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IAIN Eternal Order england 18807 Posts |
I am a designer and work with journalists and branding, as well as developers. I am more than used to brutal feedback, but I also know how and when to stand my ground because I know its healthy for the brand (that being me)...
As I said, I love close up, house parties, small groups, its on my terms. People are welcome to think that it might be wrong or even bad for mentalism. They are entitled to that, and yes, theres plenty of bad ways to do it. Just like there is everything else. I love traditional techniques, and I love classic mentalism. Yet I still have to do things that my persona dictates. I'm from an art background, so that bleeds through. Very into surrealism, Jung and a few other things - I am not going to swerve those influences because they are real and true for me... I think the biggest mistake that gets made is lack of a cohesive story arc from start to finish, and lack of persona...they go hand in hand... People tend to focus on clever methods rather than logic and all of the above...
I've asked to be banned
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Atlas Inner circle 3103 1277 Posts |
Quote:
On Apr 21, 2016, Robb wrote: An interesting post that made me think of one of the essays in my book, The Intrepid Rogue's Manual of Deception, an excerpt from which is below: "There is one question in particular that I feel has, once answered, helped to define and round out each show I have ever done: Why do I perform mentalism? This might seem like an odd question, but the answer matters SO much, because at the end of the day there are only two possible answers: I do it for me I do it for others Each answer indicates an underlying attitude that can have a tremendous impact on how you are perceived and how consistently you book in clients. There are two types of performers out there: Those who perform because they love the adulation and applause, and those who perform because they love watching someone experience the impossible. One works to receive a gift, and the other works to give it. The former tends to be selfish, egocentric, prideful, easily offended, petulant, insecure, and difficult to befriend. The latter tends to be thoughtful, empathetic, self-deprecating, easy going, patient, confident, and likeable. Simply stated, these two can be classified as follows: Insincere Genuine Imagine for a moment that you are a client looking to book an act. Which of the above options would you prefer to employ? The latter is clearly more suited to working with people and this tends to feed into their cycle of success. Whereas to succeed in show business, the former has to pass himself off as a genius and is full of bluster and spin as a result. These two attitudes also bleed through into our performances – trials by ordeal in which earning the trust and confidence of the audience is the key to your success." I think that, all too often, a performer's ego and tendency to take himself too seriously prevents him from receiving relevant advice and improving. I'm not saying that's the case for your Robb, just that your post reminded me of the above and I thought I'd share it here. Best, Atlas |
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Robb Inner circle 1291 Posts |
Atlas, I don't disagree with you... but even when we are performing for others, with the "right" motivation, there are still the doubts and nagging questions of "Am I doing this right? Is this entertaining, really? Am I going to be exposed? Geesh, did I change the batteries in my gizmo?".
Threats to ego do not necessarily mean threats to one's sense of being special, superior or the performance being all about you. That is the way we typically think of ego but it's deeper than that, I believe. We all have a self-image of how we work, how we come off to others, how 'deceptive' (for lack of a better term) our methods are, etc. And we need that self-image whether we think we are God's gift to the world or not (preferably not!). Without a healthy image of ourselves - a stable feeling of who we are, why we do what we do and that we do it competently - we can't really perform with sincerity and confidence in my eyes. It actually makes it harder to be an audience-focused performer. You're not at ease. You are worried about "getting caught", etc. So it's not necessarily our thought of ourselves as superior that is at risk. It's our ego in a broader sense that will feel threatened and destabilized if our confidence in our approach is significantly (and, usually, unnecessarily) rattled by some argument on a message board. |
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Robb Inner circle 1291 Posts |
Actually, I would sort of disagree with your essay in part because I don't believe that there are "two types of performer's out there: Those who perform because they love the adulation and applause, and those who perform because they love watching someone experience the impossible".
I think most performer's are BOTH of those things to varying degrees and a complex mixture of the characteristics you listed. I.e., they are human. Clearly if they lean too far to the side of ego-gratification (in the sense you mean) then they will likely not get far as performer's, though that is not always true either I'm afraid. But myself? I enjoy the applause, I enjoy the adulation... I enjoy the cash! ;-) It doesn't mean *everything* but I sure don't enjoy a performance where the audience is not moved to applaud or otherwise react strongly. At the same time, I really, really enjoy connecting with people and entertaining them. That is my primary motive (I hope) but if I said I wasn't also seeking adulation, money, some degree of fame and pride in my accomplishments, I'd be lying. I think anyone who said that might be kidding themselves. |
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Last Laugh Inner circle Grass Valley, California 3498 Posts |
It's kind of the same question as "Does genuine altruism exist". It's a tricky question, because we have to remember that even being selfless and helping people is something we do because it makes us feel good. We like ourselves better.
I don't think Atlas was trying to break it down that far, but I do think it's impossible to separate the two sides. We all have elements from both. Obviously, it's much more pleasant and productive for all for us to fall more on the selfless side and keep the ego in check. But you need a little ego, it's what gives you confidence to disagree with others and do your own thing, which I think we all can agree is a good quality. And, to sort of play devil's advocate, some of the most famous and lucrative people out there are complete egotists. They're not doing much for the greater good, but if you're goal is to make lots of money, being selfless may not be optimal.
My Mentalism Podcast:
The Mystery Arts Podcast Check out my products! Direct from me (PW: cassidy) On Penguin Magic |
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