A Prediction

Here’s a prediction:

We aren’t going to learn anything from the pandemic. We aren’t going to rebuild our grocery stores and community spaces to prevent overcrowding. We aren’t going to maintain social distancing, but rather celebrate when we can pack into buses, trains, and planes all over again. In fact, I almost guarantee you that we’ll see some kind of advertisement that tells us to “Sit in the middle seat and celebrate the return of normal!”

For years I’ve dealt with miserable travel conditions, pedestrians bumping into me on the sidewalk, crowded businesses, and more. And now we’re seeing how awful those conditions were, but I’m guessing that not much is going to change.

I’m not trying to be cynical here. I just think it’s obvious. We’re in really weird, divided times and I don’t think we’ll come out of this any better than we were before. It’s a shame really because you’d think this could be a real opportunity for progress.

Since big changes seem really unrealistic, the real goal should be for us to come out of this better as individuals. I, for one, have already made changes in my life that I hope will last long after this is over.

For example, I’m not as rushed to tackle my work any more. Since I know people understand that times are weird and things take longer right now, I use it as an excuse to only check my e-mail once a day and limit any work to 2-3 hours. My bookings are still consistent, even though I’m limiting time spent in the office.

I’m trying not to be “on call” either. I used to drop everything at a moment’s notice to respond to an e-mail or call a new client. Now I refuse to give out my cell number and I only set up a call if absolutely necessary. It seems like social media, texting, and instant communication has trained us all to be readily available at a moment’s notice, but I’m not a fan.

Moving forward I also want my live shows to mirror my virtual ones. I don’t mean the material, I mean the feel of doing them. When I do a virtual show everything is set up and ready to go. I simply walk in to the other room, turn on the lights and camera, and do the show. It’s like having my own theater in Las Vegas. The props are in place, the audience is waiting, and I only focus on doing a good job. I’m still figuring out how to mimic that feeling for live shows but there has to be a way.

Also, the past six months of virtual gigs have really taught me a lot about connecting with an audience. I almost feel like my virtual shows have gotten better than my live ones. There’s a calmness to the virtual shows that a stage show doesn’t have. I’m meeting people on their level, talking to them casually like they’re a human being and not just an object onstage. I’m following a loose script but mostly I’m actively listening to them and genuinely trying to create a meaningful connection. Sometimes you get so caught up with the production of a live show that you forget to make an impact on a personal level. It’s a good reminder of what matters most.

I’m also trying to stop working so much. I saw a magazine at the store the other day that said “7 Ways To Be More Productive On Your Commute!” Society tells us to constantly be working, to maximize our time, and never waste a second. Why? 2020 has been a horrible year and the pandemic has brought misery into millions of lives, but if there’s any positive it’s that we’ve had to pause the rat race and focus on what’s really important. The last thing I care about is a new tip on how to maximize my output.

It’s been months since I made a to-do list. Once I settled into the flow of online work I decided to focus on my perfect day and nothing else. Turns out my perfect day doesn’t involve making cold calls, networking, creating a content calendar, or any of that other stuff I used to be doing. My perfect day is a cup of coffee with my wife, a writing project, and a good book or film to end the day. When things get back to normal — whatever that may mean — I’m going to remind myself that that’s all I really need.

These are just a few of the many ways I’m trying to improve myself during this strange time and I plan on making these changes permanent. BUT, my prediction still stands. So, a year from now when you’re standing shoulder-to-shoulder on a train just to sit in a packed, sold out theater to see my show, at least you’ll be seeing a new me, a better version of myself. MT 2.0.

And I’ll be sure to remind you that “I told you so” . . . in more ways than one.

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About Mark Toland

Mark Toland is an award-winning mind reader and two-time TEDx Speaker. His mind blowing skills have been featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, NPR, WGN, Sirius XM, and more. Mark’s blog is a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a professional entertainer, full of creative thoughts for creative people. Sign up below so you’ll never miss a post.

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How It's Meant To Be Seen

I’ve had many people ask me to get back on social meeting during the pandemic.

“You could do live streams or make Tik Toks or entertain on Instagram!”

I’ve felt the pull, too. I won’t lie to you. Everyone is isolated, lonely, anxious, and bored, so my entertainment could be an entertaining, albeit brief distraction from everything that’s going on. I totally get it.

To be honest with you, I’m enjoying my time at home. I’m not bored and I’m not lonely. I have plenty of things I can do to fill the time and I’m not going to go back on my word and rejoin social media just to promote myself during a pandemic.

I’m still doing shows (probably a dozen online programs for clients over the next four weeks), I’m still writing, and I’m still focused on what comes after this. But I would feel weird about being tone-deaf during this situation or to seem like I was forcing something.

Seeing articles like this really bum me out. I don’t want to be on my screen any more than I have to, pandemic or not. Some days it gets away from us and we watch a couple movies or something, but my favorite quarantine moments with my wife have been going on jogs, playing cards, reading, and working on any creative project I can think of.

One of the few things I’ve been watching are classic NBA games on YouTube. I was watching a game from the ‘90s and noticed something incredible: no one was on their phones because they hadn’t been invented yet. Every single fan was just invested in the game. There was no posting to show off where they were, no tweeting, no live-streaming. The fans were just hooping and hollering and having the time of their lives.

Discover & share this Nba GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs.

I was so jealous of those fans during that game. Everyone was completely in the moment. There’s no way going to a game now is as much fun as it was back then. When you have a phone in one hand and you can’t resist the impulse to check it every second, it’s impossible to fully appreciate everything that’s going on around you. (I completely understand why Dave Chappelle locks phones up at his shows.) 

I’m not convinced phones have made our lives better. And I definitely don’t think social media has. I care way too much about my privacy and mental health to re-join social media now in hopes of expanding my reach or entertaining others right now. (If you’re in need of some solid entertainment watch Ozark Season 3. I’m too much of an animal lover to recommend that other popular show.)

I’m happy to have virtual programs on the calendar and be able to support myself during these trying times. I’m not complaining about that. I will continue to embrace the moment and do what I can to create a positive experience for my clients. But I do miss that feeling of connecting with others during a live show. No matter how great your zoom meeting or facetime call becomes, it will never match the feeling of a personal, in-person connection.

One of the last things we did before the shelter-in-place order was issued for Illinois was to attend a showing of “2001: A Space Odyssey” at a nearby theater. It was part of a film festival and shown on 70mm. If you’ve never seen a movie on film then you’re really missing out. It’s magical!

Before the film, the festival director said something that I can’t stop thinking about. She said, “We’re so glad to have you here today because you shouldn’t be watching this movie on a small device or home viewing screen. You should be watching it like this - on film - because that’s how it was meant to be seen.”

I love that sentiment so much, and that’s how I feel about my virtual programs. I’m doing them out of necessity - like everything else I’ve always done to support us over the years. But, what I do deserves to be seen live.

It deserves an audience - off their phones - ready for a mind-blowing ride unlike anything else they’ve ever experienced. It shouldn’t just be another tab open in your browser that you can watch absentmindedly as you scroll Netflix for something to watch next. It should be like that NBA game where you know you’re part of something special but you have to wait until later to tell your friends because you’re too caught up in the moment to care about your text messages or how many likes you got on Instagram.

That's why you won't see me getting on social media over the next few weeks (months?). Instead, I’m going to be hard at work on my live show, waiting for the opportunity to perform again. And when we all get back to our normal lives - whatever that means - I can’t wait to have you in the audience so you can see my show how it’s meant to be seen.

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Other Thoughts:

• I started a new blog series earlier this week called “Mark My Words”. Check this blog every Monday for useful tips, tricks, reviews, tutorials, and more.

• If you’re also self-employed there are some options for getting financial relief during the pandemic. Start with the Small Business Administration and Artist Relief.

Embrace The Moment

Remember a few weeks ago in the before times? Back when you could shake hands with a stranger and find toilet paper any time you needed it?

Well, before the pandemic shut down life here in Chicago and the rest of the world, some of my colleagues were already telling me to move to “virtual shows”. In the beginning I was skeptical - I’m a live entertainer, a theater purist, a lover of the stage - I didn’t want to do shows over the Internet. I resisted the idea because the pandemic didn’t seem serious yet and because it just felt like a corporate money-making decision and not an artistic one. Besides, I didn’t have a clue what I’d perform in an online format anyway.

In mid-March, over my last weekend of "normal” shows, I mentioned the “virtual” format to my friend Jan. And she said, “Oh you have to do that! Be part of what’s going on.”

It was such a simple and thoughtful sentiment that it instantly changed my perspective. I realized that the virtual programs were a serious opportunity to entertain people and distract them from this crisis, if only for a brief moment. It was no longer a business decision - it was a human one. Taking my shows online meant I could connect with people in a time when connection is hard to come by.

Transforming my show into a virtual format has not been easy. First, I needed a good studio set-up, so my wife helped me create a backdrop at one end of my office. We added studio lighting, an HD camera, and professional audio to improve the look of the livestream, too. Then, I started working on material.

Everything in my stage show involves people onstage and in-person, so I had to throw it all out the window and start new. I combed through my library, consulted with some friends, and slowly built out the show. Before long I had nearly an hour of brand new material for “ The Virtual Mind Reading Show”.

What’s fun about this whole process is that I’ve been too busy working on everything that goes into the livestream to have any time for creative doubt or second thoughts. It reminds me of how I felt when I was living in Los Angeles right after I got out of college. I had no money and no connections, so I did everything that came my way - good, bad, and awful. But, I was happy because I was working hard and making the most of each opportunity.

That’s how I feel with the virtual shows, too. I can’t think “Oh, that’s not a good idea…” or “That will never work…” because there’s not enough time. I have shows on the schedule and people relying on me, so I just keep solving every problem that comes my way because there’s no other option.

I’m not bored or lonely during this period of self-isolation because I’m working on ways to use what I do to improve the lives of others.

Are you making the most of this time, too?

It’s easy to feel alone or bored or scared or worried right now. But, seeing how there isn’t really another choice, you should do all the things you’ve been meaning to do. Don’t question them, just dive in and get going.

Use this time wisely. Find new, meaningful ways to connect with others. Be part of what’s going on. Embrace the moment.

That’s what I’m doing and I feel so much better about things already.

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Other Thoughts:

• This situation makes me think of one of my favorite TED Talks.

• Starting next week I’m going to be moving to a twice-weekly posting schedule. Check back Monday for a new series on the blog!

• I’m using the rest of April to tackle some creative projects. I made a reading list, a watching list, and have some writing projects, too. I’d love to hear how you’re spending the time or some suggestions on how to spend mine. E-mail me back or let me know in the comments.