Is the jar full?
An experienced magician was asked by a young magician about what made a great act.
The experienced magician took a jar and poured in some golf balls.
“Is the jar full?” He asked?
“Yes” replied the young magician.
The experienced magician then took some small pebbles and poured them into the jar, filling the spaces in between the golf balls.
“Is the jar full now?, he asked.
“Yes”, came the reply.
The experienced magician then took some sand and filled in all the tiny spaces between the small pebbles until it was almost overflowing.
“What about now? Full?”
“Yes, surely!” replied the young magician.
“The experienced magician then took some liquid and poured it into the jar, filling all the remaining spaces in between the grains of sand.
“Now, the golf balls represent your tricks. If you didn’t add anything else, you would still have an act but there would be so much missing.
The pebbles are your presentations. They help make the act more complete, flow throughout the entire act and envelope each trick.
The sand represents bits of business. You may think they are not very important but they will help to fill in the tiny gaps and make the act even more complete.”
“What about the liquid? That’s pretty much all I can see in the jar now” asked the young magician.
“That? That’s you! You are what permeates through every area of your act. The reason you can only see it is because more than the tricks; more than the presentations; more than the bits of business, people look at your act and they will remember YOU!”
A lot of things go in to making an act. They are all important. But the most important element is YOU.