Mentorship
I had the good fortune of spending many years with a friend whose influence "mentored" me in a way that only now, in retrospect, I truly appreciate. This experience directed me in ways that formed much of how I think about magic and its presentation.
Back in the day, I remember trying to sort through the printed instructions that came with the tricks and how they seemed all too brief in their explanations. Then reading magic books, which were better, but without much personality like reading "stereo instructions." Plus, it all often seemed equally impossible to tackle. I found, of course, that just sticking with it was the ingredient that made the difference. As my parents would say, "you just need a bit of stick-to-it-ness." Since I loved magic so much, I stuck with it.
In times gone by, becoming a magician was through an apprenticeship. You became the helper or assistant of some kind in the employ of a performing magician; this is how you really learned the craft of magic. The "secrets" of magic are closely guarded and only learned through this employment. Secrets of each magician have always been closely guarded because it is the "stock-in-trade." Reputations were built upon the mysteries that magicians became famous for doing. There are so many examples of this in the literature of historical magic.
Stepping back in time to my own mentoring, I remember watching my close friend perform trick after trick over time. Each one that he did, I found amazing and thoroughly wonderful. I thought to myself, repeatedly, I've got to learn that trick; it is astounding, that's the one that will make me a magician! But, there is a big difference between someone who does tricks and a magician. After a while, I finally had an epiphany about how it wasn't only the tricks that make his performing wonderfully; it's largely him! I needed to work on myself more as a performer, and through spending time with him and studying, listening to his advice and stories, built upon his vast knowledge of magic and performing experience, I too grew into a much better performer and hopefully a magician. I realized what made a magician great... a true passion for the art. His passion for magic was what had made him into a great magician. Magic was his life's work!
This association (mentorship) was the example that guided me. Throughout the years, the time we spent together was filled with much discussion about magic, other magicians, watching magic shows, books of all aspects of magic, working together at magic shows, and doing new tricks for each other. Little by little, spending this time together was the greatest help to my magic.