Things I've learned from being a magician...

[ManningMagic]

i thought this was a fun topic. I dunno. I'm not talking about anyhting magic here- no "i've learned how to do a dL, or the ACR" no. More like general life lessons. JUst keep it going and maybe i can edit it together to a big list.

here's a start:

1. Never perform coin sleights with a dog treat in front of a dog. (it doesn't work)
2. Public speaking- I have gained SO much confidence speaking in front of people.
3. Don't take art fro granted- Magic is more than just a secret, it is an art to be devoted to.

keep it going....

 

[acrogers1]

showmanship is an incredibly large piece of this art- the rest is skill


(apologize for my previous post)

 

[AceOfSpades2662]

That's great you've learned so many great things. There are countless things that can be learned by performing in front of people. You can gain confidence, earn respect from others, Public speaking (as you mentioned) can become easier. The list can go on and on. Also many opportunities can arise from just being around different people.

Good luck in the continuation of your learning!


Michael

 

[MitchellStafiej]

showmanship is everything

If you think that then you learned wrong... Showmanship isn't EVERYTHING. It is a very vital part, but saying that it is everything is nonsense.

I learned that magic isn't about the performer, it's about the spectators.

Mitch

 

[wilfred]

Mitchell was right.
Showmanship is not everything, has never been, and will never be.
A bad trick is a bad trick no matter how good the performer is. Just like how a film with horrible script will always be bad despite of the director.

 

[s7venD]

What??

You guys say that a bad trick is just a bad trick no matter what. That showmanship is everything and magic depends on the spectators... Hmmm. Well Magic is something that is created by the performer, not the spectator, and a good performer can create anything out of nothing. Meaning a bad trick is never a bad trick, it is just a trick that is in process and is waiting for the proper performer to show it the right way. Showmanship is not EVERYTHING but it is a huge part of what magic "tricks" become. You can have the right method but not a good performance and the trick isn't completed. Then you can have an awesome performance with the wrong method, trick not completed. Can't have one without the other. Magic theories like these will never be wrong and right but can be tossed around in the wrong way. Be careful. My opinion about this stuff.

Nice post lol.

"Magic is as real as you want it to be, just got to want it."

 

[MitchellStafiej]

You guys say that a bad trick is just a bad trick no matter what. That showmanship is everything and magic depends on the spectators... Hmmm. Well Magic is something that is created by the performer, not the spectator, and a good performer can create anything out of nothing. Meaning a bad trick is never a bad trick, it is just a trick that is in process and is waiting for the proper performer to show it the right way. Showmanship is not EVERYTHING but it is a huge part of what magic "tricks" become. You can have the right method but not a good performance and the trick isn't completed. Then you can have an awesome performance with the wrong method, trick not completed. Can't have one without the other. Magic theories like these will never be wrong and right but can be tossed around in the wrong way. Be careful. My opinion about this stuff.

Nice post lol.

"Magic is as real as you want it to be, just got to want it."

I wasn't talking about the trick being a good trick due to the spectator. I was talking about the effect magic has on people. You shouldn't be performing magic to benefit yourself, it should be about your spectators.

Mitch

 

[Chase]

Top Ten Things I've Learned From Being A Magician

1. Nobody's really paying attention to much of anything.
2. I don't like children. Or birthday parties.
3. Practice until I hate it. Then practice it until it's automatic. Then practice it until it feels like I can do real magic.
4. Always keep an invisible deck handy, because $#!% happens.
5. I can't muscle pass. It's a genetic defect.
6. Pick up a clipboard, talk on your cell phone, and you can pretty much go wherever you want backstage.
7. People love to talk about themselves.
8. If I can tie elastic thread loops I can climb any mountain.
9. What I do or wear doesn't make me special or unique. Who I am makes what I do and wear special and unique.
10. I can gage the vibe of a room in 0.5 seconds. I can change the vibe of the room in 5.0 seconds.

 

[The Dark Angel]

People want to be fooled, get out there and amaze them.

TDA

 

[Johnlawl]

Don't do the same trick twice in a row.

 

[CoryOOreo]

People want to be fooled, get out there and amaze them.

TDA

That's a rather profound statement. I don't think I agree.

 

[The Dark Angel]

That's a rather profound statement. I don't think I agree.

You don't agree? Might I ask why?

TDA

 

[Shanku]

Here's one MAJOR thing I have learned: HECKLERS SUCK!

 

[2ndDeal]

Why something is done is at least as important as how something is done.

 

[CoryOOreo]

You don't agree? Might I ask why?

TDA

I don't believe people want to be fooled. Instead they want to be entertained. That should always be our main objective when performing magic, entertainment. We should never be performing just for the sake of fooling somebody.

 

[The Dark Angel]

I don't believe people want to be fooled. Instead they want to be entertained. That should always be our main objective when performing magic, entertainment. We should never be performing just for the sake of fooling somebody.

Hmmm interesting. What I mean by the statement is that people enjoy being fooled, that's why magic is so successful. People watch because they love to be amazed, entertained, and fooled. If a magician did an amazing routine, with incredible presentation and patter, but at the end of the whole thing the spectator wasn't fooled, then yes, they would have been entertained by the magician's showmanship, but they wouldn't have experienced the amazement that one feels when being fooled by good magic.

And that's my two cents.

Take care,
TDA

 

[wilfred]

I totally agree with The Dark Angel.
Deception is the foundation of all magic.
The entertainment value builds upon the magician's ability to relate the deception to his audience.
In the end of the day, magic ain't magic if it can be explainable by laymen....

 

[darosa.justin]

Hmmm interesting. What I mean by the statement is that people enjoy being fooled, that's why magic is so successful. People watch because they love to be amazed, entertained, and fooled. If a magician did an amazing routine, with incredible presentation and patter, but at the end of the whole thing the spectator wasn't fooled, then yes, they would have been entertained by the magician's showmanship, but they wouldn't have experienced the amazement that one feels when being fooled by good magic.

And that's my two cents.

Take care,
TDA

I'd have to disagree. Maybe it's jsut the wording, and the words you use to describe how you think, but according to what you have said, I'd have to disagree.

People don't want to be fooled. They don't want to feel like idiots. If your aim is to fool your audience, give them a puzzle or math problem and call them fools when they can't do it. When you fool someone, you're making them foolish! And people don't want that.

Also, 'entertained'. When people watch magic, they're aim is most likely not really to be'entertained'. It's to be AMAZED. THey want to be amazed and blown away by the magic. They want their jaws to drop and they want to scream. THAT is their entertainment. They don't pay to watch David Copperfield so that they can clap at the end, they pay to be amazed by the magic and thats the reason why they clap.

Hope you get what I mean..,

 

[CoryOOreo]

That's exactly what I was getting at darosa.justin - thanks!

 

[The Dark Angel]

No, I understand what you mean, and I think that we are on the same page, but it was probably just the way I phrased it.

I don't think anyone wants to be "fooled" in the sense that you described, but I think that people want to be amazed by something that they don't understand. Think about a time that you saw a truly amazing magic trick, a trick that left you dumbfounded and you were totally blown away. There are many words that you could use to describe how you felt, but wouldn't "fooled" be one of them? You probably didn't feel stupid, but you almost certainly felt amazed, entertained, and curious as to how the trick worked.

The definitions of "fooled" are

To deceive or trick; dupe:

and

To confound or prove wrong;surprise, especially pleasantly

I believe that both of these things apply to magic.

As for being entertained, that is the entire reason that people watch magic. People are entertained by magic, it enthralls them, it captivates them. The same is true with film, sure, you may watch a movie to laugh at the characters on-screen, or to cry when the hero dies, but the entire reason that you watch a film (or magic) is to be entertained.

I could write an entire novel on the subject, however, to avoid straying too of-topic, let us continue all further conversations via PM.

Thanks guys,
TDA