Outside Inspiration

Recently, well March 27th to be exact, I celebrated my magiversary. Four years I have been doing this! Absolutely crazy! As I think back over my time in magic, I think about how I have developed as a performer and who/what helped me with that.
Inspiration can come from really crazy places. Movies, books, pictures, art, music. Whatever helps you discover what you need to be or do. Being a magic assistant I often do a lot of dance, but also acting. Not necessarily talking, but often the facial expressions can speak louder than words.
In one routine in particular, I have to looked scared. I had the hardest time trying to figure out the right expression. I am a visual learner. I've never been super creative with coming up with my own stuff. That's why Brandon has to show me choreography so then I can copy him. Same with facial expressions. I needed to look scared so where did I go to for inspiration? Kristen Stewart. Yes, haters gonna hate, I know a lot of people don't like her but I do. She is perfect to look at for a scared face. Or a face in pain. I mean let's be honest, those are her best. Whether you like her or not, that was the perfect place for me to look. I've gotten a lot of compliments about my facial expressions for that routine so I think it was worth it!

Of course there are a million movies out there they give me little things to help like the way I flick my wrist or hold a pose. Then there's super awesome movies like Now You See Me that really helps my character develop.
TV shows can also help. So You Think You Can Dance is the most amazing thing ever to look at for beautiful dance technique and being fluid on stage. Even The Walking Dead has inspired a few things.
Then there's the subject of music. Honestly who doesn't get inspired by it? And sometimes I just use it as a confidence booster. Everybody has those couple of songs where they are just like heck yes this is me. It puts you in such an awesome mood and you feel on top of the world like you could do anything. I freaking jam out to "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark" by Fall Out Boy. I seriously feel like I could take over the world with that song. Although that's probably not a good idea.
Brandon's inspiration is Michael Jackson. Honestly he was and always will be one of the greatest performers of all time. He wasn't just a singer or a dancer, he was an entertainer. That's always been our goal with our magic. We don't want to be just magicians or illusionists, we want to be entertainers first and foremost.
Everyday little things inspire us, change us, make us better people. It will always be that way. I hope to continue growing as a person and an entertainer for years to come. Then one day, hopefully I can inspire someone too.