by seige » Jul 31st, '03, 12:13
Remember, guys...
There's a funny thing about magic when performed as a HOBBY as opposed to being done for 'bread & butter'. It really IS supposed to be fun, but being fun is only part of it - it's a performance art.
What I mean is, unlike some hobbies like flying model aircraft, stamp collecting, photography etc. - YOU CANNOT ENJOY IT ON YOUR OWN!
For instance, you don't don a TT and look in the mirror and exclaim 'Where's the TT - I can't see it! Wow - that's a neat trick!'
No, of course not! You NEED an audience to appreciate the miracles. Once you're 'in the know', you find that nothing's impossible, incredible or amazing anymore. But even a fluffy handling of NFW looks like a miracle in the spectators eyes...
The first time you rip open a magic effect, or read an effect in a book - you think - 'er, is that really it? it's just a double-lift then top-change?' is the first step to the NEXT LEVEL...
This is truly a great moment - as you can now UNDERSTAND the magic a lot more.
It's a sad side-effect of becoming a magician - you don't get impressed anymore. Things cease to amaze you all of a sudden - but welcome to the real world! This is the path you choose, I'm afraid.
BUT WAIT!
This does NOT mean that even the smallest thing won't impress the 'layperson'. In fact, totally the opposite is true... Once you've got on the inside of the effects, you're performing for a different REASON than you were before... you're not just trying to show someone something that amazed YOU - you're actually performing for the sole purpose of YOU to AMAZE THEM.
This is your new-found inspiration - you can do things that they cannot possibly fathom out - and yet to you, they are just run-of-the-mill sleights and handlings. You are now performing the kind of effects that you yourself were amazed by!
And this is the problem - you don't realise HOW GOOD you actually are unless you have an audience. The audience is the most important part of your act, as the whole thing is useless without one. Magic's a great HOBBY - but you NEED an audience to get the buzz.
And when worrying about something so trivial as the 'moonfaces' on the back of the MP deck you are in fact making a fuss about nothing... it's the EFFECT that matters, coupled with the PERFORMANCE.
At least once or twice a week I will showcase some tricks to family, friends, business contacts, anyone. I occasionally get a paid 'gig', but as far as the money goes, that's incidental. The main enjoyment for me is to be able to strike wonder and amazement in people - just like the great magicians I watched as a child did for me.
And face it, there's something deep in all of us that would LOVE it if there really was such a thing as magic.
The only comforting advice I can offer is:
1: Never take things for granted. Even a bad performance is more than most people expect.
2: Be professional - if you make a mistake, 99% of the time you are the only one who knows it!
3: Be prepared - as you become renowned amongst family and friends for being a bit of a magician, they'll always ask you to do a trick! Keep a stash of impromptu effects locked in the corner of your mind (coins/rubber bands/cards) so that you can knock 'em dead at the right moment - This is truly a wonderful feeling!
4: Never give up on an effect! We put men on the moon, didn't we? There's no such thing as an 'impossible handling'.
5: Sometimes, the simplest tricks have the biggest impact! Even now, when I vanish a card in back-palm, or do a colour change, these UTILITY moves/flourishes get more 'wow' than the actual effect they are part of!
Never underestimate an effect because of it's simplicity.
6: Remember: you're the one who knows the secret! Try not to act amazed at your own magic (it's like a comedian laughing at their own jokes!). Be fluent, natural and always take your time - there's no rush. Try and enjoy every minute and always keep eye contact.
7: Eye contact: very important. Try to learn effects WITHOUT LOOKING AT YOUR HANDS. Eye contact with your audience is your most powerful misdirection. Speak to them, look at them. During a tricky move, don't MAKE it look tricky, look at the audience and divert their attention away from any moves or sleights.
Pheeew... lunchtime now!