Moving Beyond Mentors
Every magician has one or more heroes or idols. They may be living magicians, or magicians of the past whose skills reached new heights or brought more prestige to the art. We also have great respect for those magicians we have personal access to who have been into magic for many more years than we have, or who have achieved success in their magical careers. Take, for example, Denny Haney. Denny has earned tremendous respect from magicians worldwide, and those of us lucky enough to be within driving distance of his shop constantly hound him for advice and opinions. His decades as a professional performer, unflinching devotion to ethics, and broad knowledge of every aspect of magic is very valuable to us all.
However, I think we have a tendency to take such resources for granted, and in doing so we limit ourselves tremendously. Consider the computer programmer seeking help from an online group. If he doesn’t demonstrate that he has worked hard on the issue before asking for answers, he is unlikely to be handed the solution. Even if he is handed a working solution, the benefit is minor because it doesn’t force him to improve himself. The same goes for magicians asking Denny what they should buy. He probably knows, but the book he recommends will often go unappreciated, even if we do buy it. We can only improve as magicians once we have earned a solid footing at our current level through study, practice, and thought.
If you are lucky enough to know an experienced magician willing to help you advance, consider them to be a last resort. If you think about a problem on your own, you may invent something new, or improve upon something old. By asking for the solution, you may be robbing yourself (and others) of your own creative contributions to the art. Those you respect didn’t earn that respect by mimicking others — they earned it by making a contribution.
Also, allow yourself to question or disagree with their advice. What is best for one person may not be best for another. If you and your mentor are different (and you are), their carefully selected repertoire may be perfect for them, but it’s almost certainly not perfect for you.
It’s rarely a good idea to “re-invent the wheel,” but if we use something without ever really understanding it, we necessarily limit its usefulness, and our own success.
