Oh right... contest...

Sorry it took a bit. I hath been distracted by many things.

Regardless, we here at Bizzaro By Design have decreed this the winning image:

So whoever put this one in the comments email me your address and I will send you an advance copy of the brand new DVD we are putting out that no one else has yet!

(I'm a little disappointed that no one went with a fellatio joke but it's probably good that my readers are classier than I would be in this situation.)

Be sure to check www.bizzaromatic.com around the first of November for the official release of the 1 Trick Pony EP.

Deprecating in value...

This should seem obvious to most but I started to realize it's not, especially in the younger performers of today.

Learn proper self-deprecating humor.

No one seems to have ever given the advice that self-deprecation should apply to your personal faults NOT how much you suck at something. If you think self-deprecating humor involves making fun of how un-skilled or your lack of talent is, then you need to STOP. You diminish not only your work but the work of others who actually try to be good.

However, if you wear glasses and are blind, harp on that. Does your fashion sense denote your mother dressed you for school? Go to town on it. Are you bad at math? Make that funny. This is proper self-deprecation. Not that you suck at magic, or juggling, or whatever.

People want to see someone be proficient at their craft. If you are using the "I suck at this" gambit as a premise so when you do something really skilled it surprises people that's different but find more subtle ways to get that across than outright saying it. (However going that route takes more skill in some ways than learning sleights so tread carefully)

So even if you do suck and the whole world knows it don't point it out. You'd be surprised who you can fool.

Never let em' see you sweat.

Necessary posturing...

In the past I have spoken about one of the secrets to being a good performer is to have confidence in your material and yourself. The audience can smell inexperience. (it smells like black licorice which is gross) One of the tells of someone who hasn't been performing long or not been trained properly is bad posture.

If you see someone who is doing a trick for you with slumped shoulders their body language denotes that of someone who doesn't give a flying fuck about what they are doing. Watch a confident seasoned performer. Their shoulders are back and they stand up straight (unless it's for dramatic or comedic effect). Look at yourself in the mirror. Does the way you stand give away more than you know? These are the tiny things you have to be aware of as a performer. Being proficient at the mechanics is just one tiny part of the puzzle.

For those who it does not come to naturally movement and/or acting lessons might be of a big help.

Odin knows it couldn't hurt...

PS: I will announce the winner of my contest soon.