Magic for Young Lovers by Andy “The Jerx” just arrived at my house last week.

I’ve been sick for the past few days, so I read it completely through in just two days.

Absolute work of art. The way they think about creating experiences for people, the amount of detailed attention Andy puts into his presentations. It’s mindblowing. All of those cliche “Uncles” who showed you magic at family gatherings should’ve been doing this style of performance all along because so much of the performance is meant for the casual social realm. I digress, get the book, or get on that site if you haven’t already.

Related:

There’s been a lot disturbing my life lately. I’ve been working with an external team on a very ambitious theatrical production of magic, been working w/ Four Suits members on creating a live experience/tour show, and always trying to continue the momentum forward amongst the other standard magic noise. I’ve gotten myself stressed out about it. That is the lifestyle that I chose, I thought. However, even doing the same things in my lifestyle, I realize I don’t have to stress myself out so much.

You ever know that feeling when you’re disgustingly sick, and then you just start to get better? That happened to me today. I took a walk outside. Just put on some shoes and walked outside. No phone. No connection to anything. Just walked outside about an hour before sunset. It made me feel like a kid again.

It had just rained here in LA. Everything was gorgeous, and everything was so much bigger than me. I grabbed a tangerine off a tree. I picked one of those little, damn, I don’t even know the name... One of those little thin stalks of plant, with tiny yellow tube shaped flowers, ones that I used to chew for their tart taste when I was a kid, I did that again probably for the first time since I’ve been a kid.

There was something magical about today. And it was incredibly freeing, and definitely widened my perspective, relaxed me. This is magic. Not in the way that Magic with a capital “M” frames it, but something truly magical, and I think that’s a bit where Andy comes from. And where I hope to come from too.

— J.R.