________________________________
DID YOU ENJOY IT?
_______________________________________________________
IS IT A “KEEPER”?
_______________________________________________________
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Week 4
EFFECT NAME:
______________________________________________
CREATOR:
_______________________________________________________
HOW MUCH DID IT COST?
_______________________________________________________
HOW LONG DID YOU PRACTICE IT?
_______________________________________________________
HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU PERFORM IT ON FRIDAY?
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WAS THE BEST REACTION?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WAS THE WORST?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
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YOUR PATTER:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL?
_______________________________________________________
DID YOU ENJOY IT?
_______________________________________________________
IS IT A “KEEPER”?
_______________________________________________________
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Chapter 6|Advice
Business Cards.
Sweet Marie! Why on earth are we talking about business cards
already?! Well, because people are going to start asking you for
them. Here’s the thing that, for the most part, drives the magic
community crazy. A young person learns a trick (that he probably
stole) runs out to a print shop (knocking a little old lady over on the way),
gets business cards with a rabbit and the word MAGICIAN on
them, and then goes and creates a terrible name for all the rest
of us. Well, that may be true, but that’s not you. Why? Let’s
recap…
1) You’ve learned 12 effects that you can do blindfolded.
2) You’ve gone out into the real world and performed for
actual people.
3) People at work are starting to think you’re pretty good.
STOP!!! Read number 3 again. If that isn’t the case, there is no
need to get business cards yet! But, how do we know? How do we
really know if people think we’re any good and not just saying it to
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our face? Well, one of the ways is that someone will ask you for a
business card! So for those moments, we must prepare.
This isn’t going to be your final branding. Well, it might, but
this is just to assist you in getting work in the beginning. And a lot of
working magicians might want to take note. The single most
important thing that has to be on your business card isn’t a picture,
or a logo, or a trick. It’s how to get a hold of you. Your contact
information. Period.
I’ve seen this mistake time and time again. We get so caught
up in design that we forget that most of the time the person looking
to hire a magician is someone who’s just been told to organize the
company holiday party within 15 minutes, and she remembers
getting a card from this awesome magician one night, and she just
wants to get a hold of you. The ONLY thing she wants is your
phone number or e-mail. That’s it. She could not care less if the
card’s got stripes.
JAMIE D. GRANT
MAGICIAN
604-555-1234
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That’s it. Flashy? Nope. Easy to read? Yep. You’ll have to trust
me when I tell you what’s more important. And, make no mistake, if
someone can’t easily find your contact info, they’ll move on to one
that’s easier. Guaranteed. Does this mean that we can’t design
super hip, ultra-cool business cards that do effects and levitate on
demand? No. But, be warned. What impresses you and your pals isn’t
necessarily what will get you gigs. Take a look at every business card
you see and ask yourself: if I wanted to get a hold of this person in
the next 3 seconds, could I do it? Always apply that to yourself.
I know what you’re thinking: but if it doesn’t have a trick, they won’t
keep it! No, if they don’t want to remember you, they
won’t keep it. Focus less on design and more on making yourself
memorable.
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Chapter 7|Tip
Websites.
Ah, websites. Nothing has caused magicians to lose as much work as
websites. Read that again. LOSE as much work. Websites are
almost exactly the same as business cards. However, instead of
looking for your contact info, they want to see what you look like.
I remember one time I was doing Magic Friday at work, back when I was
a bike messenger and I would perform for people I delivered to, many of
whom I had never met before. This particular delivery was to the office of
Canada’s wealthiest businessman. I gave my usual pitch to the receptionist
of, “Sign here, please. And Happy Magic Friday!
What’s Magic Friday? Well, I’m a magician and I do a
super quick magic trick for people for free today if
they’d like to see something.” Well, the receptionist called out
the entire office! Luckily it was a great trick and had everyone screaming.
They were so loud that the head office manager came running out and,
after some explanation, she mentioned that they were having a holiday
party and was wondered if I was available to work it. Before I said yes,
however, she had one question. What do I WEAR when I perform...
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She had decided that I was good based on the reactions of her
staff, but she still had to decide if I was a good fit for their event.
She obviously couldn’t have someone working the party who wore a
helmet and a messenger bag. So when I replied, “Suit and tie.”
she looked at my website to double-check and said, “See you
Tuesday.”
So that is exactly what your website is for. It should start as a
vehicle to get across the best possible image of yourself to the public.
Of course it’ll also be a way for people to find you; but that shouldn’t
be the focus in the beginning. Becoming easily searchable will come
later.
Image. Think about that word. It’s everything. As soon as
people click on your site, they’ll have a first impression that will
probably stay with them. So what is that image? Clean, cool, and
professional? Or busy, confusing, and garish? Because what they see
will be attributed to you, as well. So, how do we get our
best look onto the screen? Well, you’ll be light years ahead of the
competition if you have professional headshots taken. Just like your
phone number and e-mail are the most important things
on your business card, when it comes to websites, the headshot
reigns supreme. I know that will go against what a lot of people
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think, that surely it’s flashing lights and things to click that get people
to like your site, but after networking with receptionists and event
planners for years, I can tell you what they say behind the scenes. And
for the most part it’s not pretty. People will talk about your polka-dot
suit (in a bad way) far more than how much they liked the spades
floating down the screen of your homepage. So, before
headshots (which comes before website) we must answer something
else.
Take a deep breath, and get ready for some honesty…
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Chapter 8|Study
How Do You Look?
Put this book down and go look at yourself in a mirror. Go
on! I’ll be here when you get back.
Okay, describe the person you just saw. Tall, dark, and handsome?
Short, scrawny, and in need of a haircut? Describe yourself…
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Now is time for some brutal honesty. Is there anything you don’t
like?
I’ll go first. I need more hair. I’m not sure how to get it but I’m
working on it.
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Your turn.
I don’t like:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Here’s the question of the day, “Can you fix what you just
wrote?” Did you write, “Poor posture?” “Overweight?” “Missing
teeth?” If so, fix it. Make yourself better. Get it done. Being a
professional entertainer is about bringing the best of you to every
gig. If you’re not offering them the best you’ve got, you’re not
committing to your art. It’s not all about tricks, it’s about making
people feel amazing. And the first person you need to make feel
that way is yourself.
Okay, now time for something you do like about yourself!
My teeth, for example, are super white.
Your turn.
I like:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Okay, so now the question is, how do we accentuate the
positives and eliminate the negatives? Are you overweight and you’re
not happy with it? Are you missing a tooth and it’s been driving you
crazy? Whatever the case may be, if it can be fixed, now is the time
to do it. Because a good headshot photo might last for a few years,
we’re going to make ourselves the best we can be before we capture
it on paper. But we need to be specific. Making plans about the
future isn’t exact enough. So write down the date three months from
today:
3 months from now:
_______________________
That is the day you’re going to get your headshots. And it’s plenty of
time to create a whole new you - if that’s what you need. You need
to be honest, if you saw a picture of yourself, would you hire
you? 3 months from now. You’ve written it down. The time to start,
though, is today. Drop and give me twenty!
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Chapter 9|Advice
What Are You Wearing?
Not right now! For your gigs. Believe it or not, this will be one
of your most important decisions and will affect not only how
you look (obviously), but also how you feel! Because now we’re
starting to talk about character. What is character? Well, in essence,
it means the role you’re going to play. Is your character an
easygoing, funny personality? Or is he or she the more mysterious
James Bond type? That person you described a few chapters ago,
what do they look like? All of this will be reflected in how you
dress.
So go get dressed. Put on the actual outfit you’d wear if you were
going to work a gig today. I’ll wait.
Okay, are you wearing anything with pictures of playing cards on it?
If so, take it off. Why? Because clichés are the bronze standard (if
that). And you are the gold standard. Clients in the
corporate, wedding, and private party world want elegant. Cool. Fun.
Not cheesy, outdated, or dangerous. I know you love your card tie. It
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says “magician”. But, trust me, we’re going to let them know that in
another way.
So where does that leave us? Surely we don’t want to all look
the same? How does one stand out if everyone’s wearing the same
suit?
The first thing is to start looking at actors’ headshots. Type
“headshots” into Google and see what comes up. See what
doesn’t come up? No one is wearing a tie that says,
“actor” all over it. Nor is anyone holding onto a copy of
“Acting for Dummies.” So put that card fan away. We’re not selling
the fact that you’re a magician. They already know that. That’s why
they’re on your website. What we’re trying to sell them now is you.
So take a look online, find someone you like, and see if it blends with
your character. And it’s not just the clothes they’re wearing that
we’re looking at but also how they stand, their pose, where they
are looking, how they are looking, what tilt is their head at, how they
have their hair, etc. Start studying these pictures and emulating
them. Businesses hire models for ads because models sell things
without saying a word. You are the model for your business. So start
selling. And start saving while you’re at it! If your headshot costs
less than $200, you’re probably not using the best there is. No shots
from friends. Hire a professional; after all, that’s exactly
what we want our clients to do.
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Chapter 10|Anecdote
Funny Or Serious?
Before we click that camera shutter, we must look a little closer at
what we’re becoming first. Brooding and cool, or smiley and
loveable? Like I mentioned at the very beginning of this book, I’ll
tell you what has worked for me and, believe me when I tell you;
I’ve tried them all!
In the end, that age old adage is 100% on point…
Funny is money.
I know what you’re thinking, “What about the guys we see on TV?! The
ones making gazillions of dollars!” Well, I can’t speak for them. All I
can tell you is that if I’m in charge of throwing a party and the
president of my company is telling me it better be good (i.e. fun)
then you can safely assume that I’m going to book someone who I
think is going to make the party fun. You’ll hear what workers
call “the trenches”. Working the trenches is how magicians
describe the work that most of us do and which pays the bills:
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weddings, holiday parties, birthday parties, etc. The key to all of
these is that they’re parties. The event planners are not (for
the most part) looking for serious method acting type evenings of
enchantment.
So what does this mean? Well, it means that for your headshots –
that will go on your website – which will be visited after someone
looks at your business card – which will be handed out when they
ask for it – which will be asked for when you show them how much
fun you are – should be a picture of you smiling. Having
fun. Spreading joy. So when it comes to funny or serious, let me tell
you about the time three guys walked into a bar…
Actually, on that note, what’s the best joke you know?
Write it down here. You’ll be shocked at how often you’ll use it.
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_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
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My very first gig I ever did was for a famous photographer
here in town. She had seen me performing magic in the lobby of an
office tower and asked me if I would do magic at her art opening in
exchange for a headshot. Perfecto! The gig was amazing and
soon afterwards she had me come by her studio. Throughout the
shoot, I had my hand to my head and looked like I was trying to do
some complex math in an attempt to look “magic-y”. “Jamie,” she
said, “You need to smile. People like you better when you
smile.” After a thousand gigs, I promise you- she was right.
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Chapter 11|LESSON
Are You Any Good Yet?
Remember those 12 tricks you wrote down? Let’s go back and revisit
them for a second. How good is your pass? Are you able to double
lift better than anyone? Awesome! Unfortunately, that tells us
almost nothing…
Ask yourself- what does “good” mean? I’m not talking about method.
I’m talking about “hire-ability” (I think I just made that word
up). Are you hire-able? And the answer to this question has (almost)
nothing to do with magic tricks. It has more to do with people. Are
you a likeable person? Do people enjoy your company? Do you
have stories, anecdotes, lines, personality? Make no mistake, this is
what will get you hired and invited back.
I still remember meeting Barrie Richardson, who wrote a couple of my favourite
magic books, and he told me his only goal at the end of the event was for the
people who hired him to ask each other, “When can we have him
back?”
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So let me ask you, when you leave a room, are you missed? If not,
why not? Are people, instead, happy to see you go? Maybe you’re a
mean person? Or perhaps you embarrass people? Do you make
cutting side remarks to try and be funny? Because, if you do, a few
great card tricks aren’t going to help you. People don’t
remember what you did, they remember how you made them feel.
Just like you practice your pass, you need to start practicing,
immediately, making people feel good. And it’s not just about
complimenting them or tossing out flattery, even though that’s a
great place to start. The ability to compliment someone, without it
sounding weird is actually hard to do in a convincing matter. So,
without actually performing a single magic trick, write down the
names of three people; and try and make them feel good about
themselves with a single sentence.
1) _______________________________________________
2) _______________________________________________
3) _______________________________________________
I’ll give you a couple of examples. If it’s a male friend I know, but
whom I haven’t seen in awhile: “Dude, you’re looking sharp!
What gym have you been going to?” Notice the question isn’t
“Have you been going to the gym?” There’s a difference there. If it’s a
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woman, I’ll say something like, “Have I ever mentioned that
you have the greatest smile?”
Don’t forget, we need to compliment without…
1) Sounding like we’re kidding.
2) Coming across weird.
3) Having it followed by awkward silence.
The only way to get good is to practice. Practice being
nice. It’ll also help you find the best in people, which is a killer skill
to have. The key is to find something that is potentially believable
that they haven’t realized themselves. I can’t very well ask someone
which gym he’s gone to if he’s totally out of shape. But even saying
something as simple as, “Man, that is a sweet haircut.” can
change someone’s day. For the better. Start doing this. Make
the day of everyone you meet better.
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Chapter 12|Advice
Starting Conversations.
People love to talk about themselves, that’s human nature. So ask
them questions. The key, though, is to ask them questions that they
can answer in a positive way, because for the most part, at gigs,
you’ll be asking them these questions in front of their friends or co-
workers. So asking them how their divorce is going is probably not
the best idea.
And before we go any further, let me tell you right up front that this
chapter is the one that will save you in a future gig. I guarantee it.
Because when you walk into a gig where there are supposed to be
three hundred people and only eight have shown up, it’s the best
conversationalist in the room who is going to be
earning the money.
Here are five of my “go-to” questions to get a conversation going:
1) “The ace of hearts, right?! Amazing!! I know!!! Hey, you look kind
of familiar, where did you go to high-school?”
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2) “The ace of hearts, right?! Amazing!! I know!!! So, does everyone
work here?”
3) “The ace of hearts, right?! Amazing!! I know!!! Hey, who here is
from the grooms’ side and who is from the bride’s side?”
4) “The ace of hearts, right?! Amazing!! I know!!! Hey, so what
exactly do you guys do here, anyways? I’ll be honest, I have no
idea what a flux capacitor is.”
5) “The ace of hearts, right?! Amazing!! I know!!! Hey, who’s the
biggest troublemaker here?”
Now, anyone can ask those questions. The first question isn’t
what makes a conversationalist. It’s how you respond to their
response.
So, what would you say if they responded with the following?
1) Quesnel.
2) Yes. Yes. No. I’m married to her.
3) Groom. Groom. Groom. Groom.
4) It’s a thing for your car.
5) John.
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Write your follow up question here:
1)_____________________________________________________
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2)_____________________________________________________
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3)_____________________________________________________
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4)_____________________________________________________
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5)_____________________________________________________
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And I’ll give you my responses:
1) What the heck is a “Quesnel? Spell it for me! Is
everyone okay if I curse? Really? Okay, where the
f^$^ is that?!”
2) “Lucky guy! Where did you guys meet? Has
everyone heard this story?”
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3) “Who’s known him the longest?”
4) “C’mon, specifics man! But explain it in twenty
words or less. We’ll count.”
5) “Which one’s John? And, why? What does he do?”
They key is to not let them off the hook. People often
only hate talking at first and feel socially awkward when they feel
like they’re in the presence of a stranger. And the only way to not
be a stranger is to spend time with them. So buy time. The longer
you spend, the better they’ll feel about talking and chatting.
This is what will separate you from everyone else. Because if you can
do this and show them amazing magic at the same time, you’ll be
golden. Don’t forget, your goal isn’t reactions. Your goal is
connections.
Ask questions.
I hope you've enjoyed these first free dozen chapters.
As with everything I do, I don't want there to be any
"surprises"- I want you to know exactly what you're
getting. And these first 12 are just the beginning. As
we go along further into the book, I'll tell you
everything I know about my work as a professional
Walkaround magician, from what my contract looks
like to how I approach groups. Not only that, but I''ll
also be telling you a couple of my secrets that I've
never shared with ANYONE.
I'm super excited! I hope you decide to continue our
journey together.
Your pal,
jamie
www.SendWonder.com