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.Some of thequestions are about specific effects or magical techniques, such as forcing or card controls, but most of thequestions, interestingly, are concerned with much more provocative topics such as uncovering our character or waysof approaching people in close-up magic, and difficult audience members, or questions that concern the businessside of magic.And almost always one topic appears with surprising regularity.And that topic is creativity.Most serious magicianswant to be more creative with their magic; they don't want simply to be imitators.Most serious magicians would liketo do something magically that is special, even unique.Bur they feel blocked in these creative endeavors and the20harder one tries to become creative through an act of will power or conscious effort, the more blocked we seem tobecome.And so we ask: 'How can we become more creative with our magic' Is this your question too? May I ask you: Is thisa serious question for you, an important question, a question whose answer you urgently desire, or is this merely apassing question, a question whose answer you would only store in your head for use sometime later?The problem with "later," of course, is that it exists only in the head and not in reality.I am convinced that some ofthe questions in life require a sense of urgency if they are to be answered at all.And so, I ask you, do any of thesemagical questions fill you with.a sense of urgency, a deep desire that you find the answer so that you can get onwith your magic and grow, or are these simply interesting but ultimately unimportant questions? Questions whoseanswer wouldn't really make much difference in your life anyway.As I said on the first recording [of the Growing in the Art tape set], whether you agree with me or disagree with meis rather unimportant.I'm asking questions, and I'm giving my answers to some of them.I sometimes think of mywritings and even of these recordings as a spiritual autobiography wherein I tell you how I have personally answeredsome of the big questions about magic and magic performance.I would therefore find it rather depressing if youwere simply to agree with me.The questions that we've been asking [in] these [articles] in the last analysis are questions for you to answer in yourown way, according to your own experience and insight.My aim has been to raise a variety of questions that I thinkdeserve the reflection of all of us who love the art of magic.So, how can I become more creative with my magic?Where shall I begin?Since most magical knowledge is transmitted to us via the printed word, and now the videotape, the first thing I cando is not do what the book or tape says! Sometimes I might try doing what the book or tape says not to do and seewhat happens.Just because something is in a book doesn't make it true.With magic books, even, it doesn't alwaysmean that the author can perform the material!In the big picture, everybody doing what the books says produces a sameness and monotony that not only begins toaffect our audiences, he also affects us.If I'm just doing what everybody else is doing, if I'm not growing, then Ibecome affected by the sameness and monotony I see all around me.And thereby, I begin reinforcing those feelingsthat I am a dull and uncreative person.And, yes,1 do think that audiences also get this sense of monotony, thatmagic is all pretty much the same.I'm reminded of a story told to me a few years ago in Seattle by my friend Kirk Charles.Kirk was in the audiencewatching a magic show, and there was a young girl about ten years old sitting next to him.As one of the acts on thebill began their Substitution Trunk routine, an effect that the audience had just seen an earlier act on the bill perform,the little girl looked up at Kirk and said, "Do we have to watch it all again.?" You know, I often ask myself thatvery question when I watch magic shows at magic conventions.The truth is, so long as I am doing what the book says, saying what the book says to say, I am being uncreative anddull; that is the fact of it.And so, if I want to start becoming creative, it seems to me that one place to begin is withthose books I've been reading and with the routines that I'm trying to learn from them.Try doing something differentand see what happens [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]