|
|
Go to page 1~2 [Next] | ||||||||||
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
At the factory where I work, I have found a challenge.Â
Here it is: They call it the breakroom! I have wanted to break the ice there and perform an effect or two during break time. Just to begin to get word spread around about what I do. (Side note: I don't expect to work at a factory all my life! I have something valuable to share with the human race that sets me a notch above. That thing of course is my magic and sleight of hand skills. In fact, I'm tired of going incognito! I feel like Clark Kent, secretly being Superman, just waiting for an empty phone booth to duck into!) Now I don't know if anyone has ever been in a typical factory breakroom, but I can tell you, they are not conducive to performing magic! As far as "performance friendly", I'd rate them about a one on the scale. For one thing, angles! In this particular one, you have four long tables lined up in rows. Anybody and everybody is constantly milling about, and there will always be people on either side of you, and in back of you when you least expect it, or are not aware of it.  Angles in that room are total crap! Second : The people. Have you ever worked in a typical factory?? A lot of these people are not exactly known for their politeness! We're talking about a rowdy crowd! I'd compare it to a bar as far as that goes. The people, especially the guys, are ruthless. If, for instance, you did a card trick, count on hearing "Let me see those cards!!" In fact, you can pretty much expect grabbing hands. If the cards are gimmicked, count on being nailed; busted. Any gimmicked decks will be sniffed out in a heartbeat. As I said, it's just not a nice place to demonstrate to folks that you have extraordinary powers far beyond those of the normal factory worker! Yet my ego cries out to stand out from the crowd and become known as the amazing magic guy. (trying to get a laugh from you, there.) Soooo, I've been scoping the situation out and trying to discern what I could do that would not leave me looking very, VERY bad. It has to be something that I can seguay into naturally while sitting there casually conversing with people at the table. Pulling a deck of cards out of my pocket just does not feel as if it would be natural. I thought about floating effects. No way! The room is lighted by several flourescent lights. Maybe something with flash paper? Um, me thinks I could get FIRED for "playing with fire" on factory premises. See the predicament, here? Rope tricks? Who carries rope around with them? Totally unnatural. Ahhhh! But the lightbulb went off above my head! Coins! Coins would fit! Coins would be the natural answer! What could be more natural than casually pulling a few coins from your pocket as if just fiddling? Coins are unobtrusive. They look and feel natural and they don't scream "magician's gimmick." Yes boys, I think I have found my answer! I'm now more inspired than ever to really work on a new group of coin effects to improve my skills as both a well rounded magician and amazer of mankind!
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
|
|||||||||
Ramin Regular user 119 Posts |
Doug,
I came up with all my routines in this enviroment, maybe even worse. I built Nuclear Power Plants. Most of the Stuff I used were coin tricks, I do a version of Sack's dice, and a couple others. All the challenges you now face, I faced, except sometimes I was doing my routines on a scaffold 100 feet in the air. PM me and I'll share some things with you. Ronnie |
|||||||||
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Ok! I'll pm you.
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
|
|||||||||
bowers Inner circle Oakboro N.C. 7024 Posts |
Ha Daff
I perform about every day in our breakroom mostly at lunch time. I do coins cards rope silk and everytjing in between.Your right abut angles. And these guys aren't dummys either.you have to be smart about what gimmicks to use. But I enjoy it and they look forward to it everyday.It really keeps me in practice for my shows too. Todd |
|||||||||
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
How did you first break the ice?
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
|
|||||||||
billappleton Inner circle Los Gatos, California 1154 Posts |
Tell them that you need to practice with living humans, and if they don't mind, you'd like to show them a trick or two. They're doing you a favor, which strangely enough people like better than you offering to do one for them.
|
|||||||||
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Good idea! So you just put on like you are just "learning" when in actuality you have practiced your butt off?
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
|
|||||||||
Waterloophai Inner circle Belgium 1368 Posts |
The workplace and a family party or a family celebretion are maybe good for practice, but are never the ideal envirement for doing magic.
The reason is psychological and very simple. When you perform for a colleague or workmate or family, you are not a "magician". You are Jeff, Bradd, Joe or their uncle who is doing a "magic trick". The social relationship between you and them is not that of a "magician". When they go to a restaurant or a theater and they see someone doing magic tricks, they see a "magician". Therefor it is much harder to perform before workmates or family. You cannot create the image in their head of that of a "magician". They know you in a different relationship. |
|||||||||
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
That's very enlightening! I never ever thought about it, but you are right. I guess the solution is to perform such strong effects that they finallly concede that you ARE a magician.
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
|
|||||||||
Waterloophai Inner circle Belgium 1368 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-03-15 07:11, daffydoug wrote: I am afraid that I must dissapoint you. You cannot change the "image" of workmate or family member in that of magician. How strong your trick may be, you will be always "Alfred who is doing a little trick". When you do the same trick before a public that does not know you, you are "a great magician". |
|||||||||
Ramin Regular user 119 Posts |
Yes, In the work place just be yourself. Don't Play the part of a "Magician", don't Act. Just talk to them the way you do everyday, otherwise you'll be incongruent.
You also only have to "Break the Ice" once. It should just be something simple, and just do it for one or two people. After that they will take you around to everyong else. You won't have to do anything special. I suggest doing one or at the most two tricks at a time. Otherwise you'll go straight through your repretoire. Keep in mind that when you show one person a trick, they'll take you to someone else. You need to be prepared to do a trick that is different but along the same lines, so the first person sees something new too, but still feel like you showed them the same thing. Ronnie |
|||||||||
Waterloophai Inner circle Belgium 1368 Posts |
I will even go further. If you ask a fee for your magic, they will respect you (and your magic) more then if you do it for free.
I have learned my lessons the hard way In the beginning, if didn't ask money if it was for a good cause (charity). Then I found out that a lot of artists in the show (like me) were not paid. After all, it was for charity.... But for one or two big names they paid a lot of money! Since then, when they ask me to perform for "charity" I ask ALWAYS my normal fee and I say that afterwards I will make a gift of the same amount. Mathematical it is exactly the same but psychological it is a big difference! Those organisations respect me a lot more now. Why: they have to pay for my magic. (altough they recieve it back later) In 99,99% of the cases somewhat where people have to pay for, they respect more. Something they get for free (gratuite) cannot be much worth... think about it. (Excuse me for my bad English grammar. It is not my native language) |
|||||||||
Atom3339 Inner circle Spokane, WA 3242 Posts |
How ever people perceive you, you have the opportunity to ENTERTAIN them. I believe that is our overall goal whether you are the friend, family member or associate showing a trick or two or Mysto The Amazing earning big bucks with your unique persona. The OPPORTUNITIES to perform are invaluable.
At this point in my life, I have all kinds of people beg me all the time to show them some magic.
TH
Occupy Your Dream |
|||||||||
Ramin Regular user 119 Posts |
Waterloophai:
I doubt he'll be able to get them to pay him to perform magic at work. Since they are basically paying him not to do magic at work. |
|||||||||
Christopher Rinaldi Veteran user 347 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-03-15 05:05, Waterloophai wrote: I respectfully disagree with just about everything you said in this post. For one I've had many blue collar jobs, most of which were in the exact same environment as in the original post and my fellow employee's absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt understood rather quickly that I was a "Magician". |
|||||||||
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
This is getting interesting!
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
|
|||||||||
Mb217 Inner circle 9520 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-03-15 10:54, Atom3339 wrote: I agree with you Atom, do magic wherever you can, whenever you can, for everyone you can...It all counts as experience and you learn from it. You don't have to do big shows or events to progress in the art. You start where you can and build from there. It's all good and I'm living proof of it. I've done magic for all sorts of people, one person at a time and then for dozens of people watching me do a 3 Fly or something. I've done it at big parties and small ones, for kids and adults, for important people and most times for nobody special at all...It works the same on all of them and I respect them all the same. More importantly, I have learned how to step into any situation and take control of the minds and moments via magic. I did it today in an AT&T phone store, easy as pie, all eyes on me, customers and reps, and the dozen-or-so smiles of wonderment were priceless. Just do it!
*Check out my latest: Gifts From The Old Country: A Mini-Magic Book, MBs Mini-Lecture on Coin Magic, The MB Tanspo PLUS, MB's Morgan, Copper Silver INC, Double Trouble, FlySki, Crimp Change - REDUX!, and other fine magic at gumroad.com/mb217magic
"Believe in YOU, and you will see the greatest magic that ever was." -Mb |
|||||||||
Christopher Rinaldi Veteran user 347 Posts |
I have discovered that many of my fellow employee's actually looked forward to having me on the job with them. In their words I made the time go by much quicker for them and on days I skipped work they missed me...that's a good feeling. I can say doing magic in the break room is different from working bars. I do magic in some really rednecky type bars and THAT is a difficult venue altogether.
|
|||||||||
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
MB217,
Could you tell us more about what you did in the AT&T store? Sounds like a great anecdote!
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
|
|||||||||
bowers Inner circle Oakboro N.C. 7024 Posts |
I disagree too.I might be Todd at work but they also know me
as the[ magic man] my professional working name.And you could ask anyone of them that they consider me as a treat.To be able to watch me perform for them about everyday.And I also get a lot of respect from them also.I had two guys make me feel very special this morning.I was performing magic this morning at 5am befor work.And they told me if I had your talent I would quit this job and do it full time.I said I would if it offered insurance-bonus and 401k + Holiday pay with 3 weeks vaction time.lol Todd |
|||||||||
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Trick coin trickery » » Coins Are The Answer and The Lightbulb That Went Off Above My Head! (0 Likes) | ||||||||||
Go to page 1~2 [Next] |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.04 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |