The Six Pillars Overview

10 posts in this series

Reading Order

1 of 10 — 8 min read

The Book That Made Me Rethink Everything I Knew About Performing

I'd spent two years learning how to practice. Then I picked up a book that made me realize I'd only learned half the story. The other half -- performing -- operated by entirely different rules.

2 of 10 — 8 min read

Why Fooling People Was Never the Point

For years I thought the goal of magic was to fool people. I was wrong. The goal was always to move them. And the difference between fooling and moving turns out to be the difference between a puzzle and an extraordinary moment.

3 of 10 — 8 min read

The Six Pillars Framework: A Roadmap I Wish I'd Had from Day One

Strategy consultants love frameworks. So when I found one that organized everything I needed to learn about performing into six clear pillars, it felt like someone had handed me the map I'd been navigating without.

4 of 10 — 8 min read

What a Government Policy Wonk Taught Me About Entertaining

Ken Weber wasn't a lifelong showman. He was a mentalist, a hypnotist, and an investment advisor who came at entertainment from an analytical direction. Which is exactly why his framework made sense to someone like me.

5 of 10 — 8 min read

The Mary Ann Smith Moment: When a Non-Magician Outperformed Every Magician in the Room

A story from Ken Weber's book stopped me cold. A government regulator with no tricks, no props, and no training captivated an audience so completely that a former president said she was a tough act to follow. Here's why that matters.

6 of 10 — 8 min read

They Don't Care -- The Three Words That Changed How I Think About Audiences

I spent years obsessing over my technique, my sleights, my practice hours. Then I read three words in Ken Weber's Maximum Entertainment that demolished every assumption I had about what audiences actually want from a performer.

7 of 10 — 8 min read

Why Your Audience Cares About Themselves, Not Your Tricks

The audience-centric mindset isn't a performance trick. It's a fundamental reorientation of why you perform. And the irony is, I already knew this from consulting -- I just forgot it the moment I picked up a deck of cards.

8 of 10 — 8 min read

The Hershey Bar Problem: Being Good Enough Is Not Good Enough

I thought my competition was other magicians. Turns out I was competing with Netflix, comedy shows, concerts, and every other form of entertainment on the planet. That realization raised the bar higher than I was comfortable with.

9 of 10 — 8 min read

Playing Against Your Own Potential, Not Your Competition

Bobby Knight said you should play against your own potential, not your opponents. When I applied that to magic performance, it eliminated every excuse I had for coasting -- and replaced comparison with something far more demanding.

10 of 10 — 8 min read

The Dangers of Success: How Applause Can Make You Complacent

The standing ovation felt incredible. It also nearly ruined my development. Because applause, I learned, is the most dangerous form of feedback a performer can receive -- it tells you everything you want to hear and nothing you need to hear.