Truth be told, I have no problem with people making money from anything, so long as it's well within legal and ethical methodologies. I was never fond of the mentality that certain things, be it an art form, an indie something, or whatever else, should be held back from the mainstream just to keep it from “selling out”.
The message people holding back people from selling out is pretty inane, when you think about it. It's a selfish, possessive cry of, “How dare you want to make money and feed your family?!?” When you look at this way, suddenly, you realize that you can't eat artistic integrity, and there is nothing wrong with producing good work meant for a paying customer base.
If you want to maintain “artistic integrity” and never get a cent for your efforts, more power to you. Nobody should begrudge you of that, but that also means you shouldn't begrudge anyone who wants to make money, or even just gain recognition for their work. If you're a fan of some indie wonder or some untranslated anime, you don't own them, so don't feel like you're entitled to keep them from ever being a success. If you're a true fan, you would want them to succeed.
I believed that the idea that “selling out” is such a bad thing is merely a capricious idea that holds back people from ever really reaching out to fulfill their potential. In the wrestling world, ROH-bots, or rabid fans of Ring Of Honor, would actually boo out of the arena any wrestler who they find out would sign a contract with the WWE. With the kind of injuries pro wrestlers sustain over the years, I find it illogical to wish a performer to be unable to have the means to provide for their families with a well-paying job if the option presents itself.
Of course, there will always be exceptions, such as an environmentalist selling out by endorsing a gasoline company, or a guy who strongly hates the concept of “Santamas” and wearing a Santa suit for a bazaar, and... wait, what?
.:I Was Almost Going To Be A Santa Claus...:.
So fresh off the heels of my successful stage show for Trinoma and JAM 88.3, I received an inquiry from a potential client that threw me for a loop...
You see, they saw my magic show, and for some inexplicable reason, what they saw gave them enough reason to think that I would actually make a good Santa Claus.
Yes. Mr. “Bah, Humbug. Santamas Is Horrible!” himself. Yours truly. Oh, it's true, it's true!
I received a call from my potential client, and she sounded excited about the prospect of having me as Santa Claus. Admittedly, I was a hit with the kids during my Trinoma show, so I guess that counts... the height was another, and the complexion... but dagnabit, I'd like to think I'm not fat enough yet to be a Santa... they're going to provide me with pillows. Yeah, that's the ticket...
Client: Hi, Kel! I met you at Trinoma. Have you ever worn a Santa costume before?
Kel: Uhh... I've never done that, to be honest. I'm a professional host and magician...
Client: It's okay! We want you to be our Santa Claus for November 15 and 16 for our bazaar. You're perfect!
Kel: I'm only free on the 15th...
Client: That's fine! We'll try looking for another guy for the second day, but how much would you charge to be Santa Claus for six hours?
Kel: Uhh... to be honest, I have no idea how much to charge for something like this. I've had weird requests before, but this is genuinely a first...
After our phone conversation, I was given a very lucrative offer, and I was well on my way to selling out and being a total ho... ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas! I was becoming the butt of pedobear jokes, but it didn't matter since it was going to be a pretty good experience and an interesting story to tell, to say the least.
Unfortunately, they found someone else who could do the gig for two days, thereby dashing my hopes for any chance of becoming Santa Claus for a day... ah, well.
They graciously told me that they'd still have me on their shortlist for future magic gigs, obviously no mention of Santa Claus this time... heh. That wasn't such a bad thing now, was it?
But r-eally... me? As Santa Claus? (Santa picture taken from Flash Your Stache.)
.:Why Am I Not Gonna Be There For Two Days, You Ask?:.
It's funny what you get when you Google your name...
This coming November 16, I will be doing a street magic teach-in for The Hilt Asia. 30 participants will find themselves learning street magic, learning some of the routines that I myself use during my street magic tours all over the metro.
It's going to be fun, it's going to be exciting, and yeah, they've written about it already...
Amusingly enough, I discovered that a magic website has written an article about me. Well, more like relayed the fact that Inquirer.net has featured me recently. It's definitely something to note, and I'm genuinely surprised about it.
88db.com has also graciously featured me on their site and mentioned me in a news feature regarding their job fair earlier this year. I'm a tad miffed over calling a fork slowly bending in front of their eyes as “sleight of hand”, but what can we do? Normally, you don't diss a person you write a feature about, but magicians and mentalists don't have it *that* easy, I guess...
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