The first thing I can remember wanting to invent as a child was a machine that would record my dreams so I could experience them again and again.
I was talking to a friend recently about the concept of having a great show but simply feeling awkward on how to start. Now the main issue was this strange feeling of what to do when the kids start coming into the room for the show and what you should or should not do.
I have often wondered what would have happened if when I was first learning magic and mentalism, and buying every prop in the store, if someone would have said “you need to learn how to blend”. I was like every other student of magic; I just wanted every prop, gimmick and secret there was. I never stopped to think of putting the same kinds of effects together for a routine nor did I realize that what I was stringing together for a show was just effects, no real entertainment value at all.
My first word to you now is to get the professional attitude. The purpose of my course is to make a Real Magician out of you. I want you to get Professional Skill even if you don't plan to go on the stage. By the end of this course you must be able to do tricks with the same skill as a magician in the profession. You must not be satisfied with less.
When I first started in magic, it was quite by accident. Well not an accident, but a sickness. I came down with a disease that was only curable by bed rest. My family doctor was the brother of a famous kid’s magician, Bert Easley. My doctor got me started by bribing me with a trip downtown to visit his brother and magic shop; if I did not cry when they drained my lungs. Now, you ask, what does this to do with the article? well, because of all the trips I made; I became fairly good friends with the local magicians and learned a lot from them. When I needed to come up with a persona for me, the magicians all agreed, “be what fits you and your personality”.