New Blog....

I'm going to China next week to teach English abroad.

I will, of course, be performing whenever I can there... But, as this blog is primarily for magic - feel free to keep up with my exploits abroad here:

To Record in Astonishment...

Yes. The title of that blog is about astonishment. In that particular instance, it means the astonishment a person gets when they experience life in a different culture.

We here aren't unfamiliar with that emotion. Astonishment is, after all, what our art is about...

1st Annual Shelby Forest Spring Fest

WOAH!

Two day festival that my friend Tim told me about.

I went on Friday - only the locals were there. Lots of fun. Great atmosphere. Nice sunny day. On the first day, not a lot of hats.

Day two:

Still only locals I think. BUT lots of locals. And they came and went, so there was good turnaround. Beautiful day. Lots of kids. Lots of adults. Lots of crowds. Tim and I took turns performing and resting... so I think I did about 8 or 9 shows that day.

Had my biggest earnings so far, and I had a lot of fun.

It's also the most that I've ever performed nonstop. I was exhausted at the end of the day, so I'm grateful to my friend and housemate, Emmanuel, for taking care of dinner for me and two other friends when I got back.

I got my biggest crowds yet at this festival. I need to do more festivals, eh? It was warmer and there were more people out this day than there were at Trolley Tours last month. And that meant that my crowds were bigger.

I had more performance - and thus more hats - this time than I did at Trolley Tours. Each hat though was smaller. I don't know why that was the case... but I had a lot of fun, and I have a better view of what it's like to work all day out in the sun now that it's warmer and there are more crowds.

--

Here's the Snapshot:

Friday 4/1

3:30pm: I show up early. The festival's not as big as I thought it would be. It's their first year - the "First Annual" Spring Fest. I wait in the car a little nervously. Tim isn't here yet, and I don't know if they're expecting me. Then I suck it up, take a deep breath, and hop out of the car with all my gear. I bring it. There is a stage for a band. I get nervous that they'll be really loud, so I try and pick a spot farther away from them. It's a little out of the way... but the place is small enough that I think people will stop by as long as they hear and see me. Ben, the festival organizer, tell me that the music will be soft - acoustic, mainly - and he asks me to move closer to the center. It's a better spot. I'm glad he did. And he was right. The music wasn't too loud.

4:00pm: Kids run up to me. They want to see a show. I do a couple of close-up card tricks to warm up. I tell them to come back later, and I'll do something bigger for them. Wait though, I said. Wait for a crowd.

4:15pm: Tim shows up. He sets up his table, and we chat a little bit. It's a nice day. We'll take turns performing. He focuses on practicing a little bit more. I do some more effects for the kids. Then an adult shows up. These people are with the festival. Whatever. I'll do the show for them.

I perform. I don't give them my hat line. They're kids, you see, and I didn't want to pressure the one adult. She wasn't here after all to watch. She was here to work. The kids like it though, and they keep on asking me to show them something more. I direct them to Tim, and Tim takes off with magic of his own.

5:00pm: I'm performing for a lot of kids. A lot of them are kids of the vendors and performers at the festival. They run around trying to sell brownies and cookies and things. There's a guy with a Revolutionary era rifle. It works. He's dressed up in a period outfit, and we talk a little bit. He wants to borrow my straitjacket for his son to wear five days of the week. Har har.

This is me performing the last third of my show. I've been strapped into my straitjacket. My mouth is in a funny shape... and I'm probably giving my main hat line right now.

It's a good time to let people know that I do this for a living - mainly because I'm already locked in tight. Not a lot of people want to walk away from a person in a straitjacket, surprisingly. Especially not if they know that I'm going to try and get out of it afterwards.

So there I am.

Yes. Many thanks to one of my housemates, Danielle, for taking that picture.

6:00pm: "Blah blah blah blah magic! Like Harry Potter! Who likes Harry Potter?" I ask.

"I'm not allowed to read Harry Potter," says the little boy.

"Oh," I say. I understand. I try not to push it... because he is a little boy, but then another boy - his name is Harrison - asks.

"Why?"

"Because," says the first boy, "I'm a Christian. And Harry Potter is about wizards and witches. I can't read that."

Harrison insists that the Harry Potter books are great. I move the show along. I remember that I'm far down south. People here are much more conservative than I am used to... and I remember this the rest of the day. I remember it when I'm joking, and I'm hoping that nobody gets insulted by any of my jokes.

That's why I choke a little every time I do my pickpocketing trick, and I ask about the weird little packet with the white balloon in it. You know, that one? The packet that's in a lot of guy's wallets? I mention it, and I hope no one is insulted. Some people laugh nervously. Other people smile uncomfortably. Maybe I shouldn't use that joke here again.

7:00pm: It's still light out. I've performed several shows. One of my bigger ones was for members of one of the bands that were performing. They enjoyed it, but even with the hat line they didn't want to give anything. It's tough, but the people are friendly. No one wants to pay for the show. It's mainly kids running around playing and talking to me. They're nice, so I have a lot of fun. I teach a shy little girl how to pull her thumb off. She makes her parents laugh.

7:30pm: It's not quite 9:00pm yet. No crowds, really. No one's showing up today. Tim's packing up and leaving. I decide to go too, and I realize I haven't eaten anything since about 12:30pm. I'm starving. I head home, eat dinner, and relax.

My total earnings for the day? $8.

I stay up late thinking about my show. I need to slow it down - slow down my patter, slow down my routine, slow down my presentation. I need to make everything clearer. I think.

--

Saturday 4/2

9:30am: I get there late. I grabbed a yogurt parfait and oatmeal from McDonald's. I figured I could have the yogurt for breakfast and the oatmeal for lunch. I wasn't thinking very clearly, huh? Anyway. I'm there. Some of the vendors from Friday weren't there... and a couple ones came. They have a basketball hoop now and a tomahawk throwing range. It's cool. I set up next to a vendor who's selling books. I set up, and right away a girl comes up to me and tells me that she loves magic. Then she and her father set up their book-selling stand.

10:00am: Tim gets there after I do. He sets up in what I thought was a much nicer spot. Why didn't I think of that? I don't know. I was determined, I guess, to go back to where I was yesterday... and I forget that the vendor that was there yesterday wasn't there today. It's ok. He sets up, and we decide to take turns again. Because of his location, people go to his spot first when they come in. That is, they go to his spot after they've gotten their funnel cakes and corn dogs from the big food stand.

10:30am: My first performance. I have some trouble starting out. I'm nervous about the crowd-building part. I start off with some card tricks to build a crown. Really quickly - really quickly - people come up to watch. Once these close-up effects get a decently sized crowd, I go into my show. My show lasts twenty minutes. My crowd grows. I get a couple dollars from those who watched from the beginning... Some people come in late. They see my straitjacket escape, and they come in close. I tell them to come back again to see the show from the beginning. Now that they've seen the last act, they do. They come again later, and I have a good turnaround rate.

1:00pm: I break for lunch. I grab my oatmeal, eat, and think. Good morning. Not great, but good. I know how to gather a crowd now for each show. I just need to make an announcement, and people come. A guy with a dog takes my card, and tells me to go to a Starbucks that evening - he works there, he says, and I should stop by for some coffee when I'm done. I wonder if this is going to happen every time I go out and perform.

2:00pm: I find the perfect guy to do my pickpocketing routine with. He's funny, and the crowd laughs and grows because of him. A deck of cards is in his back pocket. I stare at it. Everyone stares. I comment:

"Yeah, that's right. Stare at his backside."

Everyone laughs.

Then he flexes his gluts. I blink. Everyone laughs more. He's a good sport.

I reach into his pocket, pull out the chosen card. Everyone is surprised. He smiles.

"You're enjoying this a little too much," I tell him.

Then a little girl jumps forward and grabs the box out of his pocket. My jaw drops.

"What? Do you know him?" I ask the little girl, and everyone laughs again.

She does. My opening is funny. People laugh, so more people come.

When I'm doing my straitjacket finale, and I'm trying to get a little girl to help me push my arm over my head, he comes back and offers to help me. He's awfully eager, I tell him. More laughter.

At the end of that show, after my hat is filled - and that was one of my better hats - he's gone. I don't get the chance to thank him fully for being a great sport.

Yeah. I had a nice little crowd around me. I had a bunch of really good-sized crowds like this one on the second day. That's another picture with me in the straitjacket. I need to thank the festival organizers for taking and putting up this picture on Facebook.

3:00pm: I run into a fairly tough crowd. This isn't my fault, and it isn't the audience's fault. My starting audience has at least two or three people who are deaf. I don't realize this until after I have selected one of them as a volunteer. When I do, I do my best to look at him and speak slowly so that he would understand. The show moves along, but I feel bad for making it difficult for these guys to participate. They are a good audience though, and I think they enjoyed the show.

4:00pm: I text my friends. Are they coming? I asked. They said they would. This would be one of the last chances - probably the last chance - that they would have to see me perform. I start to worry that they won't come. I push on. The show must go on.

5:00pm: I'm performing for another good-sized crowd. I am doing my straitjacket finale again. I'm giving my hat line... and all of a sudden my words stumble. I spot Emmanuel's face in the crowd. He is one of my house mates. I didn't think that he would make it, but he is there. I shake my head, pull my words together, and go on. I'm happy, and he saw that. I end the show on a high note.

Then two more people showed up. My other house mate, Danielle, and another friend and former colleague of mine, Loide. I am ecstatic to see them. We talk, then Tim gives a show. My friends go and watch Tim's show while I get ready for my next. I relax. Watch. And then talk some more. I look around. There. New people new crowd. New show.

5:30pm: My last show ends with my voice cracking. A band starts playing during my finale, and I have to shout out my hat line. Jokes get lost, and my voice gets weirdly high-pitched. The show goes along all right, but I end the day with a smaller hat than the other shows. That's ok. I've had a great day, and my friends were there to watch. I got some good feedback: Most of it has to do with learning to project my voice better.

I will do that. I need to learn how to project my voice, or I need to get a wireless mic. One is free, and one costs money. So I think I'll learn to project my voice.

6:00pm: I go home. Emmanuel cooks a Ghanaian dish, and the four of us feast. For the first time in a long time, I pass out before midnight.

And for the first time ever, I broke a hundred that day. I've never worked that hard, physically before. I am exhausted, but I am proud and happy.

--

Sunday 4/3

I go to Overton Park to perform.

Lots of people. There are other performers, but they aren't buskers. There are drummers, hula hoopers, and acrobats. I watch and set up on the sidewalk. I should have set up on the grass... but I don't know if it would have helped much. Most people were lying down enjoying the sun - not even gathering around the acrobats or the drummers, really, though they watched from afar.

I relax and hang out with people there. No show, really. That's ok.

==================

And that is the end of this three-day snapshot. As always, suggestions, comments, and criticisms are appreciated. Until next time.

Ah, University Students...

I just got back from another run on the University of Memphis campus.

I took the latest version of my show - the one that I honed during the last trolley tours - and brought it to the campus. Before we begin, let's just say that I have no idea what happened. The full hats that I got the first two days that I was there vanished. The kids with the giant wads of cash were replaced by... well, frankly - students. That said- I had a good time.

I started off in front of the University Center. This time, I managed to hit them at the beginning of the lunch rush: It was 11:00am, and I was right on time. I set up shop. A couple people came up to me... and I did some close-up.

Some of them asked if they had to pay - I said no, they didn't have to. I was hoping to get a solid beginning group from which I could build a crowd. I think I performed for three or four groups of two or less. Is that even a group? Anyway, the fact was that it still wasn't warm enough.

No one was comfortable enough to stay outside.

So, once again, I risked venturing into the campus center.

In I went... I set up shop at the spot that I did before - right by the entrance where I would get the most foot traffic. And WHAM! Like magic, the crowd appeared, and I performed. I did three shows there.. and each time, the audience was responsive. The show was good. My hat lines were the same ones that I used at the trolley tour.

The difference? As soon as the show ended - even despite my efforts to continue and keep something going on until the last dollar was dropped in the hat - some of my audience ran off as soon as they realized I was done. There were a couple people who took the time to come up and shake my hand. I appreciated the fact that those guys thanked me.

I was disappointed in the size of my hats... but I was enjoying myself, as usual.

At the same time that I was performing, there were two groups of students campaigning for student body office. A candidate for student body President asked me to set up in front of their table and perform for them: They wanted me to help them draw a crowd to help their campaign.

I did.

And it worked for as long as I was there. Not long afterwards, the Director of the University Center came up to me and told me that I couldn't perform inside the building without reserving a spot. I could, however, perform outside. I nodded, packed up, and left.

What good came of that?

The student body presidential candidate took my card and said that he'll try and get me there to perform on his campaign's behalf. In addition to that, I passed out a lot of business cards.

I don't think I'll be going back to University of Memphis anymore, unless I'm asked. When it's warmer and none of the other spots are as good, I'll go and perform outside on the campus maybe. It might not be worth it... The crowds are HUGE and very responsive, but the fact the audience is composed of students... is a big downside.

We'll see, eh?

I'm going to keep this up and head out again tomorrow. Not sure where yet- stay tuned for more updates.

Trolley Tour - February

Wow.

WOW! I mean - wow.

I am stunned, high on adrenaline, and ecstatic. I mean, I'm utterly tired, but tonight was my best busking experience yet. Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, let's start from the beginning...

I planned to meet up with Tim at 5:30pm at the intersection of S. Main and G.E. Patterson. He's the guy Don put me in touch with... and I'm really glad he was there. He helped me find a good spot to perform at: About a block from that intersection, there's some extra sidewalk space at the trolley stop. This spot was great because it's on the sidewalk, there's room for an audience to stand, and anyone waiting for the trolley is pretty much forced to watch the show.

So we had that going for us.

We also had a lot going against us. Mother Nature, for one, absolutely did not want me to perform. After a week of sunny days - of temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees - today was suddenly below 49 degrees. It was 49 degrees noon, so I'm guessing it was even colder at night. That meant that the summer/spring trolley tour crowds really didn't want to show up today.

Yeah. Foot traffic was horrible.

Again.

I should start expecting that of Memphis, huh?

The event began officially at 6:00pm. Tim and I stood out in the cold for an hour or so... talking and trying to grab and hold any group of people we could find. I was just about to give up.

This was starting to feel like every other time that I've tried to go out and busk.

But I stayed strong. And, at 7:00pm, it paid off.

7:00pm. Four ladies were trying to catch the trolley.

They waited. No trolley was there.

Hey! Let's watch some magic! Why not? We have to stand here anyway.

So.. they watched some magic.

Then they watched some more.

Then the trolley came!

Uh oh.

"It's all right," they said. "We'll catch the next one."

And they watched some more! The Four Ladies of South Main Street... they will forever be called. Because, just when they said that, another group of people had showed up. Four more spectators - all of them friends whom I had invited to come and watch me perform - were actually there. They added to the crowd....

AND WHAM! Two more stopped. A couple more...

And I had the crowd I needed for my straight jacket finale.

There were far fewer people watching my show than there were at University of Memphis. But this time, my show was more polished... more put together... and the crowd, overall, seemed to enjoy it more. I ended the show with a decent hat.

Nice. Good and fun. I chatted with my friends for a little bit.

I have to say - I am extremely extremely LUCKY to have these guys there. They showed up to watch at 7:00pm. They stayed and watch all my other shows until I stopped at 9:00pm.

Yes. That's right. I had more shows after that one. I had brief breaks between each show... but I began as soon as I saw people walking down the street. And each time, because my friends were there, the crowds came easily.

Four shows.

Four shows.

Four consistently decent shows.

Better hats than I've ever had.

Great audiences. Great laughter. And jokes that worked.

Best busking night ever.

And that was with foot traffic that was even worse off than what I had to deal with at Beale St last week.

--

What did I do differently this time?

For one, I had friends there. It was SO MUCH EASIER building a crowd with people already there watching. I wonder if I could have done the same thing without those guys. Maybe. Yeah. The first show I managed to build the crowd on my own... but I think it would have much much much harder if I had to do that every time.

Second - and this is important, I think - I got some help from Don with my hat lines. I made sure to give a clear hat line before the finale of my show... and I made sure to end the show with one final hat line.

Third - the show itself. I've changed it every single time that I went out and performed. Don advised me to cut down my show a little bit... so I cut it down to three effects.

1. Clutch: Pickpocket Demonstration

2. A coins-across type effect from my hand to a cup

3. Straight Jacket escape

In addition to cutting out an effect, I changed my presentation a little bit. I added more jokes... and, thanks to my friend Larry Clarke who gave me some presentation advice on my pickpocket routine, I managed to put together a wonderful comedic routine. A lot of pictures were taken on that end. A lot of jokes were made too.

My coins-across routine pretty much stayed the same. I wonder if I can change that up a bit too... make it funnier. During one of my four shows... I tried counting the three coins in different languages - I was inspired by Gazzo's cups and balls and wondered if it would work out here. It did, but I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with it. I want to figure some kind of running joke that I can put in. Hm.

Straight jacket escape. WOAH! Biggest change here.

Quick background - before today, I did my escape dramatically. On the streets, I did to gasps and a stop watch. Indoors on a stage, I did it to dramatic classical music. Then last Sunday, I joined a couple of magicians from Memphis' International Brotherhood of Magicians in performing at a magic show at an assisted living complex. I did my straight jacket escape there... but, before the dramatic bit, I added a new bit.

Before the escape, I told a little story about stereotypical Asian parents and their response to a daughter wanting to grow up to be a magician. That little comedic story got polished up for the streets... and I ended up using that for the beginning of a new comedic straight jacket escape routine.

Then, to add to that, I got the audience involved with some clapping and a little dance on my part. I mean - I was in a straight jacket, so I figured I'd demonstrate moving around as much as I could. Jumping around to clapping and whatnot. It was all in good fun.

And finally, instead of escaping completely by myself, I get the help of an audience member - preferably a little kid - with a part of it.

And yeah. It worked well. It worked really well. I'm always afraid when I invite my friends to these things... and I was particularly worried today. It's one thing if I fail miserably and none of my friends experience it. It's another thing if they're out there watching me fail at gathering and crowd.

But.. today... wow. They were there, and it worked.

What did I take out of all this?

At the end of each day, I need to take a good look at my show. I need to figure out what worked and what didn't work. Then I need to change something - anything at all - to make it better. At least, until my show starts working well consistently... that seems to be a good idea. I don't think I could have gotten to this point now if it weren't for that.

The big question, though, is if I would be able to repeat my successes today.

I mean - there were less people here tonight than there were at Beale Street last week, but I had a better time. There were WAY less people than there are at University of Memphis any time of the week, but I had better hats. So yeah. Maybe I should take this new show of mine and try it again at the other places.

I am excited for Trolley Tour again.

It was freezing today, and I did ok.

When it's warmer, there will be more pedestrians walking around, and there will be many more people wanting to stay and watch a show.

In the meantime- I'm going to visit my parents next week. If the weather is nice up north, I'll try and busk more... but, from what I hear, it's pretty bad. We'll see. If not, I won't be back in Memphis until the end of March. That means I'll miss March's trolley tour. But I will be here for April's... and, maybe I'll be able to take my polished show somewhere else before then.

Thanks for reading.

Comments, suggestions, and ideas are always appreciated.

U of M Redux & Beale St Day #2

Tuesday morning, I went back to the University of Memphis.

That place was just so perfect for busking that I couldn't help myself. I went back. I had some fun... but, unfortunately, I left after an hour of performing with, essentially, an empty hat. It was the worst I had done on the campus thus far.

I need to get there earlier if I want to get a crowd.

And, honestly, I need to use the hat lines. It felt too contrived the last time I was there... so I was trying to be more natural with my hat lines. That essentially meant that I barely gave a "final hat line." That said, there were more people Tuesday than before who came up to me, thanking me for the show and apologizing for the fact that they didn't carry any cash on them that day.

So maybe it was a combination of bad luck, bad timing, and bad performance structure.

I packed up at the end of the lunch rush... intent on figuring out a better script.

--

That afternoon, just as I was thinking about the scripting, I got a phone call from another magician in town. I had contacted Don Driver, the creator of "Building a Tip" - a DVD on building and maintaining a crowd in a busking situation. I tried to purchase his DVD, and Don put me in touch with another magician who wants to start busking in Memphis.

I met up with this magician, and we discussed busking. I got the chance to look over a script for Don's bally. Needless to say, I spent the next few days practicing and practicing and practicing... To the point where I could say what I needed to say, throw in my own jokes, and go on with my own show at a comfortable level.

Today - Friday - I went out to Beale St.

The bally worked like a charm. I stood in the middle of the busiest part of Beale St. at 12:00pm (which was a little busier than usual because of a lunch crowd? maybe? and yet, it was pretty dead compared to other venues that I've seen in cities in the northeast). I took a deep breath, climbed on top of this little stone structure, and started yelling.

"We are going to have a little fun - we're going to do a little magic. Watch!"

And on I went.

Pretty soon, I had a decent crowd. I was shocked. Nervous, too... though I hadn't been this nervous since I started busking. I was about 3/4's through my show... at a little break right before I was going to give my first hat line and move onto my strait jacket finale... when a guy walked up to me and asked me to move my show outside of the Beale St. barricades.

First problem that I encountered: I had a couple people leave as soon as the bally was over, and they found out that I wasn't going to immediately change ten one's into ten ten's. People were still sticking around though. I need to fix that... fix my transitions so there aren't any points in the show where people will feel like they can leave.

Second problem: Transitions again. The man who had walked up to me was politely waiting until the end of the show before he asked me to leave. He stepped in during an applause bit - when I took a breath to grab the strait jacket. Transition problem right there.

Third problem: I was asked to move. DOH! I really wanted to try out this new bally. But off I went... outside of the barricades... and there, I had almost no foot traffic.

I packed up my stuff, tried walking down to Main St., only to find that Main St. is quite dead even in this nice weather. Back up to Beale St., set up outside the barricades, and waited.

A couple people walked past, and I did some effects for them, but I couldn't get a show going.

Then I walked up and down Beale St. again, looking for this guy. Went up to Beale St. Management, found the guy, and he was convinced to let me stand in the park (right off of Beale St) to perform for today only. He did say that he wanted me to come back in mid-March to April. He saw my show (the ONE real show I actually managed to give... though I didn't get the chance to finish it with the finale there), and he said it was good. I hope that's true?

But yeah. I set up at the park off of Beale... and I was allowed to stay there until 4:00pm, when the guy who actually rents out that little spot comes in to work.

First problem: Once again, foot traffic. Most of the pedestrians were on the other side of the intersection. The park was a little bit out of the way. I would need to yell out really loudly for anyone to hear me from that far away.

Second problem: There a band in the park, not too far from where I was. Once again, I had to worry about projecting my voice out so that people could hear me.

Solutions? I tried the bally... but I never got too far with it. As soon as I started talking, the few people who were there to hear would be almost gone by the time I got up to a point where - last time - I started drawing a crowd. They were just walking by.. and they were trying to get to the busier end of Beale. In the end, I just ended up standing there and performing for small groups of passerby every so often.

All this started at 11:30am... and I left at around 4:00pm.

Third problem: NO HAT LINES! I couldn't get any of them in there for the small groups. Maybe I felt more awkward when I had to say them to groups of two or four people. I probably did. And yeah, most people did tip, but they weren't nearly as good as when I had larger crowds and I could give my lines without feeling like I was being too pushy.

Oh. And I encountered my first creepy guy today. This guy with longish hair and a hoody hovered around my table all day. He would walk away as soon as people were there to watch... and then he would come back, stand right near me... or walk in circles, pacing.. waiting.. I don't know. For what. I wasn't really making enough for anyone to REALLY want to steal from me.

He might have been desperate.

Or he might have just been a creepy guy.

Good news? I think I'm on pretty good terms with the vendors and the musicians in that area. Maybe it has to do with me being the only girl working those parts... but a word here and there, and I'm confident that they were watching my back.

Still, when I packed up to leave, this creepy guy essentially followed me.. though he stayed on the other side of the street. I stopped at a corner cafe, chatted with the guy there who helped me find Beale St. Management earlier, and watched the creepy guy in my periphery. I told the guy at the corner cafe that I was avoiding said creepy guy, and he said he'd watch out for him. Creepy guy turned and left, and I grabbed my table and bag before heading off to my car.

Went home - arms hurt from carrying around the table all day.

Reflections?

-I need to get luggage straps to make carrying the table easier.

-In five hours, I made as much as I made at U of M in one hour. Having foot traffic makes a huge difference.

-The dollar bill bally works! I just need to use it.

-And man - the anthropologist in me is aching to go back out to the streets to get to know the vendors and other street performers better.

Plans for the future?

I'm thinking of going out tomorrow morning to perform at a farmer's market in the area. I hear there's a decent flow of people.. but I also hear there aren't really ever lots of people there at one time. Here's to hoping.

Maybe I'll go outside a church Sunday afternoon and try to catch those guys on their way home. The bad news? One of my former bosses go to the church I'm considering performing outside of. I don't want to see him. We'll see, huh?

I've lost the chance to perform at Beale St, pretty much, after the guy asked me to stop. I might try Overton Park sometime.. and I'll go back to trying U of M during the weekdays. Good news? Trolley Tour takes place the last Friday of every month... and there are actually buskers there. Real street performers! It's the only time in Memphis that I've seen other non-musician buskers out. I'm doing that, definitely. I'll find away.

Advice, suggestions, comments? Feel free to leave them.

Until next time!

Beale St: Day 1

Fail.

I don't know what else to call it. Fail. That's it. I spent a long time just driving around downtown... trying to find a good area with a lot of pedestrian traffic. I settled for Beale St, which was ok - nowhere nearly as crowded as the University of Memphis campus. Did one OK small show for a couple of tourists. I did two hat lines - one before my finale and one at the end. My last hat line didn't come in quickly enough, and most people were gone by then.

I need a stronger opener. The crowd builds up as soon as I do the straight jacket... but that's my finale, and it doesn't last long enough to warrant a bigger hat, it seems. And grown-ups.. unlike college students... don't yell or laugh as loudly. It's harder to draw a crowd on Beale than it is to draw a crowd on a college campus.

That said - there were also some other buskers around. The moment the Beale St. flippers showed up, I felt like I was intruding on their territory. They weren't that successful in filling up their bucket either... and they definitely didn't work at drawing a crowd. Other than those guys, there were one or two musicians sitting around, playing music.

I strolled around and did some magic. My table's not ready yet... and I think not having it there makes it so that I'm moving around too much. I need to pick a spot and stick with it (maybe?). And then I need to draw my crowd in, as opposed to me going around trying to grab a crowd.

How do I do that? What's a good attention-grabber... in a street where there aren't really that many people? I have to figure that out... so I'll keep on doing some research.

So yeah. Fail. But I'll try again.

If I fall down seven times, I will stand up eight times.

Strait Jacket Escape

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqS4aKmklxY

First day of busking - I'm on the University of Memphis campus. I ended my routine with a straight jacket escape... Phones and cameras appeared all around me, and.. it seems... someone decided to put the escape up on youtube.

Let me know what you think, if you're reading this.

Some busking, getting kicked out, and meeting other magicians..

The weather's been horrible.

After the random glimpse of spring on Monday, winter set in again... Though I might have been willing to stand outside in the cold, no one wanted to stay and watch. As a result, I had to stay inside for a couple of days.

I used these past few days to clean up the house, practice some magic, and start my construction of a busking table. I bought a restaurant tray jack from a restaurant supply store in town. Went out to Home Depot and got myself a nice slab of wood... and I even got a friend to drill in two metal brackets in which I can set the table in. I still need to figure out how to hold everything together... and I need to figure out how to put everything up on my shoulder so I can transport it around.

Anyway- today.

Today I was restless.

Maybe it was because of my dreams from the previous night. I dreamt of my students. In my sleep, I imagined that I had driven to my school for breakfast duty - out of habit... because I had forgotten that I don't work there anymore - and some of my students attacked me with hugs. I woke up restless. I needed to see them.

So, regardless of whether or not I was allowed to, I decided I would drive to the school and see my former students during their recess time. And after all that, I decided - good weather or bad weather - I was going to go out and busk.

With my decisions made, I dressed up in my busking outfit, hopped into my car, and drove directly to Omni Prep Academy. As soon as I walked in, the familiar cries of young children reached my ears. Those voices... followed by that name of mine - "Ms. Ling! Ms. Ling is back!"

A stampede of children, hugs, and tears followed that cry.

It was... a sweet moment. I said hello to my friends and former colleagues, said goodbye to my kids, and did what I could to ignore the pity of the school's administrators. Unlike those who are still stuck in that school, I am happy. And I am free.

That sense of freedom struck me more today than it ever did since I left that school.

After I drove off from Omni Prep, I went to the University of Memphis campus. Once again, I walked straight to the student center. This time, instead of setting up outside, I walked into the center and performed in the lobby. I got two shows in - approximately one hour in length, making the same amount that I did before - before a man walked up to me and asked me to leave.

As he spoke to me, he brought up that he was a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. He said that, since I wasn't a student there, I would not be allowed to come back and perform again, unless a student group hired me to be on campus. He warned me, he said, because he did not want campus police to hold me for trespassing.

He proceeded to give me his card, and he suggested that I come to his friend's show later that night. He also pointed me in the direction of a local magic shop. After talking with a student that I had performed for and getting the contact information for the university's student activities committee, I went straight to that magic shop.

Talked shop with the magician in there for a quite a while.

Left.

Went to a friend's house to borrow a drill. This is for that table I mentioned working on earlier.

Went home to grab some food.

Then out again to watch the magic show Nathan (the guy who stopped me from performing at the U of M campus) introduced me to. This show is called Larry! It's a magic/juggling act. I watched from 8-10pm (it was a pretty great show, with a good mixture of magic, juggling, and comedy), and spoke with Larry afterwards. Had a long conversation with him, Nathan, and Joey (a mentalist who was at the show).

I stayed to watch the midnight improv group.

I didn't get home until 2:15am. All I can say is - wow. Thanks to my job teaching at a charter school, I forgot how much fun life can be. I also made some great contacts tonight, and I got some suggestions on where and how I can busk. The biggest upset, though, is that I won't be able to perform at University of Memphis anymore.

I don't know.

The ask forgiveness, not permission, mantra seems to work great for me. The guy who asked me to leave is a magician who doesn't actually have the authority to kick me off campus... but his warnings about the police holding me for trespassing are scary. I don't know..

That pitch was so... perfect. I could perform outside on nice days, inside on bad days, and... there are always people there wandering around. I'll try and fight to stay there. In the meantime, I guess I'll look into performing downtown or somewhere else.

All in all, I had a wonderful day. I may be joining the IBM soon. Not sure... but I will see if I can keep on working as a busker. I'm not going to give up on that just yet.

Busking

I am a busker.

I was a teacher for a little while. My mismanaged school cut certain positions for budget reasons... and, all of a sudden, I was unemployed. I had moved all the way from New Jersey to Memphis for this job. As of Friday, that job no longer exists.

So what do I do? I could go home. My parents are supportive... but I don't want support. Not yet. Not now. So soon after I set out on my own, I'm not going to give up and make that shameful trip home. I'm here at least until July, so I might as well make the best of it.

With every tragedy comes an opportunity. I've decided to become - for the first time in my life - a full time professional magician. That means, for now, busking.

What is busking? When you walk through a busy tourist area in any given city, you might find mimes, jugglers, musicians, fake statues, and magicians entertaining pedestrians. These performers work to entertain an audience, they pass a hat around, and then they start again with a new crowd.

Opportunity and necessity has turned me to this ancient trade, and I'm finding that I'm loving it. Of course, I still have a lot more to do and learn. After all, today is my first day.

And what a day it was.

Today's warm and sunny. It's going to be rainy and cold the rest of this week... so I thought I'd make the best of it. At 1:00pm, I set out with my Charlie Chaplin get-up, minus the moustache (that's a story to tell another time... but the costume fits), slung my bag of supplies over my shoulder, and headed out to the University of Memphis campus.

Today's routine:

1. Beginning - Card effects: 2 Card Monte, a color changing 'wild card' routine, Ambitious Card

2. Middle - Sponge balls (or just Ambitious Card)

3. End - Straight jacket escape

I did card effects because I'm most comfortable with those. They drew people in at the beginning and legitimized my magic. In the middle, I did a sponge ball routine. I feel as though I may need a meatier middle section... so I'll keep on thinking on that. I ended with a straight jacket escape that built up a nice... large crowd. I passed out my hat and started over.

With the new crowd that had been drawn in during the end of the escape, I went back to the cards.

The good thing? I hit the university right during their lunch rush, so the crowds came easy. At the end of that second show, I checked my phone and found that my phone had died mid-show. Since this was my first time out on my own, I didn't feel too safe without having a phone around as a precaution. I headed home to recharge everything and reflect...

I gave out my email address to several people who wanted to get in touch with me for future events. One of the staff from the school asked about booking me for a small stage show. Some students wrote down my information for the University of Memphis newspaper.

So yeah. I thought I did good. In about an hour, I made more than I thought I would - I hadn't really been expecting anything at all. And I got some experience... Now I think I've figured out when and where I'm going to be busking most days.

Thus begins a dream that I thought would never come to fruition...

Keep checking here, and I'll keep blogging about my experiences busking in Memphis.