Performaholic, Createaholic, uhh, Cardistryaholic?

[MalibuARMY]

"So… What do you wanna do?"
"Let's perform."
"I don't know."
"Suit yourself bye." (Runs off like Roadrunner)

Remember back to the Luke Dancy podcast. There was a clever question that came up. "Are you more of a performer or a creator?" Luke said he was a creator. I have to say I am a performer at heart.

Magic for me is actually not some crazy connection with a David Blaine death stare thrown in. For me magic is brightening someone's day and making them believe, even if it is just for a moment that anything is possible. Now you might say that is the so called "connection" but I don't think the word does that much justice.

I love performing as myself more than just doing some slight of hand. Performing is my favorite part. Being able to interact with people, be myself and tell jokes and the lot. I don't have too many friends and being myself from where I live is like being a witch back in the 1600's. It is annoying because people don't know how to be themselves in my stupid town. Well, enough about me being the only magician now that my friend went off to MIT and his friend went to some other college… Oh yeah, TOPIC: Are you a performer, a manipulator or a creator.

A performer as in someone who likes to interact with people and has no fear of it. Well, we all have fear I guess. I know I will when I audition for the Junior Program or when I try to get a restaurant gig if I ever somehow get off my computer.

OR

A manipulator as in someone who lets say likes cardistry or a magician that likes performing to oneself. A move monkey maybe. Because I know there are a lot of tricks and slights that are hard and fun to master but no one would perform. Like for me it is the clipshift. Well, maybe that is just because I suck at it sometimes. Yeah, that's it. Are you someone who likes to perform for yourself and feel the sense of accomplishment other than going out and performing for people?

OR

Are you a creator like Luke Dancy and Jesse Feinberg? Someone who likes to design the tricks and slights and fiddle with things to make your own miracles. Or maybe make your own flourish in cardistry.

Of course we are all a little bit of everything. It is like a cycle now that I think about it. I create my performance in my head of what it will be about and then perform it and talk with the people and uhh, clipshift for myself when I get home. Haha.

What are you most of the time. A performer, a manipulator or a creator?

It is fun to think isn't it.

–MalibuARMY

 

[Cedric Taylor]

I'm not sure what you would call me??? I'm not a creator, all the way. But i like to take effects already created and perform it in a manner that it hasn't been performed in. If i can't do that. I totally stay away from that effect. So i'm a tweener i guess...

 

[MichalMystic]

Well Im defiantly a performer and believe to my very soul that what magic is about. It not about learning a 1000 moves you'll never learn. It not about making a video of doing a effect in room by yourself. It about getting out there and entertaining people!

I like to create also but after my first (and only) commercial effect was created I realized that you really put your self under the gun and for the most part the magic community pretty harsh when it come to judging.

 

[Aaron.Williams]

I am DEFINITELY a Performer. I tried cardistry, It's not really my thing. I kinda suck at creating even though I've created one or two tricks. its really hard for me to come up with ideas. So I perform and I've been told I'm a really good performer.

Quick Story:: This past christmas/december I entered a talent show. There was about 15-20 acts and they were really good. I had to follow this awesome act and I come up with my little deck of cards and my sharpie. The crowd was pretty far away so they probably didn't get a good look at the cards. I did a little prediction effect that the crowd wasn't really feeling. Then. I did Catch. The crowd went CRAZY! I got 3rd place (not bad for a magician) and people are still talking about it to this day. Needless to say I'm doing the talent show this year.
So the moral of the story is that I like to perform and I'm good at it. Sorry the "quick story" wasn't so quick, I tend to rant. A lot

 

[moviesandmagic3]

I don't perform trying to convince the audience that I am creating "magical" magic. I love difficult moves and flourishes and showing them to people as a display of skill as opposed to "magic". I don't stop only at cards, for example, I perform tricks like Pressure and Crush and whatnot. But I perform them as if they were "mind puzzles" as opposed to supernatural ability.

And it's too bad Malibu that we can't have our battle anymore!!!

 

[Luis Vega]

I am the 3 of them...sometimes both at the same time..

I like to use flourishes in my magic when I can justify it...
I like to use my own tricks in real-life perfomances..
I like to perfom a lot!!

 

[saborfang17]

I am the 3 of them...sometimes both at the same time..

I like to use flourishes in my magic when I can justify it...
I like to use my own tricks in real-life perfomances..
I like to perfom a lot!!

I'm kind of a move monkey, but I'm definitely a performer and creator. I've created about 1/4th of the tricks I use on a daily basis, even though they're more like variations on other moves or things that have already been thought of. I do learn and practice some sleights when I'm bored, just to know I can do them, but I personally find my time wasted if I'm not going to use them in live situations often.

 

[ATH]

"We have an epidemic here people -- people that don't know the rules of word endings! I've seen alcohol but I haven't seen any createahol."

Joke stolen from Demetri Martin.