Below is an article I got from a magic newsletter which I found very meaningful to share...
Creativity... ‹(•¿•)›
“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation” - Herman Melville
“Creativity in business is often nothing more than making connections that everyone else has almost thought of. You don´t have to reinvent the wheel, just attach it to a new wagon.” – Mark McCormack
What's the difference between you and David Copperfield.. or you and Mac King? Is it the magic you perform, or the way you look or carry yourself on-stage?
Probably not.
More than likely, it's your level of creativity. We all strive to master our magic. We all strive to perform our effects as flawlessly as possible, having practiced in front of mirrors and friends for months. And we all seek the 'proper' look and gear to make us visually appealing to our audience.
But chances are, the ONE thing that truly separates us from the top tier performers is our level of creativity..
Copperfield proves you don't have to be talkative to be successful.. and Mac King ( and Houdini too, for that matter..) proves you don't have to be six foot two with striking good looks to to have your own vegas show..
Performers like Mac King, Michael Finney, and Gazzo display a creative comedy that make their performances distinctively unique. Finney's signature effect is 'Professors Nightmare', and Gazzo the 'Cups and Balls'. Nothing particularly creative with their choice of effects. But it's the way they perform, the creative comedy, that makes each a success.
Think of your favorite performer and their signature effect. What makes it different from similar effects by other magicians? Lance Burton's cups and balls employee's Petie the mouse. David Williamson prompts Rocky the Racoon to jump through a flaming hoop to reveal a selected card. And Jeff McBride has combined oriental style, world music, theatre, and dance to give his card magic a totally unique look and feel.
These are just a couple of examples of top tier performers who use their creativity to separate their performances from the rest of the magic community. Most of us, unfortunately, are part of the 'rest' of the magic community. We have the trick down pat.. it's the rest of the performance that holds us back. Here's a couple of techniques to help you improve YOUR creativity...
Think like a child. Just as " Bridge to Terabithia" encouraged it's characters to 'close your eyes.. and open your mind', our profession demands that we foster a child-like sense of wonderment that blurs the lines between magic and reality. We all remember the first time we saw a magic effect that could only be explained in supernatural terms. So the next time you're stuck for an idea, try to imagine how a child would perform the same effect, and how humor and silliness would play a central role.
Create in different locations. There are certain locations that are 'magical' for me. Just a writers have 'spots' where they can, and cannot, write.. magicians need places that stir the mind and put us in the right mood. Go outside. Often nature offers a refreshing change. Personally, try as I might, I cannot get the creative urge sitting in my living room, what with the big screen TV, the house phone, and outside traffic.
Attend magic conventions and meetings. Nothing inspires like a great convention. After attending six or seven lectures by top tier magicians your creative juices are flowing like the Colorado River in the spring. Sharing thoughts and ideas with like minded performers encourages you to practice harder, strive longer, and train like an athlete. I have never attended a convention that I didn't leave with a notebook full of creative ideas, in part because of what I observed and in part because of what I learned during the lectures and workshops.
Keep a voice recorder handy. Many cell phones have a built-in voice recorder, and offer an excellent method for recording those fleeting thoughts that may never grace our cranium again.. unless we capture them as they pass from the right ear to the left..
Nothing will kill your creativity faster than criticism. Don't share your creative thoughts with magicians or family members who are overly critical. You leave yourself very vulnerable when you share an undeveloped idea or effect with someone you love and/or respect. A good critique should leave you inspired to work harder, not crushed or resigned to second tier..
NEVER be afraid to fail. Every successful magician has failed many, many times. Failure is an integral part of the creative process. It doesn't define you as a performer, unless you allow it to.. As one famous inventor once said: " A failure is nothing more than the discovery of another method that doesn't work". Some creative techniques are over-the-top and can leave the audience scratching it's collective heads, not appreciative of your effort. Discover a happy medium.
In addition to creativity, a study at Exeter Univ. revealed the following:
Excellence is determined by a number of basic elements, including training, motivation, and practice. Practice was determined to be the most important of all.
No one reached high levels of achievement in their field without devoting thousands of hours of serious training to their art or craft. Mozart, for example, practiced for 16 years before he produced his first acknowledged masterwork. Likewise, many top magicians will not demonstrate an effect until they've devoted several hundred hours to perfecting and personalizing it's workings. Even then, they will not add it to their repertoir until they have a distinctive creative edge for the effect, distinguishing it from similar effects by other performers.
I wish I could offer a simple solution to adding creativity to your performance, but I don't think one exist. I do know you can create your own special effects IF you're willing to devote the time and effort to make your performance 'yours'..
Remember, it's not the effect that separates you from your competition, it's the way you perform the effect that determines you success...
Rick Carruth
Just a sidenote.
You want a happy medium? Pay them and make them believe you believed them. lol.