So, here I am today, at my present base, taking a day for myself, looking up videos on watercolour painting - a hobby of mine. There's a weath of information on YouTube videos to improve ourselves in whatever topic we want to. I've ended up at a post about how to succeed as an artist - a visual artist.
Some of you performers are going to be envisaging a link of similarity. We street magicians use a mix of visual art with physcholgical art. "Watch this!" and the audience thing, "What! How did that happen..."
Back to the You Tube video about painters.
Go to the following and either listen along from the start or just go the the 9 minute mark and start there.The person is talking about "Be Yourself."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcTYhaA72iY

One or two of my recent posts have been about "I AM MY SHOW". Once we know that we are well on the way to being sucessful as Street Magicians.
I expect most readers of this post will already appreciate that, and some of us need reminding of it. But more to the point are those starting out with a Magic Show and thinking that if they copy trick A from magician X that will really make their Magic Show be a good one. Oh, and copy magician Y exactly and that will be another item in our Show to help us be good at street magic. Not so. We must be ourselves. It's a whole lot more sincere than aping someone else..
I'm not against beginners copying others as they start out, because that's where most of us get our initial teaching amd impetus from.
But it is our uniqueness that determines our success to a large part.
Right, I'm off to listen to the rest of that video I've mentioned.
Best wishes,
Colin C. Schwamm, aka MagiCol

I like the the bit about if you copy someone else work then your just promoting them not your self. I noticed my show fill up with all those stock line and yeah they work, But do they work as well as when the original person used them. So I have started to break them down and work out why the work and what they say about me. Also I like to try to re work to say more about me.

Nice post and good to share something with a different art form tackling the same issues we all face.

Hey Magicol,
nice Article, thanks for sharing.
I think it's a BIG point, probably the key to having a happy,... fullfilled Life.
but,.. I think it's a bit 'mis-stated'.
Instead of "being yourself.",..
I think the key,.. the 'first step' is "becoming yourself"(!).

I don't want to split philosophical hairs here,..
but,.. this process,.. technique,.. I find to be so important.
Often, I find these catch phrases, "Have fun.",.. "Be yourself.",.. to be quite hollow,..
easy to hide behind.
The doing,..
AND,.. taking a big lung of air here,..
I believe the Technique IS understandible,...
something concrete.
I believe practising,. and practising,... and practising basic techniques of a Craft,
opens the eyes to uniqueness,... (Art?,... maybe.).
Funny, somewhat of a contradiction,..
practising the basics,... over and over,.. opens insight.

Becoming one's self,
this self-discipline,...
to carry the stones,..
one after another,
from the waters to the shore,...
coming to understand the stones,
we see the house to be built.
enjoy your day,
gallagher

I really struggle to be myself when performing. In real life I'm jovial fella, very confident but getting that to come across when performing is difficult. I feel like I'm getting there but think it is harder than just being yourself.

Migwar, I should have mentioned that performer, in being 'myself', does need to be an exagerated approach. For example, the voice level is going to be raised louder than usual, the actions more exagerated, hands held up higher to show off the prop or the chosen card, etc.
I blow a kazoo on the street for a couple of reasons - it attracts attention, most people think its funny/strange. In everyday life I don't go around blowing a kazzo. Or telling certain jokes. But on the street you need to an attention-getter, different to 'normal', an entertainer, a thanker to people for watching your Show.
This exageration becomes your street character - growing as you work the streets and things happen, rather than being rehearsed at home before going onto the street to perform.
The audience accepts you as the person you perform as.