5 ways to keep your magical mind switched on

As I now enter my third month in isolation I find that even though so much has changed, I still have the urge to keep creating magic. Even though currently I have very small outlet for it.

I’m not going to lie, I feel extremely apprehensive about my future and career on a daily basis however, I choose to remain positive and have hope that eventually some form of normality in my life will return.

I miss more than anything performing live, travelling, seeing my boyfriend, friends and family. However, I do feel lucky we have the internet – how on earth would we have survived Corona without it?

“Keep on moving on anyway”

I’m really showing my age with that title from a 5ive song!

During my journey as a performer in isolation, I have seen many things and different attitudes to magic, creation and performance. Some choose to wait until lockdown is over to get back to normal, others are getting on with it online, and then there are some people who have already began performing again in public. I’m not here to preach what I think is right or wrong for now. No one knows, not even scientists. We all have to do what we believe is right for us and others.

From the beginning of lockdown I decided that I was going to make use of this very strange time I have been gifted with and weirdly I have learnt so much about magic, myself, tech and survival, which I want to share with you now.

Some days I don’t feel like doing anything but somehow I’ve found a way to keep on keeping on.

For people who follow my journey you probably think I don’t sleep with the amount of stuff I get up to in a day or weekly basis. And those of you who think that would be absolutely correct – particularly when I take down Karl Fulves Self Working Coin Magic from my shelf to read (again!).

I hope that these five tips that have helped me to survive the pandemic as a performer will help you to keep moving, creating and loving magic. Don’t let this dampen your joy of all things wondrous. Magic needs you!

Numero uno… Little and often

I have found myself telling my brain this on days when I simply want to lie in bed and forget the world we live in. I find that when I say to myself, sure I’ll just write a paragraph, or watch a video or tidy something small, my enthusiasm for the activity in the moment grows instantly. If you get your brain used to thinking in a way that it knows that you are only aiming to do a little, when you end up doing so much more, the feeling of accomplishment daily builds. And over a week you can achieve quite a lot by doing very little each day.

Second the best… it’s tea-break time!

Make sure you actually schedule in downtime and tell yourself its ok to have an afternoon off. I am one of the hardest working people and am quite hard on myself particularly when I want to have ‘a rest day.’ I guilt myself into thinking that I’m bad for taking time out. If I had continued to think that way in lockdown I literally would have driven myself crazy as we all need down time.

So I actively schedule it in. My mum bought me a calendar and I have it beside my bed where I sleep and its the first thing I see when I wake up. I make sure I write in some random fun stuff like – eat custard today, today is a gaming day or open my Ninja Rings present from Tom and get learning. If you build something fun into your diary alongside the activities you ‘must’ do I think you will find balance and feel mentally better.

Third times a charm -Just breathe

Although I don’t feel like it every day, it’s good to get outside and breathe proper fresh air. I try to take my dog Teddy for a walk once a day at least to get outside. It’s so easy to literally go full hermit right now. Make an effort to get out of the house daily even if it’s for just ten minutes.

Four of a kind! Give yourself options.

Challenge yourself every now and again. When reading an effect or learning a new trick – why not try to come up with four unique ways to perform it other than the method that has been given. This allows your brain to openly create something new from something old. It challenges you to think outside the box and perhaps you just might create something good. There will be crap too but we must revel in the crap for us to ever progress and achieve the goodies in magic.

High Five – you made it well done!

Remember to smile and be kind to yourself. When living with oneself particularly in lockdown pressure builds up and it’s very easy to make an enemy of yourself. You should train yourself to be your own cheerleader. Look at yourself in the mirror and say I am enough because you really are. There is no-one like me, you or anyone else on the planet. So celebrate being unique and learn to love yourself more. It means when lockdown ends you really will be ready in mind, body and soul to attack life to it’s fullest!

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