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This life: Mind bending
Harrison Richards, 34, has lived in Leeds for a decade and for the last five years has been working professionally as psychic entertainer The Perceptionist.
Originally from Derbyshire, he went to university in Hull then moved here as he was attracted by the city's thriving nightlife.
From an early age Richards was interested in all things unusual – from UFOs to the Loch Ness monster – an interest which has developed into a successful career.
From a base in his home in Headingley, which he shares with his girlfriend, he makes a healthy living out of his vocation, a vocation which last year saw him appear on ITV show Soapstar Superstar reading the palms of celebrities.
But palmistry isn't his only skill. Richards also enthrals crowds at the various wedding receptions, parties and corporate events he attends by bending spoons and coins and reading thoughts.
My childhood saw me obsessed with anything mysterious and unconventional. I remember there was one of those series of magazines which came out called The Unexplained. And whereas usually you get a free folder to start off with and buy the first few copies and lose interest I collected the whole lot and filled the folder, that's how interested I was in anything different. My mum didn't particularly encourage me to do anything in any way psychic, she probably wouldn't have particularly approved of cards, so that's why I got into palmistry because all you need to do it, obviously, is palms.
The thing I'm most proud of is the fact that, as a child, I was really quite shy and would usually do stuff to entertain myself that was quite solitary. But because of my job I've had to make myself go out there and speak to people, and speak to them a lot, because you can't just practice this in your bedroom, it's essential you develop it through people. Now it's second nature to me, but it took a long time to get to this point and I'm proud that I've forced myself to do it.
I like to meet any kind of person to be honest. I've already met a few celebrities – I've even read the palm of Jimmy Savile – but it's ordinary people that I'm most interested in because often there's an extraordinary person underneath and that's what I'm interested in reaching. A lot of what I do is about perception, it's about how we perceive what we see externally as well as how we perceive our own thoughts. So much in our world revolves around this simple concept, like the fact that something distant seems small even though we know it probably isn't – but that's just a trick of perception, something our mind processes in a very particular way.
The best piece of advice I ever received was not to accept what you're told or shown or given. Always question and search to find out the truth. Obviously that applies to my job and what I do. Unfortunately I can't remember who gave me the advice or when.
The one thing I couldn't live without would be my friends and family. They really bring me back down to earth which is great. The trouble with being a psychic entertainer is that you do feel like you're transported to other places, almost other worlds and you need something grounding to bring you back to the real world – otherwise I think you could go a bit mad!
I can't remember the last time I cried but I'm guessing I would have been crying through laughter rather than sadness - I'm more prone to doing that. Often it's my girlfriend who sparks me off. With just a few words or a wry comment she leaves me in fits and something that a few seconds earlier seemed very serious can instantly seem utterly ridiculous.
The best thing about Leeds is the amount of stuff going on. I've flourished partly because of the amount of cabaret nights that are staged in the area. But the best thing is the fact that so much of what happens is done through the endeavours of individuals who stand up, decide they want to do something and just do it – I'd say the city is unique in that respect.
My philosophy on life is to live every day as if it's your first. I've never understood why some people say: 'Live every day as if it's your last', because if I thought every day was my last I think I'd spend all my time wandering around tearfully hugging people. I'd rather view the world as if I'm seeing everything for the first time, that way it seems so much more special.
I've recently discovered a great way to relax – floatation tanks. You're enclosed in this capsule where you float in about ten inches of salty water. It's great because you're completely cut off from your normal existence. There's no light, no sound, you're not even aware of the weight of your own body because you're floating. It's an incredible way to get into meditation and I'd recommend it to anyone to try.
Something that might surprise people about me is the fact that I grow carnivorous plants. Not just Venus Fly traps, though I do grow those, there's one or two others as well. I just think they're incredible organisms.
A joke: What do you do if you see a Space man? Park in it, man!
Favorite things...
Food: Chinese
TV show: The Apprentice
Movie: Somewhere in Time
Actor: Gary Oldman
Author: William Burroughs
Star sign: Leo
Visit: www.perceptionist.co.uk or www.palm-reading.co.uk
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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