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Messages - Jamie D. Grant

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26
Playing Card Plethora / Re: hidden 1-way back decks
« on: January 31, 2012, 05:04:21 AM »
True Story

Years ago, three friends and I were sitting in a coffee shop talking magic and drinking coffee (actually, I think Sean was having hot chocolate. Light weight!). Needless to say, there were cards on the table and laughter in the air. A tall blonde walks by us towards the counter and stops dead in her tracks.

"What are you doing?" she asks in an eastern European accent.

"Wha?" is our universal reply. Our natural instincts rack our minds for what we're doing wrong- the only time we're asked "what we're doing."

"Are you performing magic tricks?" she asks. Keep in mind, she hasn't even ordered yet. She's halfway across the floor but decided to stop at our table.

"Yeah." one of us replies.

"Let me show you one." She doesn't wait for us to answer. She grabs the first deck she sees, removes four face cards, places them face-up, in a row, and asks us to turn one around- end for end- when her back is turned. We do. Second card from the left. She turns around, looks at them quickly and pushes forward the Jack. The exact card we had spun.

"It was that one."

We're gobsmacked. "Do it again."

"No problem." she says, her accent clipped. And she did. Five times in a row.

"That's enough."

She left without ordering anything.
___________________________________________________

It took us the rest of the night before we learned that all face cards are 1-Way backs. Practice is everything. Do one thing and do it well and you'll be remembered forever.

My best,

jamie d. grant
www.SendWonder.com


27
Hiya Gang!

Every now and then I roll through Google to see what's what- and I just stumbled across these forums. Holy Smokes- you guys know your playing cards! It's absolutely awesome to see a group that is so passionate about their art and that also has the knowledge to go with it. Sheer epicness.

So, if you have a second, I'd love to introduce myself: My name is Jamie D. Grant and I make those impossible bottles that some of you may have seen on David Blaine's, Theory's, De'Vo's, Elussionist's, or my site. Basically, it's like a ship in a bottle, but with a deck of playing cards. I sell them on my site and I also leave them on the street for people to find, via my Send Wonder Campaign (it's hard to believe I've left almost a thousand out there). And for those of you that have seen one before, I know that the topic of price has probably come up. So, if I can, I'd love to touch base on that...

I know that a hundred buck is a lot of moohlah- I totally get that. And I also know that it's hard to understand the time and dedication that it takes into making one as, for the most part, not many people know all that it entails other than myself. So let me say that it's not a production line kind of thing. From driving to the dairy to all the moments until the end are done by no one except me. But even all of that is pretty much worthless...

Because it's not the act of putting a deck into a bottle that has value but the hope of putting the impossible into a visual form. And that's exactly what all of you do. Whether it's flourishing, magic, or even displaying, you're putting yourself out there to bring people a sense of inspiration, joy, and wonder. So how much is that worth? For me, it's worth everything. And I hope it is for you, as well. Because from the moment you pick up a deck of playing cards to the time that someone looks at you with admiration is a lifetime of effort. It's not the cut they're seeing but the work it took to get there. It's not the flourish that's the art but, rather, you. You are the joy. You are the inspiration.You are the wonder. Don't ever sell yourself short because, whether you tell them or not, people can sense what you're worth. And you're worth everything. That's how I've always felt about it, anyways.

Okay, too much rambling on my part, lol. Thanks for taking the time and I totally look forward to learning from all of you!

My best,

jamie
www.SendWonder.com


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