Posts Tagged ‘christian’



Apr8

My Failing Career, and the Illusion of Success

By Harris III | 12 Comments

What if I told you that I fail repeatedly?  I don’t mean in the whole “I’m an imperfect guy who messes up, just like everyone else, blah blah blah…” sort of way.  I mean literally, I’m currently a failure.  I know, after reading all of this, some of you would love to argue and debate about how “failure” isn’t the best word, or how in the process of failing “financially,” I’m actually winning spiritually.  I get that, and know what you mean, but let’s go back about 15 years, and I think you’ll get what I’m trying to say. Even if I fail at expressing and articulating it.  ;-)

When I was 9 years old, I got a magic set for Christmas from my grandmother.  Not at all what I asked for, but that’s what I got.  Turns out, it changed my life.  When I was 11, I got paid $25 to do my first “real” show.  By 14, I was traveling, performing for schools and churches, and even at all kinds of public and private parties and events. By 16, I got my first cruise ship gig, performing on a big boat back and forth from the Carribean.  By 18, I was making almost $200,000 a year.  By 25, I had made a million dollars in my lifetime.  And I had wasted every penny of it.   READ ALL

Dec17

2009 Thailand Tour Vision & Highlight Video

By Harris III | 12 Comments

Please enjoy these highlights from the first few weeks of our 2009 Thailand Tour, and consider supporting what God is doing in Asia. Words cannot express the need for YOU to be a part of what is happening here. We are already planning our next tour in June & July 2010.

Watch the video. READ ALL

Oct21

Scientists ask Magicians, “How are we deceived?” Should the Church start asking, too?

By Harris III | 4 Comments

There’s an illusion that I perform in our show, “Sens de Vie” where a newspaper is ripped to shreads and instantly restored back to its original condition. Every page is shown front and back, both at the beginning and at the end.  Audiences love it.

This past weekend, in the process of performing the illusion with a copy of the USA Today, I noticed a page with a huge photo of a guy holding a deck of cards, along with a headline referencing magic.  After looking into it, I discovered an incredible article titled, “Neuroscientists: Why is the brain deceived as if by magic?”

There was a large meeting recently in Chicago where scientists gathered to watch magicians performing their art, and then had a large discussion about attention, memory, and perception.  The article featured a great quote by Thomas Carew, the president for the Society of Neuroscience:

“There is no better way to see how the mind works than to study how we can be deceived.”   READ ALL

Sep29

I’m Not a “Christian Illusionist”

By Harris III | 6 Comments

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post announcing that I would no longer be marketing myself as a “Christian Illusionist”, but just as an “illusionist” who happens to be a Christian.  It turns out, the decision was a wise one.

Because I am open about my faith, and often incorporate it into my show so that my art has substance, I am most certainly a different kind of illusionist.  Who I am affects what I do. What I believe affects my work. And my Creator is involved in the experiences I create.  Like me, who you are affects how you do what you do…whether you’re aware of it or not.

Because I’ve discovered over and over again that labels ultimately fail, and because it got piles of conversations going 4 years ago, and then again when reposted 2 years later, here’s the original post yet again. Enjoy, comment, and pass it along… READ ALL