Elias Caress

People love to be entertained. In fact, if you're reading this right now, you're only proving me right. But who better to entertain yourself with than a self-described variety artist? Elias "Lefty" Caress is exactly that man. A true performer, you might just find yourself laughing away at any of the number of shows he does around the Salt Lake area.

Magic, juggling, comedy, and a wild west show are the mainstays of his repertoire. Having gotten his start as a palm reader at parties, he delved into the world of juggling and magic and hasn't looked back. He tells us that this all started as a diversion from his day to day life, a way to stay sane in a world of mind numbingly dull work. What a way for a diversion to turn out. Check out more from this talented individual!

The Interview:

Kita: How would you describe your work?

Elias: I am a variety artist, a term usually reserved for live entertainers. I perform magic shows more than else, I also work on comedy, I juggle, and I have a wild west show.

Kita: How did you first get involved?

Elias: I was once an engineer. That's a very boring job! I got involved in entertainment to keep myself sane. I fist learned to read palms when I was a kid, and I was hired to give readings at parties. That's where I met jugglers and magicians, where I later got the idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Kita: At what point did you decide to start performing?

Elias: I love performing. I did it on nights and weekends when I had a job. A friend got me a few gigs performing card tricks and cowboy stunts at parties, then I got a regular show at renaissance fair.

Kita: What were your goals when you began?

Elias: At first, I just wanted to have fun. To get away from my boring 9 to 5 life, and I loved making other people happy.

Kita: What are they now?

Elias: I still like making people happy. It's hard for some of us to understand the power of simple amusement. There are people who are stuck in a rut, in a routine. A little fun can mean the world to some of these people. Once a man told me he was planning to kill himself, but decided he wanted to live after he went to a festival and had a good time. More than making people happy, I'd like to make people think. I'd like to make people examine their paradigms and their beliefs. That's a tough thing to do, but it's my goal.

Kita: Do you get stage fright? If so, how do you deal with that?

Elias: I do get stage fright. I actually like stage fright, and sometimes I'm disappointed if I don't get stage fright. I think that stage fright adds to the exhilaration you feel after the show (assuming you do a good job on stage). The best advice on stage fright that I've ever heard came from magician David Copperfield. He said that you should rehearse your show until you can perform it in auto-pilot, without even thinking. At that point your show will not be negatively impacted by stage fright.

Kita: What are your biggest struggles?

Elias: Right now, the business end is my business occupies most of my time. When you make a living with your art, you have to make your art pay. Not to mention taxes, accounting, expenses, logistics, etc. Also, the artists ever present struggle for inspiration and creativity.

Kita: Do you ever struggle with the balance of day to day life with your art?

Elias: No, my art is my life. It's what I do all day every day.

Kita: How about the business side of your art and the actually performing and putting together of shows?

Elias: Actually, the business side does help with creativity. Now and then I'm asked to put on a show that I otherwise never would have thought of myself. Like a historical magic show, or a corporate pirate act.

Kita: Do you feel your work is respected?

Elias: Yes I do. Respect is earned, if your work isn't respected then you haven't earned it. I hope that doesn't sound rude, but I have worked very hard all day every day for years to earn respect for what I do.

Kita: How have you found the performance scene in Salt Lake?

Elias: SLC has a very bad reputation in the rest of the world, I think most of the rest of the world would be surprised by the scene here in SLC. There are very creative and fun-loving people here.

Kita: How have those closest to you reacted to all this?

Elias: Most people understand what I do and support me. But I do have a semi-funny story about that! When I quit my job to entertain full-time, my parents didn't support me in the slightest. They constantly told me to get a real job or I'd loose everything, they always belittled everything that I did. But they had never actually seen me perform. Eventually they did come to one of my shows, and they loved it. Ever since then they've shown nothing but support and confidence for what I do.

Kita: Do you find yourself preferring the creation side to the performance side or vice versa?

Elias: I do back and forth. Sometimes I love creating new things, and I always love performing new things. But most of the time I love performing for than anything.

Kita: If you could tell your beginner self one thing, what would it be?

Elias: Most successful entertainers began early in life. They have a big advantage over me because I'm sort of new still. I sometime wish I could have started earlier, but I think that even if I had I would be wondering about all the other things I've never tried.

To get more info on this talented artist, check out his website at: http://www.eliascaress.com/

Have anyone else you'd like us to chat with? Let us know in the comments below!