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  

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

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 

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?

With his passion shifting away from magic, Tyler says goodbye to the magic community and to Discourse in Magic in episode 133. Over the course of two hours, Tyler and Jonah discuss why he has decided to leave while reminiscing about their time working on the podcast.  The Reasons Behind his Departure Tyler never planned to become a professional magician. He originally got into magic as a way to get social attention. Magic allowed him to interact with and captivate people. He was happy being the magic person among people because it gave him a way to interact. But, with his life moving in a different direction and finding a passion for video editing, Tyler has found his passion for magic fading away. Magic is no longer helping him form meaningful relationships with people, so he has decided to step back and focus on just being him. As he has mentioned over the last few episodes, Tyler has found a passion for video editing. It’s a task he is able to sit down and complete which is something that has always been difficult for him. Tyler goes on to explain that he wants to be able to move on from projects. With video, he may create several drafts, but he will eventually deliver it to his client and be done with the project. With magic, there is always something more to improve and he can’t move on like he wants to. He further goes on to explain that working for someone else pushes him to be his best. It is a consistent job, and he doesn’t feel guilty completing other tasks outside of his work. Overall, Tyler wants to focus on being just Tyler. Reminiscing The second half is spent briefly covering the 132 episodes they have done together, providing a behind the scenes glimpse into the recording process. Jonah and Tyler cover their favourite episodes, the mistakes they made starting out, and the memorable moments that weren’t recorded. Ending Notes Tyler is glad he did the podcast and believes it has benefited the magic community. He reminds everyone to be good. Not just in magic, but in general. In and outside of magic. Tyler wants you to not just better yourself the whole time, but to try to better the world. You have a gift–a talent you worked hard for. Everything is a gift and you need to remember that. Tyler wants to the thank and apologizes to the fans and the people he has built relationships with through the podcast. It only took one person each week to keep him and Jonah putting out episodes. He thanks you for listening and supporting them over the years and encourages people to continue listening to the podcast after his departure. He hopes that, in the future, he has more to give to the community because it has given him so much. The podcast will continue, but Jonah encourages fans to reach out and keep up with Tyler if he has affected you in any way. If you wish to send Tyler a message, you can reach him at tylersolwilliams@gmail.com  

Known for his appearance on Fool Us, David Parr joins Tyler and Jonah. Bringing his theatrical background to magic this episode, David discusses the value of live theatre, the power of storytelling and Fool Us. David received a magic set when he was younger, and, once he learned all its tricks, needed to know more. His studies led him to the local library and magic store. Soon after, he was performing for library programs in his hometown of Milwaukee. As he moved into regular gigs, his focus was on the enjoyment of performing magic and letting people experience the things he loved. It wasn’t until seeing Doug Henning perform that it dawned on him that magic was something he could do for a living. Sharing the Live Experience David emphasizes that the value of live theatre lies in the moment. Everything the audience and the performer is experiencing is a product of that set of people, in that room during specific conditions. The value of the ticket comes from the ephemeral moment that the audience gets to experience. From these moments, the audience can have their effect on the magic which allows the performance to undergo its evolutionary phase. During his show with Joe Diamond, David mentions that they use to ask the audience who had seen a live magic performance before. Most people had not. For David, this becomes an opportunity to define what live magic can be for the audience. Defining Magic David believes that the definition of your magic influences what you do. He explored this concept in his book, Magic Mirror, which he co-authored with Bob Neal. While Bob came up with a (self-admitted) convoluted defition, David realized he needed to come up with his own simpler definition. This led him to his current description: Simulated impossibility.   This base definition becomes his foundation. From there, he builds the theatrical and technical elements that allow him to fulfill and exceed his audience’s expectations. By giving people multiple levels to engage with, David is able to capture people’s attention and give them memorable moments. People will find something to engage with–whether the puzzle element or the stories–if you give them multiple elements. By the end of the show, people should have an understanding of who he is as a person. Storytelling and Scripting Theatre and film have procedural aspects to their narratives, David explains. Narrative is a powerful tool at our disposal because humans are programmed to connect with narratives. By taking them from point A to point B, you can create memorable moments that they can retain in their mind after the show is over. People will go out and try to share their memories, extending the performance beyond the initial room. David strongly believes in scripting magic. Scripting is the chance for a performer to make deliberate, conscious choices about their performances and why they are doing specific things. David goes on to remind us that you don’t have to be chained to your script. You can deviate and respond to your audience–a script will just allow you to return to the trick without the need to fish around. When writing your script, David recommends recording your performance and transcribing everything you say during it, including the verbal ticks. You can then see where the problems are and can start to make conscious choices about the way you’re performing. You can begin to ask questions like, “what does my audience need to know to understand the narrative?” Fool Us David points to his Fool Us performance as an example of how important narrative is. The back-and-forth game of his trick acted as a compelling enough narrative that people were caught up watching; they didn’t have the opportunity to reverse engineer the procedure. David goes on to say that he fooled them with theatrics as he knows Teller is aware of the effect’s principle. Wrap-Up Magical PSA Ask yourself “Why am I doing this?” If the answer is “look at me” then you probably need to reassess why you’re doing magic. Asking this question over and over will allow us to grow not only as performers but as people. Question of the week? Who am I? How have the threads of the people who have inspired you been woven into your work? Magic is a process of self-discovery. What do you like about the 2018 magic community? Something you don’t like? Many magicians are clinging to the past because they can’t horde secrets anymore. They are denying the reality we live in. So give them more beyond that. Give them a human being to relate to. Take Home Point Jonah resonated with the idea of editing and including as little as necessary to give people multiple layers they can connect with. David liked the idea of determining what it is you want to accomplish. Tyler liked the idea that a script is not a straightjacket and that it can only serve to better your performance. Endless Chain Chrisitan Cagigal or Joe Diamond Social Media Website: https://www.davidparr.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parrmagic/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/parrmagic?lang=en  

Harapan Ong joins Tyler and Jonah this week to discuss Instagram magic, developing your art, and the public’s exposure to magic. While Harapan is not a full-time magician, you can find him performing from and reviewing magic books on his Instagram show, Fully Booked. Growing up in Singapore, Harapan had a very limited exposure to magic. His intro to magic began after seeing David Copperfield performing his Grandpa’s Aces routine on T.V. Completely mesmerized, he spent the night trying to figure it out. For his birthday, his dad found a magic shop, called the Magic Castle, hidden away in a shopping mall. The Amateur Magician When he was younger, Harapan considered quitting school to purse magic full time, but parental pressure stopped him. However, he has no regrets. By not needing to focus on magic that would appeal to a hypothetical audience, Harapan has the opportunity to explore the magic that interests him. Currently inspired by the blog, The Jerx, Harapan recommends their booklet, Amateur at the Kitchen Table, for amateurs looking for ideas and performance ideas. Instagram Magic Magic online, primarily on Instagram, is often a contentious issue that sees magicians taking sides. Harapan steps in to provide a young person’s insight mixed with the understanding of the older generations. To him, social media magic is just a new platform to perform on. Referencing Paul Harris’, Harapan reminds the audience that some tricks were developed solely for television. Social media has just become a more accessible video avenue To grow on social media, you need to follow certain rules and apply techniques — it’s a whole new art form that Harapan wishes more magicians would explore and utilize to share their magic. He does warn, however, that you should be able to perform some tricks in real life to show people you’re more than just a person on the screen, but someone they can connect with.   Creating and Improving While Harapan does highlight the pros of using video to learn, he focuses primarily on a books ability to better spark the imagination. To him, the value of a book comes from the number of ideas it inspires in you. This is why books with decent ideas appeal to him; they come with tricks that he is able to improve on, in his own way. To new magicians–primarily young magicians–Harapan emphasizes the need to create your own magic. Creating allows you to understand your voice, pushes you to be original, and teaches you how to be unhappy with a method and how to find a solution to fix it. Where Harapan takes issue with creating is trying to sell a trick too early in your career. If you’re creating tricks for the sake of publication, you probably won’t be creating material worth publishing. Public’s Exposure to Magic As magic continues to mature and its popularity grows in the mainstream, Harapan hopes it will push magicians to be more original and become savvier with magic. Recounting a story told to him by Pipo Villaneua, he explains that Spain had two channels on T.V., and one was basically dedicated to Juan Tamariz performing card tricks. Spanish people were exposed to really good card magic at a young age, which resulted in the public knowing what excellent magic looks like. Young magicians were trying to top Tamriz which resulted in the amazing Spanish performers we see today. Wrap Up Magical PSA Strive to be good at what you do. Strive to be original. In terms of learning, explore everything. Learn about the art you love. Never lose focus on what you love about magic. Be the best magician you can be. Question of the Week Why are you not reading Ascanio’s books on theory yet? What do you like about 2018 magic? What do you hate about 2018 magic? Harapan really likes how exposed the general public is getting to magic. They are seeing good magic which, as a result, pushes the art form as a whole. He doesn’t like the gap between the newer and older generations. Where the new is detached from crediting and doesn’t seem to want to pay for the material, the older generations don’t exactly seem willing to help the younger generation understand the history of magic. Endless Chain of Magicians Pipo Villaneua  Favourite Parts Jonah liked that part about encouraging people to create is fine, but releasing too soon is a problem. Tyler liked the idea of releasing unpolished stuff to get feedback on via social media. Harapan liked the idea of magicians getting accustomed to sharing online and generating a discussion about magic. Social Media Instagram: @Harapanong

This week, Tyler and Jonah sit down to discuss their past month’s projects, advertising, their views on ethics in magic and Shin Lim.  Catching Up Tyler has continued with his studies into media creation. His focus has primarily been on video production, and he is looking to branch out his video into magic related areas. Jonah’s month was full of magic between his show at Dave and Buster’s starting up, two Art of Magics since the last catch-up, and a performance at TIFF. Advertising Alongside his performances, Jonah has been delving into the world of online marketing for his shows and has discovered that it is a nuanced process. He has had to not only consider the audiences he wants to be targeting, but how to balance the cost of the ads versus the revenue coming in from the sales. Ethics in Magic In response to a fan question, Tyler and Jonah spend time discussing the ethics surrounding magic. Their discussion centers around the audience’s perception of the magician and their performance. The two tackle the question of: is the context of a magic show enough for an audience to know it’s not real? Or does the magician need to be explicit in their presentation that it’s a trick and outside forces? Shin Lim With Shin Lim’s recent America’s Got Talent win, Tyler and Jonah are excited about how magic is being perceived in the public eye. The two see Shin Lim as elevating the art and performing a different kind of stage magic compared to what people are use to seeing. He pushed the limitations of card magic, and has moved the performance and creation of magic forward. Referencing the Garret Thomas episode, Tyler and Jonah note that people are consuming magic without feeling the need to perform it. People are interested in experiencing the magic, not just deconstructing how it the trick was done. Shin Lim has had a noticeable effect on this transition alongside Penn and Teller’s Fool Us. Resources: If you’re interested in video production and editing software like the ones discussed on the episode, here are some programs to look into: Adobe Creative Cloud (Tyler’s recommendation, and used by professional editors) Hitfilm Express (a free alternative to Adobe, perfect for people starting out) Avid Media Composer (paid and free versions, industry standard)

We are very excited to have Axel Hecklau join us. He is an award-winning magician, taking second place for parlour magic at the 2018 FISM World Championship, who brings his unique insight to improving existing methods this episode. Axel took up magic when he was 12 years old after deciding he wanted to perform a magic show for his grandpa’s birthday. Alongside a group of young magicians and the support of a magic club, Axel continued learning and practicing magic. The club eventually put on a competition which Axel competed in. From there, he focused on perfecting his routines for competitions rather than the public. Creativity and Originality Axel believes that to bring the art form further, we need to be creative in many ways. However, inherent creativity and talent is not something you can work on, so you should play to your strengths. If you are a talented performer, then it is fine to perform tricks developed by other creators as there are some magicians who cannot perform. He is never satisfied with a trick, as satisfaction means there is no chance to develop further. His approach to improving his magic is to identify the problem, the moments in his routine he’s unsure of, and find the solution. He makes it clear that if you find yourself thinking “oh, nobody noticed” about a particular part of your performance, people will notice. The audience will feel the offbeats in their gut, breaking them from the moment.  Approaching Magic The little moments in our lives is where the magic lies, Axel explains. It’s about looking at the relatable human moments in your life and telling these stories through your routine. He refers to Dai Vernon when he says “be natural” when performing. Your moves and story need to be believable for your audience to experience a moment of life when the strange and unbelievable begin to happen. Disturbing your magic with artificial elements will cause the audience to notice, breaking the atmosphere. In recommending the Book of Wonder by Tommy Wonder, Axel explains how you have to work on every little detail like Tommy Wonder. There needs to be a willingness to not simply be satisfied and to push yourself to create and perform better magic.  Magic Influencers Magicians’ performances and views of magic are influenced by the other magicians around them. In terms of the German style approach to magic, Axel highlights Alexander de Cova and Eberhard Riese, author of Foundations, as the two biggest influencers. Magic PSA Axel says to be unsatisfied with your things. But be satisfied with the success you had also. It’s always two things. Not only be satisfied but keep creating. Who Should we have on the Podcast? Tim Trono. Take Home Points Tyler liked Axel’s explanation of magic in everyday life. Jonah liked the idea of asking how far are you willing to go to make something possible. Axel liked the part about taking a routine you’ve performed for years and improving on it. Where to Find Axel Email: mail@axelhecklau.com Website: www.axelhecklau.com Instagram: @axel_hecklau

We start episode 127 by catching up with Tyler and Jonah. While Tyler hasn’t been performing much practical magic, he has been developing his video and editing skills. Meanwhile, Jonah’s month was steeped with magic. He recently finished his summer tour and had the chance to visit L.A. to perform some intimate closeup shows. Jonah also had the chance to visit the Magic Castle where he saw Laura London, Rob Zabrecky, Nick Paul, Jon Armstrong, and Karl Hein perform. After returning from L.A., Jonah performed at another sold-out Art of Magic show. Picking up from where they left off in episode 125, Tyler and Jonah continued to answer listener questions.   Getting Gigs and Followers Listeners had an interest in learning how to land their first few magic gigs. Jonah recommends finding the kind of gigs you want to do and performing at them for free. Whether you want to perform on stage or in an intimate closeup environment, Jonah says to focus on collecting photos, videos, and testimonials that you can send to potential clients. From there, you should focus on building a website and ordering business cards. One listener asked about how to gain followers on social media. Tyler and Jonah both agree that you need to post interesting content every day, referencing Glenn West’s 365 challenge as an example of how one can grow their following with limited resources by posting once a day. Loving your Art The next question involved how to keep magic a joy and not a job. Jonah says to keep magic a joy, you have to enjoy what you’re doing. If performing and getting people to laugh is where you find joy, maximize that. If learning and creating new tricks is your joy, then being a creator or consultant may be a better route. Tyler adds that you should take time to explore your other interests. If you find yourself being drawn back to more magical things, then pursue them. Tyler continues with the idea that you may just be tired of what you’re currently doing, and should look into new experiences with the art. Another question asked about what pushes Jonah and Tyler to continue practicing, performing and thinking about magic. Jonah sees magic as a hobby he loves and would move on it if he lost the passion completely. He goes on to explain that his love for magic is constantly changing based on his current motivations to perform. Tyler sees his passion stemming from his puzzle-solving mentality and being able to show people what he wants them to see. Where to Begin with your Magic Some listeners had an interest in learning where to begin with getting into magic. Jonah recommends finding tricks you want to perform and discovering the moves you need from there. He recommends attending your local magic store, looking at free resources, and following Youtubers like Alex Pandrea and Jay Sankey. Tyler reflects on when he was learning and wishes that he had spent more time learning how to perform alongside sleight of hand. In answering a question about finding a mentor, Jonah reminds listeners that not everyone wants to teach. You can reach out to someone and be a great fan, but ultimately it’s up to the person. Tyler recommends making a connection and making your interest clear. For books on scripting, Jonah refers to Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber and Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz. The State of Magic In response to a question about the seeming lack of magic in magic due to social media, Tyler sees magic as undergoing a change that relies less on a character and more on people creating the online content that initially inspired them. Jonah mentions that there such is a rich diversity in magic nowadays that you can find the kind of magic you want to see. Jonah sees people as carving out their own versions of what magic is to them. To anyone who feels like they’re focusing on the end rather than the moment, Jonah suggests slowing down to stretch out that magical moment. We love getting your questions and plan to do more Q&A’s in the future.  Send us your questions or message to discourse@discourseinmagic.com or contact us through Instagram.