I was amazed at the response to last week's blog post. This year's Holiday Challenge seemed to truly stir people and I was astonished at the emails I received regarding it. People shared stories of donations of time and money to everything from children's hospitals to food pantries and nursing homes to armed service support groups. It really was overwhelming. Thanks for sharing the stories and my hope is you'll keep that magic going throughout 2012.

That kind of response is the one thing that never ceases to amaze me. We have some of the most loyal customers in the business and I'm grateful for the support. We work hard to earn your patronage and it's great to know that does not go unnoticed. Thank you for all your business over the years and I promise we will continue to work tirelessly to gain it again in the coming year.

I am very optimistic about 2012. I see change on the horizon and the months ahead will be very exciting. I'm reminded of a poem from the English poet Edith Lovejoy Pierce...

We open the book.
Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them.
The book is called Opportunity,
and its first chapter is New Year's Day.

Happy New Year everyone! Time to start writing...

2011 will not go down as a banner year for Elmwood Magic. I'm not complaining, but the rough economy has hit the magic industry as it's hit all others. I know I'm not alone. Working harder and longer hours has simply become the motto of many across the globe.

But as Christmas rolls around our hearts and heads turn towards the future and thoughts of what could be. I'm an optimist and I don't see much sense in being anything else. The world we want and the life we've imagined is not impossible to achieve. It just may require more work and longer hours - luckily we've all had a lot of practice.

Of course, we could all use a little help.

Last year I sent out a holiday challenge and I've decided that this year it needs to happen again. So here's my Christmas wish...

Pick out one trick you've wanted at Elmwood Magic - and skip it.

Use the money to help someone that needs it.

Magic is a word that is hard to define, even for magicians. Being a magician requires that you take the abstract idea of magic and turn it into some kind of reality. I think that's a big job and an important one.

I take it seriously.

This holiday season, don't just do magic - be it.

Merry Christmas everyone and best wishes for a joyous and magical holiday season.

(Click here to see the video from Skip1.org that inspired the challenge.)

One of the most important components of performing magic is the words we use. Sadly, this is often the least considered portion of our performance. We master some complex skill, effect, or routine and we immediately rush off to demonstrate it. Our presentations often amount to nothing more than narration.

“Take a card, put it back, I will shuffle the deck...”

You get the idea.

Real world performance demands more than meaningless babble or obvious narration. The correct choice of words (or silence) can elevate the simplest of tricks to a truly magical experience. Finding the right presentational hook is not easy - but it’s a search well worth beginning. As is often the case, the best place to start is to look within. Your interests, hobbies, and life experiences can offer a vast world of inspiration. Best of all, creating presentations that tap into the REAL you can often engage the audience more deeply and honestly. It helps to showcase you as a complete and authentic person, which only serves to make the show more absorbing and memorable.

Don’t be afraid to reveal yourself.

Don’t be afraid to look foolish.

There are dealers who damage the industry in an effort to win your dollars.

There are creators who continually steal and yet are beloved.

There are reviewers who lack enough magic knowledge and experience to deliver truth.

Magic, like anything else, can be unfair - but YOU don’t have to be.

If you support the monsters, you destroy the village.

It’s that simple.

In just a few days I’ll be heading to Europe for the Nordisch Nobel Congress in Luebeck, Germany, followed closely by the Annual Congress of the Italian Magic Club outside of Padua, Italy. As you know from previous posts, I’m on the road a considerable amount. I think I’ve been to more magic conventions then just about anyone I know and I’m often asked about where to get info on such events. I always start by saying, “Go.”

If you have the opportunity to attend a magic convention, then GO! These events are a huge amount of work and the cost to mount one takes a great deal of expense, time, and energy. Support from attendees like you is the ONLY thing that makes them survive and grow. They tend to be very inexpensive compared with other professional conferences and you’ll have the opportunity to learn and share with a wide variety of performers, creators, and enthusiasts. The experience you’ll gain is invaluable and frankly, IMPOSSIBLE to acquire any other way. To get the most from the event you’ll need to extended yourself a bit and take an active role. You’ll get more from the convention if you participate in the experience and not just act as an observer. Don’t be shy, everyone was or is just like you and the only way to grow is to take advantage of the opportunites around you.

So get your magic buds together, load up the car, and hit the dusty highways. It’s time for a magic road trip! Here are a few places to get your planning started...

MAGIC Magazine's Convention Guide

The Magic Convention Guide

The Magic Cafe's Convention & Lecture Section

Genii Magazine's Convention Forum