His first card trick at the age of 16, he says, changed his life from being bullied in school to impressing others with his talent of illusion.

Chris Funk The Wonderist was in Steinbach Thursday performing for a sold out audience who left in awe after witnessing the seemingly impossible, something he has been practicing for 22 years. Funk says the most incredible feeling in the world is knowing he has captivated an audience to focus on what's happening on stage instead of what's going on in their life, what happened throughout the day or an argument they may have had.

He explains there is a huge key of logic in what he does and there is also a lot of practice and preparation that goes into a show adding the performance on Thursday took almost an entire year to write.

During the show Funk tells the true story of how he used to play violin.

"I tell in my show how I quit playing violin and started magic.

Funk performing his violin card illusion.
So the year I quit playing violin was the same year I learned my very first card trick. I was a bullied kid, I learned a card trick, I showed it to someone and instead of their response being to make fun of me or push me around or beat me up, it was a moment of astonishment on their behalf. So it really just changed my life."

Funk says at the time, when he was being bullied, he didn't know who he was. He explains he didn't know how to interact with people and would make himself sick with anxiety so he didn't have to go to school. That one card trick, notes Funk, allowed him to come out of his bubble and grow into a more confident individual. Funk says the year he learned his first card trick was also the worst year in school as far as unhappiness and bullying is concerned.

"I only made the realization that it was the same year probably last year," notes Funk. "The thing I learned from that is when we think that things are at their darkest, there's always something amazing that can come out of it. It's really hard to see that sometimes, but it's so important to kind of refresh your thinking about what's actually going on in the moment and see that there's a bigger picture out there. It doesn't all just happen in that one day. That one day doesn't define what life is all about."

Funk skills as an entertainer have taken him to places such as Los Angeles where he represented Canada on Wizard Wars with Penn & Teller, and took second place.

When asked what Funk would say to those who are being bullied and can't fathom reaching such dreams and goals he says,

Performing card trick with Steinbach City Councillor John Fehr."keep your chin up because inside of you there's something tremendous and the day that you figure it out is going to be the most extraordinary day of your life. There's going to be people who are jealous, who see it in you, who want to take you down. That might be verbally, it might be physically. As long as you stand strong, it's going to be the most incredible achievement that you obtain when you can over come that and do what it is that you were designed to do."

Funk adds his tattoo, which reads, 'Don't Die With The Music In You' is the title of a book which explains we all have a song and many people go to bed everyday without singing the song they were designed to sing. He says it's a reminder to keep pressing forward in the goals and direction he feels he was designed to walk.

As for the future Funk says he has stopped making five and ten year goals because he's not sure what will happen four months from now in his industry. He adds he will continue to do what he loves; creating new things and working on his skills as an entertainer which he knows will help him become something bigger and better in the future.