News Flash! Jeff McBride’s Star Student Rachel Ling Gordon on Fool Us!
Rachel Ling Gordon has achieved remarkable feats, including a lead role on a Broadway National Tour, and an upcoming historic appearance on Penn & Teller: Fool Us Season 10. Tune in to the CW Network at 8:00 pm ET on February 2 to witness Rachel’s enchanting performance, making her the youngest magician in the show’s ten-season history.
Healing Magic
At the age of eleven Rachel has already achieved what some can only dream of – overcoming childhood anxiety and transforming her life through unwavering dedication to her craft. From being mute as a child to touring the country on the Broadway National Tour of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” playing the lead role of Cindy Lou Who, Rachel has proven that magic can truly happen in the face of adversity. A true inspiration, Rachel serves as an Ambassador for the Selective Mutism Association and SMart Center, sharing her transformative journey from silence to a stage filled with music and magic.
Magic Mentoring on Zoom
Jeff and Rachel have been meeting every month on Zoom for magic lessons. Now you can see the results, and her mesmerizing performance on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, celebrating her incredible journey from selective mutism to enchanting audiences worldwide. For more details on Rachel’s inspiring story visit Selective Mutism Association and SMart Center at selectivemutismcenter.org. Explore Rachel’s world at www.rachelingordon.com and follow her on Instagram @rachelingordon.
Renowned magician and illusionist David Copperfield expressed his excitement to watch Rachel shine. “Rachel Ling Gordon is a rising star who inspires us all with her magic and extraordinary talents,” Copperfield praised. Las Vegas headliner and holder of several World Guinness Records, Jeff McBride echoed the sentiment, stating, “Only one magician has ever performed in Las Vegas at the age of eleven years old, and her name is Rachel Ling Gordon. She is an exceptional talent.”
Meet Jay Fortune
Our Museletter contributor this month is Jay Fortune. Jay is a successful magician, artist and author. In this article, Jay shares his secret four-step process for manifesting dreams into reality.
Manifesting Dreams
Friends, forgive me, but I need to start with a bit of trumpet blowing. There is a reason, I assure you. When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming a professional magician. However, no one around me had a clue how to do that or, indeed, if it were even possible. Could someone make a living from simply doing magic tricks? All I knew was that there were people doing it (Jeff, of course, being one, as I first watched him on TV when I was about eight or nine. Little did I know we’d go on to become good friends, and tour and perform together many times.) I innocently thought if they can do it, so can I.
Skip forward three decades, the latter two of which I spent as a professional magician making a good living. (Just a bit more trumpet blowing, and I’ll get to the reason for doing so. Please bear with me.) Next, I dreamed of becoming a pro artist. Again, another apparently “impossible” hobby to turn into a living. Within twelve months, I had my work in over sixty high-end galleries. and a growing number of collectors worldwide.
Last bit of trumpeting. (I promise.) I wanted to add another string to my bow and dreamed of becoming a pro writer. A year later I had a publisher, my first paperback out in bookshops, and my first screenplay commission (oh, and a ton of rejection letters). That’s three hobbies that I turned into a well-paid living. OK, that’s the trumpet blowing done. Now to the point of all this. (thanks for sticking with me.)
In that time, many friends and colleagues reached out to me asking how I’d made the jump from hobby to profession. It got me thinking about the process I use. After toying with various ways to bring that knowledge to a wider audience, I created “The Dream-Maker’s Manifesto.”
The Dream-Maker’s Manifesto
The Dream-Makers Manifesto is my long-form blog on Substack, and is free to join. (See the note at the bottom of this for a special offer for our community.) In the blog, I distill the process I have created over the last twenty years on turning a dream into an income stream. In each post, I share the knowledge and formula on how I get paid doing what I love, whether it’s in magic, art, or writing.
Here’s my basic four-step process which you can use to manifest your own dreams, from a single project through to a full-blown business, whether creating a magic trick for the market, or to becoming a full-time performer.
Dream It, Scheme It, Do It, Prove It
First, we have to Dream It. Seems obvious, right? Sure, but creating the space, the mindset, and the habit of constant dream creation requires discipline, courage, and focus.
Next, we have to Scheme It. The dream has got our creative energy fired up, but do the numbers stack up? Scheming what you have in mind is the next vital step to prevent wasted time, energy, and cash. (Trust me, these lessons are hard-won and I speak from experience.)
After the scheming, we have to Do It. Action beyond thinking and plotting is the next step to making our dreams a reality. But the action should be focused and dedicated.
Then the final step. We must Prove It. Yes, we need to get that first client, customer, friend, or foe to part with cash, and pay us for what we have dreamed up.
The Dream-Maker’s Manifesto Blog
In The Dream-Maker’s Manifesto blog, I tease out many examples from my own journey, and other strategies within each of these four main steps that you can use to manifest your dreams. I discuss how I cultivate a creative mindset, how I balance creative work with wellbeing, (and again, I speak from hard-won experience, having had a breakdown in my mid-30s when I didn’t take care of myself and was endlessly pursuing the dream.) And, how I lead a life full of creativity turning dreams into a livelihood.
The blog was begun in September 2023, and is gradually building in content and subscribers. I’d love for creatives in our community to join me in the ride. If you wish to find out more, you can subscribe for FREE at https://jayfortune.substack.com/about, and if you choose to support my writing and sign up for a year, I’ll gift you the following year completely free – all to help make your dreams become a reality. (Unless, as I say in my introduction to the blog, you have plans for World Domination as an Evil Genius, in which case, you’re on your own.)
Sure, my way isn’t the only way, but I have proven the concept time and again for making a creative idea turn into an income. Either way, remember to make your dreams a reality, first Dream It (and cultivate a life where you can create good dreams and ideas consistently.) Scheme It (make sure you plan as much as you can before spending the first cent in investing in your future or building anything.) Do It (put those plans into action and start making the dream a reality.) And, finally, Prove It (get that first paying customer.)
Sweet Dreams!
Jay Fortune