Meet Dakota Priest

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dakota Priest. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dakota, thank you so much for making time for us today. We can’t wait to dive into your story and the lessons you’ve learned along the way, but maybe we can start with something foundational to your success. How have you gone about developing your ability to communicate effectively?

I’m an author, and been in English classes my entire school career. I was able to read sight words since I could speak at about age 1 (as unbelievable as that is). I’ve always been able to spell very well, and developed a way with words by age 11. From there, it just became a matter of learning the difference between different people’s understandings of certain words and the thoughts and emotions tied to them. This skill was built over the course of about 15 years.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I have two stage names: Dakota Priest for magic, and Draccnus Shock for music. I’m a close-up magician and a guitarist, having done both for 20 and 21 years, respectively. I began playing guitar when my father gave me his bass, and performing magic after an ACL injury doing parkour at age 15. It began with a trick deck of cards that my grandmother bought me during recovery after surgery. I specialize in card work and coins, as well as the occasional small items, and a little bit of street-style magic, a la David Blaine. I perform private and corporate events and have been doing so since age 16. I’ve also designed two of my own custom decks and invented at least two card tricks!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

My most important skills, I would say, have been ambition, discipline, and connection with crowds. I feel like I know what people enjoy seeing, and the toastmasters organization has helped me sharpen my speaking skills, able to speak sharper, faster, and with few filler words.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal client is a person or persons who love to have fun and get excited during performances or learning magic. I love the looks on the faces of my audiences when I relate to them, then do the impossible right in front of their eyes. Their faces light up, some may laugh, and others may scream in astonishment. That’s what makes all the practice worthwhile. I hope to book many more shows in the near future.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @magic.dakota
• Facebook: /themagicofdakota
• Twitter: @magicofdakota
• Youtube: /themagicofdakota
• Soundcloud: @draccnusshock
• Other: Draccnus Shock (all music platforms)

  Tiktok: @magic.dakota

Image Credits

@msbebecreates