We were lucky to catch up with Braden Carlisle recently and have shared our conversation below.
Braden, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I don’t typically consider myself inherently creative. Like many adults, I find that I need to actively engage in practices to keep my creative juices flowing.
To do this I like playing games (whether board games to solve problems or even playing dungeons and dragons), exercising my imagination by day dreaming, and solving puzzles and riddles. However, the best tip I’ve ever followed was to keep a notebook.
Within it, I jot down all sorts of whimsical and seemingly impractical ideas. I’ve found that if I dismiss these ideas outright, my brain tends to stop handing out new ones. However, if I say “Thanks, Brain” it’ll keep serving up more and more ideas.
My notebook is filled with pages upon pages of half-formed concepts. Yet, upon revisiting them, I often find sparks of inspiration. While these sparks may not necessarily originate from the initial ideas, they often serve as valuable starting points.
Despite the challenge of initially conceiving ideas, I thoroughly enjoy the creative process. It’s during this phase that I feel most in my element. Once I have an idea in hand, I relish the opportunity to refine it, create prototypes, craft scripts and jokes, and ultimately immerse myself fully in the creative journey.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Braden, and I absolutely adore performing my magic show. It’s a fun time for both adults and kiddos alike. I describe it like a Pixar movie – fun for everyone, silly jokes for the kids and thinkers for the grown ups.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three qualities that best helped me? I’ll wrap it into just one that changed everything for me.
I absolutely had to learn how to ask for help. In the beginning I tried my best to be self sufficient, and wow! What a terrible idea that was. I couldn’t be a magician, webmaster, graphic designer, marketer, salesperson, promoter, booker, inventor, director, writer, producer, and a million more jobs. I have friends who are so good at everything I’m not. If you refuse to ask for help you’re not going to get the best product.
The significance of reaching out and seeking assistance cannot be overstated. Whenever I encounter a creative roadblock, I’m fortunate to have a list of trusted individuals I can turn to, each with their unique expertise and insights. It’s often said that one key to personal growth is to “never be the smartest person in the room,” and I’ve found this adage to hold true in my own experiences.
My phone calls and conversations with friends have been the bedrock of my success as a magician. Their perspectives, encouragement, and willingness to share their knowledge have consistently propelled me forward. This sense of community and collaboration has not only enriched my creative journey but also reinforced the idea that magic is as much about connecting with people as it is about the tricks themselves.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I think everyone should try their best to be well rounded – to a point.
If I ever, let’s say, wrote a book, I know that I’m not going to be the illustrator. That’s not my strength and would bring the level of the book down. Now, I should know enough to choose the best person for the job. I should know the each process and each step, but there’s no way I’m doing it myself.
I don’t think anyone should ever be willfully ignorant and only play to their strengths, but at the same time we have to know what we do well and what would be best done by asking for help or hiring someone else.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bradencarlisle.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bradencarlisle
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bradencarlislemagician
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@bradencarlisle
- Other: www.tiktok.com/@bradencarlisle www.linktr.ee/bradencarlisle
