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Hello all ! After quite a while lurking, I thought I’d take a big gulp introduce myself, with a little trepidation with all the talent on this board. After all, your comments, views, reviews and recommendations on this board have been a great help to me. As they say…sorry about the length.

I live in Cheshire, after living 10+ years in London. I’m a 40 year old hobbyist who has been learning about magic for about a year. During the day, I’m a wage slave to pay the bills. In my spare time, I’m 4 years into a psychology degree with the O.U. and I’ve picked up a certificate in clinical hypnotherapy along the way. Though I have considered doing hypnosis full time, it really ain’t my scene ( though I think it’s fabulous for treating phobias! ). People have too high an expectation in what hypnosis can achieve, hence following the psychology path. …and that’s how I found magic.

Studying brought me across a chap called Paul Ekman, a superb researcher into, amongst other things, the universality of human facial expressions. Ah, and then I stumbled onto cold reading, which although was fascinating, led to reading about mediumistic stunts…it was the rapping of tables and the shaking of tambourines that led me to the first step of a slippery slope. Next it was Corinda via the Royal Road …I’m sure you get the picture. It is séance, mentalist, and bizarre magic that really floats my boat. The thing that is really becoming an obsession now is performance, and also people’s reactions and their beliefs into how what has just happened, happened. Sometimes it’s the simplest effects that have the biggest reaction…pull out a Zenner deck and you immediately have someone’s attention, if it’s the right person. With others, perform a card trick but tell people it’s card counting or “ shuffle tracking “ and it’s no longer a “ trick “, in their eyes but a skill. Magic is full of deceit, trickery and deception…and it has got me hooked !

…and since I gave up smoking I have the money to feed my magic habit.

I know I’ll never be a Marlo or Lennart Green with cards, but I’m slowly becoming more competent at manipulating a deck, enough to get card A to point B. Or the packet I want, to the place it’s required in the deck. It’s just that as much as I enjoy doing it with a bicycle deck, I’ve started practicing with tarot cards. Oh, dear....

I’m at the stage to where I’m trying to sort out effects I have or have learned into types so I can put routines together. You know, if you claim your reading body language on one effect that would compliment a “ card counting “ routine, as they are supposedly learned skills. Where as, if I’d used a Zenner deck, I’d want to pull out my BIPS book next, going down the parapsychology side. But, as I’m now finding, no matter how good the effect, it’s all about performance. As I said, I am a hobbyist. So it’s also a case of finding the opportunity to perform…as well as the confidence, though this is slowly coming.

Also, as someone learning magic, it really does not help my confidence sometimes as my partner is a former fraud investigator. Ooooh, your worst bloody nightmare as a performer…and mine ! I showed her an Andy Nyman performance and half way through a routine she says “ He’ll do X next ! “. Same with me, I did one particular card routine, where part of it fails but there is a kicker at the end, “ When you got X wrong for the second time, I knew Y would happen ! “. Still, although it can be a bit of a confidence knocker, there have been a fair few times that her comments or reactions have made me think “ Ooh, I’ll change this or watch out for that “ to myself and it has improved what I was doing. So it’s swings and roundabouts.

So where am I going and what would I like to do ? I’d like to become more competent, believable and entertaining, enough to perform impromptu for people. I have a goal for the next summer study school I attend, I’d like to do a few routines in the evening in the bar with the other students and the psychologists there. Now that would be a nice challenge.

Ooh, I’ve been planning a séance for a while now but I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I hope I can entertain not only the participants but this board at some point in the future with it. But hey, I’m back to performance again.

Oh and to be confident enough perform in front of magi…one day.

Welcome, hope you enjoy your stay at TM

Welcome to TM and thanks for giving such a comprehensive Intro - very much appreciated!

Blimey some intro that,

anyhoot hello

Welcome to te TalkMagic, Brucekitty.
I wish I learned psychology too, but I become an architect. I'm a little bir perfectonist too, so I was really nervous when I was going to perform to other magi's at my local magic club because they know all the secrets!
Guess what, it went great because "they know all the secrets", so I didn't get nervous as much as I think.

Welcome! I think all magicians are psycologist on a very applied level!
Misdirection and the retension vanish are based on psycology. And we manipulate perception and create false memeories. However, as you know magic can also help cure the depressed and some hospitals hire magicians (and clowns) to help cheer up and cure patients.

Maybe, you can combine magic and psycology and create a new form of therapy! There might be a market for this.....If you are interested I have much more to say about this...

Please enjoy your stay.

Hello Bruce and welcome to TM.
That's a nice intro Congratulations!

brucekitty wrote:…and since I gave up smoking I have the money to feed my magic habit...

A friend of mine is trying to give up cigarette magic, but it's so hard to quit...

I hope you enjoy your stay here.
Best greetings from Iceland!

welcome

Thank you all for the welcome, it is much appreciated. Hope to see you around the message boards, now I feel a little more confident to post.
( Hey, that was nice and short, this time !).

wellcome to talk magic, Talk to you on the forums

Welcome to TM after that intro i feel like were best mates lol