Post by Chris Martin on Aug 6, 2005 8:56:45 GMT -5
There comes a time in every magician's career when he/she must ask themselves this question. How am I affecting my audience? Is this a one time feeling? Will they forget me? Will my magic be remembered? These are deep questions that can completely change your magic persona. They can make you who you want to be. When you perform, how do you present yourself? Are you mysterious, funny, or just yourself? Which would be best for you? For me, I am a soft-spoken guy and sort of shy. We all know that being shy in this field isn't such a good thing. But, if you think about it, you can actually turn it into a good thing.
Being mysterious is like being shy. You don't say much, you're laid back and reserved. Well if you can incorporate this into your magic, you can start to make a great character. Even though I am slightly mysterious in my performance, I still smile. Smiling, in magic, is way underrated. People remember your magic because you amazed them again and again and quite possibly made them rethink some of their most basic thoughts or beliefs. But people will remember you if you incorporate what I just said, with a smile. Put yourself in their shoes, someone you don't know just came up here and starts doing magic for you and you don't even know them. If that were me then I would be slightly uncomfortable, but a smile eases the tension. It's a great tool to use as you perform. Maybe you don't want people to remember you or your magic, but more of the feeling that they experienced while you performed.
I love it when people tell me how much fun it was when I performed for them. More then just praise at my skill level and what not. So here is my next question. Why do you do magic? For fun, to fill boredom, to amaze people, or to truly affect them? I do it to affect them and create a memorable experience that they hopefully won't soon forget. Try this, think way back to some of your earliest memories. What is so special about them? What makes them stand out from the rest of your life and events? Mine is when I first saw Lance Burton and did that little penny to dollar thing under the pillow. I remember that because it was my first real magical experience. He was nice, funny, and believe it or not smiled! This stands out from all of the other magic I've seen because it was the first magic I saw. This is how you want to leave your audience. Even if it's reused old material and the audience has already seen magic, then you need to present it in a way that will be truly original and a first.
Being mysterious is like being shy. You don't say much, you're laid back and reserved. Well if you can incorporate this into your magic, you can start to make a great character. Even though I am slightly mysterious in my performance, I still smile. Smiling, in magic, is way underrated. People remember your magic because you amazed them again and again and quite possibly made them rethink some of their most basic thoughts or beliefs. But people will remember you if you incorporate what I just said, with a smile. Put yourself in their shoes, someone you don't know just came up here and starts doing magic for you and you don't even know them. If that were me then I would be slightly uncomfortable, but a smile eases the tension. It's a great tool to use as you perform. Maybe you don't want people to remember you or your magic, but more of the feeling that they experienced while you performed.
I love it when people tell me how much fun it was when I performed for them. More then just praise at my skill level and what not. So here is my next question. Why do you do magic? For fun, to fill boredom, to amaze people, or to truly affect them? I do it to affect them and create a memorable experience that they hopefully won't soon forget. Try this, think way back to some of your earliest memories. What is so special about them? What makes them stand out from the rest of your life and events? Mine is when I first saw Lance Burton and did that little penny to dollar thing under the pillow. I remember that because it was my first real magical experience. He was nice, funny, and believe it or not smiled! This stands out from all of the other magic I've seen because it was the first magic I saw. This is how you want to leave your audience. Even if it's reused old material and the audience has already seen magic, then you need to present it in a way that will be truly original and a first.
