The most potent and important ingredient in any performance is authenticity. Far more important to a long-lasting career than talent or skill, is a perspective that only you have, built from your life experience and the filter with which you have taken in the world. Talent and skill will help you build the house of your career, but authenticity is what makes it a home. The way you look, the way you sound, the way you come across, the connection you have in translating certain zeitgeists that live within our collective minds, are all going to be how you discover your particular star power. Star power is that unique, authentic voice that is yours and yours alone. The more magicians and variety artists who find a path to their most authentic voice, the better off we all are, and the more inspiring and diverse the medium will be.
Perhaps finding your authentic voice has been elusive. Or perhaps you are like me, and enjoy any and all conversations, meditations, and musings on the subject. If you are in the part of the creative process where you don’t understand what your process is, or who you are authentically onstage, my goal in this article is to put your expectations in the right place to maximize your chance of success.