Another Persona

As a kid, I was very shy. It wasn't until I started working in animation at 22 years old and took an improv class that I overcame it to a certain degree. Then that led me to do close-up magic and become a member of Hollywood's Magic Castle for a few years. I'd hang out on Thursday nights after work and force myself to perform tricks for guests at one of the open tables. Over time I learned to take on a more outgoing persona while performing. Almost as if I'm playing a character on stage instead of being myself. Doing this helped when I started doing author presentations to promote my books. Now I enjoy bantering with the audience and have a lot of fun doing it. The key is to stay in the moment and not criticize yourself on stage or in front of an audience. I'm still pretty shy in other situations like parties and have trouble starting conversations with strangers. But maybe one day I'll get better at that too. After all, life is a work in progress.