On the Importance of Having a Hobby

It’s been a while since I posted last.  But that is kind of good news because I’ve been so busy.  Working my day job then doing magic shows has become quite time consuming and very rewarding (the magic show part anyway).  I’ve got my weekly gig at the restaurant and I have shows booked every weekend for the next month.  It’s really exciting.  So, finally, magic is becoming a job for me.

A strange thing happens when your hobby becomes your job.  When you go from doing a thing just because you love it, to doing a thing just because it’s Tuesday at 5:30.  Don’t get me wrong, I still have a passion for magic, and even though it really feels more like work now than a relaxing pastime, it’s the greatest job I could hope for and I love every minute of it.  I am extremely lucky to be able to get paid for the thing I love to do most in the world.  Nevertheless, it is a job now.  It’s work.  There is a void in my life where my magic hobby used to be.  I believe that everyone needs a hobby of some kind.  Something that you can do just because you love it.  A thing you do mainly for yourself in the quite times, to relax between the stuff you have to do.

That brings me to a week and a half ago.  I was going through some old stuff in my office and I came across some old notebooks from college.  Flipping through revealed not only class notes, but also a lot of little doodles and drawings in the margins.  I’ve always liked to draw and even had a comic strip in my college paper for a few years, but I had put this activity on hold to focus on magic.  So now, here I was, needing a new hobby, and this stuff pops up and reminds me that I’ve had another hobby all along.

So, just for fun, I’ve started a separate blog where I’m going to put my little drawings.  In honor of those margin drawings that started it all, I’ve called it Eric’s Margins.  It’s just a little fun little thing to do when I need a break from my amazingly awesome and unbelievable job of magician (I still can’t believe I’m doing this for a job!).

I’m planning on posting more here in the upcoming weeks as I get more used to my new schedule.  I’ll be talking about my shows, practice, rehearsal, and even stage fright.  Also my wife and I are planning on moving in the next few months so when we do, there will be a whole new city to spread my magic to!  I also really want to do more videos, so that’s on the list too.  So many things!  I’m excited about all of it.  Thank you all for following along!

Magic Time 19

Hi, everyone.  I’m a little late with this post because it’s been a crazy week at my “day job.”  But, I’m not here to talk about that, lets talk about Magic Time!

In other news, my weekly gig at Golden Corral in Rogers is continuing to go well.  I’m handing out lots of business cards and meeting a lot of new folks who enjoy magic.  It’s all I could have hoped for.  In the next few days, I’m going to try to ramp up my efforts to secure another restaurant gig, hopefully here in Fayetteville.  Wish me luck!

Also I’m trying to get ready for the BIG show on August 27 at the Frisco Festival.  It’s going to be a huge, all day event.  You don’t want to miss it.  I’ve got some special stuff I’m working on just for that show.  It should be awesome.

Well, I guess that’s it.  Thanks for reading and continuing to support me.  You guys rock.

A New Era for Magic Time & Magic Time 18

Hello, friends.  I come to you today with several announcements.  First and foremost is that I have moved Magic Time from YouTube to Vimeo.  The reason is not long or complicated so I’ll explain it after this week’s episode.  I have other announcements too, but those are covered briefly in the video and if you want more details, then read on, brave souls.

Whew!  I kinda got carried away at the end there with the announcements and what not.  But that’s just because I’m so excited about it all!  So for all those still with me, here’s some more details.  First off, YouTube really mad me mad yesterday.  I spent a total of six hours trying to upload episode 18!  The upload reached 100% 3 times and then crashed leaving me to start over.  It’s been giving me problems for weeks now but this is the first time I’ve been completely unable to get it to upload.  So I said, “enough, YouTube!  You stick to your videos of cats playing the keyboard (hilarious by the way) and I’ll take my little show elsewhere.”  I had played around with Vimeo a few months ago and really liked it.  I could personalize my page way better than on YouTube and the videos uploaded faster and were better quality.  So, there you go.  Easy decision.  Click here to see the new channel!  I’ll be uploading past episodes gradually over time so eventually, they will all be there.

Second, yes, Magic Time is going from a weekly video to an every other weekly video.  I think I made the case pretty well in the video: I just want them to be as good as my vision of them and that just takes more time.  Especially now that I’m getting busier and busier, which is awesome!

Lastly, the “contest.”  Ok, it’s not really much of a contest, but I’m still really excited about it.  All I ask is that you spread the word about me and my magic.  How hard could that be?  Help me get a gig, and you can be on the internet!  It’s that easy.  I’ve been wanting to do episodes with guests for a while now, because so much of my magic needs someone there to interact with.  I just thought this would be a fun way to do it that could help my business grow at the same time.  Win win.

Well, thanks for sticking with me this long if you’re still reading.  You’re way better than all those other people who just stopped half way through.  Seriously, though, thank you all for the continued support and helping me make my dream come true.

Magic Time! #17

An old fashioned episode with just me talking to the camera.  I wanted to share this piece I’ve been working on for a while now.  It’s a personal story about my path along the road to becoming a magician.  Enjoy.

 

Egad!  This is my 50th post!  Thanks everyone for reading and watching.

Magic Time! #16

Hot town, summer in the city… something something something something talking to a kitty.

I apologize for that.

 

Magic Time! #15

Wow! It’s been a really busy week.  I’ve managed to get a regular weekly gig at a local restaurant and it’s going really well.  No one is as surprised about that as I am.  I’ve battled my performance anxiety for so long, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to actually go through with it.  But, once I push past the initial fear and get going, I become completely immersed in the performance and my passion and love for magic so outweighs my fear that it is almost nonexistent.  It’s magic, really.

Anyway, here is a brand new Magic Time!  In this episode, I let you guys behind the scenes to see what it’s like to learn a new trick.  It’s not as easy as I thought…

 

Magic Time! #14

This is a very educational episode.  So try to stay awake and you might just learn something.

Also, look forward to another post from me later today or tomorrow about my gig last night.  It’s about to get real.

Magic Time! #13

Well, here it is the dreaded Episode 13.  So much went wrong while I was filming this it almost makes a guy start to believe in all that superstitious stuff.  Almost.

The Magic Time “Episode 12” Trilogy (Part III)

At last, here is part 3 of the special “Episode 12” Trilogy.  Whew.  It was a lot of work doing three videos in one week so it will probably be a while before I do it again.  Maybe one day when I’m doing magic for a living I’ll have time… (a man can dream, can’t he?)

Part III “Interview Time”

The Magic Time “Episode 12” Trilogy (Part II)

Behold!  Part II of the epic “Episode 12” Trilogy.  This is the usual episode of Magic Time! directed/produced/edited by my special guest, Michel Fabriqué.

Part II: “Michel Fabriqué Presents: Magic Time!”