Note:  There is a “News & Updates” announcement after this “Opinion”.
Click here to jump to the update.

We do not like what we can not explain.  This could be a result of nature or nuture (I have no idea), but I what I do know is that sometimes the “reason” or “explanation” makes no difference.  Last Wednesday night, after a particularily good show, I walked out to discover what was left of my car…

No sooner had I taken this photo than the theories started to fly:  It was vandals.  They tried to steal the car and were spooked away.  It was kids.  It was an accident and they ran off.  It was the glass company looking for another client.  (Although I am suspicious that the repair company had the window in stock.)

The truth of the matter is that it could have just as easily been a comet (that woud have actually been really cool).  The reason had no effect on the outcome (which was a replacement window and a couple of hours sitting in a waiting room).  It is experiences like this that force me to try to remember the advice of Don Miguel Ruiz in his book “The Four Agreements”.

In this book, the second of the four agreements is “Don’t Take Anything Personally”.  Whomever did whatever to my car had nothing to do with me (unless they didn’t like a joke or two), so becoming personally offended only serves to waste more of my time.  Imagine a world where no one was offended because of the actions of others.  Bar fights would be a thing of the past.  So would most violence amongst humans.  How many times has a person died because of a misinterpreted glance?

Sometimes this advice is hard to take, but it has served me well in the past…  A couple of years back I was jumped (or maybe mugged – I’m not sure as they didn’t take anything) outside of a bar.  So far as I know it was a random act of violence.  Taking it personally would have left me with many unanswered questions, it would have left me searching for a reason which would never have arrived.  Instead, I realized it wasn’t my problem but the problem of the anonymous pair that decided to cause me physical pain.  (Some readers may realize that I turned that story in a stand-up comedy bit as well… might as well make the night worth a couple of fun minutes on stage.)

I guess the point of this post is to give you a challenge:  the next time that you find yourself under attack or the victim of a random event beyond your control, try to realize that it has nothing to do with you.  Whatever happens is more of an expression of the character of the instigator than it is an expression of who and what you are – don’t take it personally.

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The “News & Updates” part…

Last week’s appearance on CityTV’s “BT” (Breakfast Television) to promote Magically Delicious was a huge success.  You can see my appearance on the program on the Vids/Pics page or by clicking here.  (We are now less than a week from the premiere of the show featuring myself, Ryan Pilling, and Tyler Wilson working together to create never-before-seen magic.  Get your tickets here.)

Some good also came of Wednesday night’s show… a friend managed to snap off some photos of me in action.  They are currently in a Facebook photo album on my fan page, but you don’t need an account to take a look.

There are very few events that have me getting up earlier than about 10am.  It’s not out of laziness, but rather out of being a night owl. (At least, that’s what I tell myself… and my parents.)  Tomorrow, however, my alarm is going off VERY early for a special television appearance here in Calgary.

Tomorrow morning (Friday, September 26, 2008) myself along with the rest of the cast of the new show “Magically Delicious” will be appearing on CityTV’s Breakfast Television with Andrew Schultz.  (That’s cable channel 8 for those that don’t normally use such contraptions.) We’ll be appearing in a number of segments from about 6:50am until 10:00am or so.

Hopefully you can catch some live magic on the TV airwaves (are they still called “airwaves”?) tomorrow morning – if not, I will see if I can infringe on some copyrights and post the clips online here.

With this blog I have joined the ranks of the millions of other people who think that other people care about their opinions (this may be accurate, and it may not).  Suffice to say, in order to work on a blog you need quite the ego, and thankfully after years of successful performing my ego is thoroughly large enough to render this first (and not last) opinion…

These days it is trite business advice to say that “improvements in your industry often come from other industries.”  This has been cliche since the first business-analyst pointed out the improvement that banks adopted from fast-food chains of the drive-thru.  (That may have been vice versa – but it’s not important to the rest of this article, so play along.)

That said, I do think that the more philosophical side of performing magic (yep – there’s a philosophy to it… if you have too much time on your hands) renders one quote with universal applications:

“Magicians stop thinking too soon.”
-Paul Fox, magician

As it relates to the magic community this quote speaks to methods and presentations.  Replace the word “Magicians” with “Comedians” and it speaks to timing and delivery.  Insert any profession (artistic or scientific) and the central theme of the quote starts to become clear: “Your first idea sucks.”

I used to have a drama teacher that said something similar (paraphrased here): “My first idea is always like everyone else’s.  My second idea is a bit more unique.  Now my tenth idea!  Look out!” The arts are full of numerous examples of such thinking and I think it is time for more traditional businesses to start looking at it the same way.

Having sat through countless board meetings and employee trainings I know that businesses want to find ways to increase their employees’ creativity… and another training seminar isn’t going to do it.  Each one of these companies only ever gives their employees enough time for that first thought.  The time and deadline pressure are what remove creativity by not allowing people time for that second, fourth, and twentieth thoughts.

An employee’s first thought is likely your competitions first thought.  My first take on a joke has likely been done before by someone else.  But… given time, brainstorming, experimentation, or whatever… a unique and brilliant idea, thought, joke, etc, is sure to follow.  Audiences often compliment performers on their creativity, mistakenly thinking that “creativity” is a gift.  In my experience, “creativity” is simply past the point that others gave up thinking.

OK.  Maybe not a “theatre” – but definitely a stage, club, or high school auditorium…

I was excited for the creation of this blog because it gives you a great way to find out about some of the shows that I am appearing on in the near future.  Over the next couple of weeks I have several such opportunities.  (By the way, you can always check out where I’ll be for my next few gigs on my Upcoming page.)

September 24 – The Comedy Detour

There is a great new room in Calgary called “The Comedy Detour” which runs every Wednesday night at Kit’s Pub on 16th Avenue NW.  On the 24th I will be the MC of the room and, as always, it’s going to be a laugh-filled night also featuring a surprise out-of-town headliner and some of Calgary’s newest comedy stars.  Tickets are only $10 and available by phone: (403) 210-1777.  You can also get tickets at the door, but the shows are often left with standing-room-only, so I would try to plan ahead. Kit’s Pub is located at 720 – 16 Avenue NW (click here for a map).  You can also check out The Comedy Detour web-site here.

October 4 – One Enchanted Evening

My good friends Trevor Watters and Lorena are producing a wonderful event for a family in need out in Vancouver.  As soon as I heard about it I immediately offered my time and they took me up on it.  (Note: please save the “I’m surprised they accepted” jokes for later.) It’s going to a be gala evening with entertainers from all around North America including my good friends Shawn Farquhar, Brian Cook, Dave Watters, and David Wilson (as well as Trevor and Lorena).  Plus, my soon-to-be-good-friend Lon Mandrake (of the famous magical Mandrake family) will also be there.  With tickets at only $15 you can’t go wrong while you support this worthy family.  On October 4th the doors open at the Seaquam High School in Delta, BC (click here for a map) at 6:00pm with the show starting at 7:00pm.

If you would like tickets you can contact Trevor Watters by e-mail (trevorwatters@dccnet.com) or by phone (604-202-2874).

October 6 – Magically Delicious

Two of my best friends and I have teamed up and combined our talents to create a brand-new magic show called Magically Delicious.  Our premiere show will feature unique magical creations and… quite frankly… we’ll see what else happens that night.  Tickets are only $10. Doors at The Comedy Cave (9206 Macleod Trail S) open at 7PM with bar service and the show begins at 8PM.  The goal is to turn this into a monthly feature with new magic every time so this is going to be the start of a tradition.

More to come…

That’s the schedule for the next few weeks.  I’ll continue to use this system to update on other public shows so be sure to subscribe to this blog.

Back in February I thought it was time for a new web-site. Now it’s September and that dream has come true! Why did it take so long? I was busy writing jokes, rehearsing magic, and producing events for other people. So the creation of this site is a little bit selfish – but now I can get back to entertaining the masses! (Note: my use of the word “masses” should in no way be misconstrued as a fat joke – you look great!)

For those readers that may have just arrived at this site, here’s how bad it really was…

The way-past-due (old) donovandeschner.com.

…it’s not hard to see how much of an improvement this site has become. And not just visually! We’ve added a blog (what I’m typing this into right now), more video clips, more photos, and tons of content. It is worth re-exploring the site if you already have with the old one, and here’s a couple of things I would recommend…

1. Subscribe to this blog. It will become the primary method for updating my fans, followers, and parents.
2. Check out the almost-as-new page that I have on Facebook. If you have a Facebook account be sure to become a “fan”.
3. CALLING ALL AGENTS: With the creation of this site I also put together a cool new back-end system to give you all the information that you need for your clients. Contact me if you haven’t yet received access to this system.

I’m excited to start writing here every week and can’t wait to hear your comments as well. All blog posts will give you the ability to provide feedback and I love hearing from everyone!

All the best,

Donovan