Meet Gabriella Lester | Magician/Escape Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabriella Lester and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabriella, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Honestly, I think everything in life is a risk. Every decision involves some degree of chance, it’s just about what choices you choose to make. For me, I always take the scarier path… and that doesn’t mean more dangerous or life-threatening, it just means more challenging and out of the box. No matter what you do, life is going to f**k you up and throw you off balance whether you take the risk or not, but there’s no reward in waiting or always playing it safe. There’s no rule book to being alive, but it’s best when you chase after things that set your heart on fire (even if those things can be terrifying at times). You don’t have to completely throw caution to the wind just to choose passion over practicality. But just because you’ve been doing something for 9 years, doesn’t mean you have to do it for 10. Just because things are ‘good enough’ doesn’t mean you should build your empire around being content rather than opening all the doors to the possibility of both greatness and failure. It’s good to fail, and even better to discover what makes your life great in every imaginable way.

There’s been more than many moments in my career/life where I chose to listen to my gut over the rest of the world. I finished highschool at 16 and skipped college to pursue my dream with everything I had. I lived months out of a suitcase and learned to make friends with my heroes and peers – rather than redecorate my dorm, go to parties, and move through life slowly. But sacrifice is often met with success, and even though I didn’t have the experiences most people my age do, I’ve built the life I truly believe I’m meant to have. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think often when people think of me, they immediately think of this high paced adrenaline junkie. Because I spend my life on stage and ride motorcycles etc. But realistically, it’s not the moments of high that I enjoy the most. I don’t love riding because of the feeling of unimaginable speed or near death. I love feeling the wind on my face, and enjoying how different music sounds when it’s tangled with the wind. I don’t love performing just because of the applause, laughter, and standing ovations (as good as that all is). I love the sound of an empty theater after a performance, when the once crowded room turns to a ghost town. I love the practice to get there, not just the finished product. All the slow moments. I live for journeys and small steps, not just arrivals and big accomplishments.

I’ve definitely got a passion for intensity, but I’ve also got a strong love for finding beauty in a lot of the mundane too. That’s an important balance for me.

One of the most important/exciting parts of developing my brand is creating the kind of person I wish I had to look up to when I was younger, and seeing the impact of that come to life. 10 years ago I was a kid in the audience searching for pieces of myself in the performers I saw on stage, and now I’m on that stage, inspiring the next generation of people watching.

…and while it may sound a bit strange for a 20 year old to talk about ‘the next generation’, it’s one of the most exciting facets of my career. To have kids running up to me after shows ecstatic that they’ve seen something completely impossible done by someone they can connect and relate to. To spend time brainstorming ways to do things in a way that haven’t been done before. To create moments and performances that leave a permanent impression and last longer than just the time they’re happening.

At the end of that day, it’s about deciding what I want to go down in history for and how I’m going to make it all happen.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My first stop (anywhere in the world) would be a record store. Amoeba for endless options… or my preference… wooden crates in the back of random vintage stores for a hunt. In regards to food, my favs would be… eating the chicken parmesan sandwich from 26 Beach Cafe, getting coffee/pastries at Republique, and f**cking up a burger at 25 Degrees. Then of course, spend the day driving/riding the PCH to Malibu and beyond.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
That’s an endless list. My parents have played an extraordinary role in me getting to where I am. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a young kid full force chasing a dream that took her all over the world, and still somehow found a way to trust, believe, and support me to the extent in which they did.

I’d also like to mention the (hundreds of) people in and around the magic world that took me under their wing and looked out for me as I grew up as both a person and performer.

I also want to thank the 12 year old version of me that decided to pursue her biggest passion as soon as she found it, and then continued to do everything she possibly could to make it happen. I like her. The older I get the more I realize that wasn’t the most ‘normal’ path to go down… but it was paved for a reason and I’m grateful to have built such a strong foundation in an industry I fell in love with at an early age.

Website: https://gabriellalester.ca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegabriellalester/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGY-OxNSKUBCgRfyvk_x7sQ

Image Credits
Stu Cooke, Nicolas Del Castillo, AG, Hayden Rivers, Taylor Wong