talkmagic.co.uk

I have been playing around with magic now for around 6 months.
I really enjoy everything about the art apart from the fundamental reason for it "performing".

No matter what I tell myself before I go out or pop around to family I still manage to bottle it.
The problem is I worry too much about what people think about me, what I say or do, maybe worring that they think its a bit silly for a grown man to have such a hobby. Its got bad enough that I really am considering packing it all in which would be a great shame. I have all these trick and ideas but cant seem to shrug off all the worries to allow me to perform them.
Do you guys think that only people with the right pearsonality can perform magic, I am not even a quiet or shy sort of person which make it even more frustrating.

Any help would be gratfully received.

Chris

Crispy,

For now try not to worry, i bet that at some time everybody here has been feeling the same, as i did, and sometimes still do now.

Have a group of friends round one night and show them all your tricks, but always be telling yourself that it dosnt matter what these people think because they are your friends, and its always better to make mistakes in front of people you know than the people you are perfroming for for real.

This way if you do make mistakes then you know what to work on and what is ok,

I hope this helps, and remember i can say this because im speaking from experience,

Good Luck

practise 1 trick till yuou can do it in your sleep, then go to your family or friends with a deck of cards on you, mess around with the cards but do not do a trick.
this will help you relsie the control of the enviroment, (ie lets you know you have control) maybe do a few fancy shuffles but keep it casual
.
then when everyone is watching tv or chatting or something do the trick to your self.

if some one see's you do it all well and good, but the plan is not to make them watch, then once you are comfy show them the trick.

Remember YOU are in charge you are in control, you can say thats all folks and You can leave when ever you like,

it dones not matter how he trick goes as they are your friends they dont care if you mess up,

this approch worked for me many years ago, but not i cant stop perfroming (not just magic but alsorts)



Derek

Hi Chris,

You say you are a grown man! how old are you, I am 37 now and it is fine to have a hobby like magic. Just start by showing a family member one trick, then if they liked it show them another one about 10 minutes after that. Tell them you are only just learning magic and to go easy on you if you mess it up, I am sure they will not ridicule you or your hobby.

If you find your anxiety levels rising try slow deep breathing, this will help to slow your rising heartbeat (it does work, I used to suffer with anxiety)

Just sit there practising a trick in their eyesight and I am sure curiosity will get the better of them and they will ask you what are you doing, and you can casualy show them by saying "I am trying to make something happen" this should take the heat off you having to perform.

EDIT: P.S I started typing this at 2.00 but I got called away from the PC

It's a funny thing, but I'm absolutely rubbish at performing magic for people I know - particularly family members.

When I perform in front of strangers I put on a great show, full of mystery and a little humour. But if I sit down in front of a family member with a pack of cards I find myself mumbling things like "and then this happens, see? Bit silly really isn't it..."

They must wonder how I make any money at all from magic seeing as how I'm so rubbish at it when I try to demonstrate what I do for a living!

Give me dumb gullible strangers any time!!!

I posted this question on The Hutch becuase I'm kinda scared for performing for friends.

But having just read the magic wand's post, I am definitely like you. When I went to Majorca I was performing to practvally every stranger I met. It was great.

But I cannot seem to do well with my friends. I'm kinda alright with my family memebers though.

If I am feeling nervous I start with a simple trick that has a big impact. That way I get over my initial nerves with a trick that is very easy to do and I can also judge whether the preson that I am performing to is the kind of person that will respond to magic - I would normally start with Jay Sankey's Divide Attention.

The same thing happens to me mate. I recently performed a TT vanish for my parents and although it went great I was nervous afterwards and shaking a little bit. I also performed a card trick for my mother and it went wrong the first time but I tried again and it went ok but I was a bit miffed with myself that it went wrong the first time although she was very understanding that I'm just learning at the moment.

My advise would just be to perform a trick while you're talking to someone don't even tell them what you're about to do that way if it doesn't go well you can just say you were just trying something out. Another good idea is to practise it in front of the mirror.

i guess the reason you performed infront of people in majorca without a problem is because chances are, you wont ever see them again. however i do find it kinda weird that you find it hard to perform well infront of your family (dont get me wrong, i hope im not being offensive ). Ofcourse you want to do well infront of your family, however im not so worried when it comes to flopping infront of them. they are wary of the kind of material i perform, and they know im good, so i just presume that they wont think any less of my reputation, this also applies with my friends. i guess when failing is in the back of my mind, i have no problems when performing infront of any one, pretty obvious though i guess

I used to have exactly the same problem apart from i was a shy little boy....I found its something that takes getting used too....

Which is horrible because that means you have to go through the hell of those first few performances.

Its learning to have the attitude of "if they think I'm stupid...stuff em!"

Maybe take a drama course?? At a drama course, everyone is supposed to look silly and childish etc etc

Drama courses can only improve the presentation of magic and personally i think not enough magicians do!

INERTIA.

That's all it is.
I find it difficult to do the first trick.
But once I've done it, I can't stop!!!

Just take a deep breath and do something simple.

After that it's plain sailing.

saxmad wrote:INERTIA.

That's all it is.
I find it difficult to do the first trick.
But once I've done it, I can't stop!!!

Just take a deep breath and do something simple.

After that it's plain sailing.

That is also true, once your audience love up your first effect, you will gain the motivation to do more.

How about having a drink before you perform a drink to calm your nerves?

Misanthropy wrote:How about having a drink before you perform a drink to calm your nerves?

I always find that helps to encourage me to perform.

Then I screw up.....

I don't mean drink until you're pi**ed out of your skull but just one to help you mellow out a bit