My confession

I don't like close up magic. Don't get me wrong, I like the effects, I like doing the effects. I just don't like performing close up. There's just some folks I'd rather not get close up to. In fact its most people. When I go to a party I do my best to perform for any interested party and sometimes I'll find my self wrapping up quickly so I can get away from the person. I have a friend who wants to start his own event planning company and to me I see it as an opportunity in the making so I help out and attend his events in case he gets his act together and actually gets it too work out that'll be a valuable resource. Any way I'm at his event and he's having a raffle so I go to purchase a ticket but he's not really worked out how to do it yet, so I write 1 raffle ticket on one of my business cards and give it to him so he has a reminder that I bought one. After he got the raffle together and no longer need my business card it some how found it's way into the hand of a large redneck like fellow who came up to me to ask me to define some words. My business card at the time read;

"Magnus Asbjorn

Thaumaturgist

Worker of Wonders

Maker of Miracles

Purveyor of Bizarre Arcanum"

Now before you give me crap about them I'd like to point out that I printed them myself for the purpose of using in the Stigmata effect. I explain that Thaumaturgist means wizard. And then he asked what Bizarre Arcanum meant and I explained that it meant bizarre secrets. To which he replied and I quote "What? Like I like to suck on toes or have a dildo in my back pocket?" If I weren't already done talking to this drunkard I definitely did not want to talk to him more. I did the hot rod effect and he sent him on about his day. Recently I had a run in with the worst type of spectator, the troublemaker, the entire effect she did nothing but try and mess me up. She failed and everyone but me and her had a good time. My point that until just after she choose a card there were no warning signs that I was about to have trouble.

Now at this point in my magic learning I can still choose who I want to perform for but if I were to go pro with the close up magic, I can't really say I don't want to perform for someone. Now I can turn down clients as I see fit but as long as I'm on the clock I have to entertain the guests of whomever hired me. The last thing I want is for a guest to complain that I ignored him or was rude to him. No matter how good a performer I am the are others out there in the same pay grade that are just as if not more willing to take the job and please everyone.

When I got into magic I was and still am enamored with the idea of parlor magic, but I had no idea how to get into that, my plan was to start with close-up learn how magic works, the basic principles and sleights  pick up some good effects, and then work my way towards my goal. Beyond learning closeup for that plan I feel a magician should be able to magic at any time, not just on stage. Not saying he has to just cause he's asked to just that he should be able to. It seems like it would make you look a little silly if you could do all that stuff on stage and then after if someone see you in the bar be all I can't. And obviously you should have a dynamite close up effect to show bookers, and convince them to hire your act, unless your act packs small enough or you have somewhere to show it off.