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Part 1: Magic, more than tricks

Posted by djaspersen on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, In : Magic and the Magician 
The Question before me this evening: Does magic have any importance for the real world?
If so, what?

Magic is an art-form. If we can accept that art is the creative expression of one’s self, than there is no question that magic is a form of art. It’s true that there are those who simply learn to work a pack of cards and can deftly fool you. They are more tricksters, and craftsmen than artists. However, there is also a line where a magician (any artist really) opens his soul to the audienc...

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The (Catholic) Druid

Posted by djaspersen on Saturday, April 28, 2012, In : Stories from the Trenches 
Working for various groups means that I get to meet people from many different walks of life. Many times the people I get to chat with are relatively normal. They are professionals in the fields of medicine, law, education, etc. They have families and weekend hobbies and all in all, they are interesting people to get to know. 
One evening, I was performing close-up magic at a bar. Sitting at the end of the bar was a guy in his late forties. He wanted to see a little magic. After the trick was ...
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A success

Posted by djaspersen on Friday, April 27, 2012, In : Stories from the Trenches 
I recently performed some magic at a very casual gathering of friends. There was a woman there who is in her early sixties and very (very) chatty. It's a good thing that I have the experience in performing that I do, because she did not play by 'the rules.' She would talk whenever she wanted, take the cards from my hands and shuffle them, watch from every which angle and generally be a magician's nightmare.
At the end of the trick, I still managed to find the right cards, fool the pants off o...

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Ignite Cheyenne 4: The Topic

Posted by djaspersen on Thursday, April 5, 2012,
I'm in the middle of putting together my talk for Ignite Cheyenne 4. The format of the event has forced me to focus my thoughts onto one small area. I only get 5 minutes. In reality, I could carry on about this topic for hours and hours, but I don't know that anyone besides me would find it interesting. Sadly, I won't be performing any pieces of magic for the talk (maybe afterward). 

The topic that I have decided on is very important to me as a performer. I believe that the audience (of any li...
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Turning Tricks vs Making Magic

Posted by djaspersen on Friday, March 23, 2012,
I run into young or new magicians (or sometimes veterans) who have a hard time wrapping their heads around this. Magic is WAY MORE that just a pile of tricks. A quick Google Search for 'magic' will reveal how many online magic shops are out there, selling new, old and refurbished magic tricks. The descriptions of these tricks read "Simply have the spectator blow on the fork and it visually, magically melts...taught in complete detail in 2 hours of video..." Would-be-Magicians read that thinki...
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Mommy, where does magic come from?

Posted by djaspersen on Tuesday, March 13, 2012,
The following is a semi-true story. 

I didn't get into magic as a kid. When I was 11 years-old I told myself how to juggle. From then on I was a juggler. There is a difference between knowing how to or being able to and being a juggler. I live, breathed, slept and occasionally ate juggling. (So far, its all true)
When I was in college, I was working a store in the Mall of America called Air Traffic. They sell high-end strategy games, stunt kites and juggling gear. I was 20 and a resident juggle...
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'You're a magician?'

Posted by djaspersen on Friday, January 27, 2012,

I chatted with a DJ friend of mine the other night. He was very complimentary of my magic and style of presentation. As he was talking, I found it odd how he described his experience working with other magicians at other events. He said the rest of the magical entertainers he’d encountered were either so cheesey that no one took them seriously (except maybe a few kids) or stuffy and unapproachable.  For a brief moment I felt embarrassed for those magicians he was talking about.

Person...


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If you build it the will come (if you're good)

Posted by djaspersen on Wednesday, January 25, 2012,
I work all types of events. Many times I am mingling through a crowd doing close-up magic with small groups of 3 or 4 guests at a time. I will spent a few minutes with a group and then move onto the next small group. I go to them. Other events, like the one in this photo, I am at a booth or table. That means that I don't move from there, all night long. There are certain advantages to either approach. When I'm at a booth, I have a table to work with, I can do longer sets of magic, and the peo...
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Magician@Play - The first blog post

Posted by djaspersen on Tuesday, January 24, 2012,
I have a been working hard on a new stage show. It's set and ready to rock on any stage. 
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