Sunday, January 10, 2010

Chicken or the Egg?

“What came first—your repertoire or your personal style?” Did you know your personal style from the beginning and only select effects that fit? Or did you start by building your repertoire based on a more ambiguous ‘what feels right,’ which resulted in a list of favorite effects that, over time, defined your style. 

Either way, I believe the important thing is to be authentic (when our inner self matches what people see). To help deepen your authenticity, follow your gut. Continue doing what feels right. Perform effects that you love, and that can be executed with passion and ease. In the end, that's your personal style in action. That's your personal brand. Now, be sure to make future choices consistent with your brand. And certainly, go market the hell out of your brand.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Good thoughts. I think a lot in the beginning comes from personal taste in effects. I always liked coins and cups and balls as props as well as the effects for which they can be used. The rest is sort of off the cuff funny patter, however I'm at the point where I must consider a somewhat separate persona for performance. "The actor playing the part of a magician" concept has a lot of validity, if there's still a lot of your natural personality in the character.