Two Lessons in Magic You Won't Learn Anywhere Else

You may have noticed that there's no "crap" in the title of this post. That's because this post is really serious and, I believe, really important. So if you're looking for some boobies, some jokes, or a combination of both, stop reading now.

This post is about the two lessons most magicians won't and don't teach you. I've had the pleasure to perform a whole lot this year and work with a great number of professional magicians, all of who offered great advice. But I've come away with two mains lessons - rules of magic even, if you will - that I haven't seen talked about enough on other blogs or on the magic forums. So here they are:

(1) Your magic doesn't matter. In fact, most professional magicians don't give a shit about what magic you are performing and neither does your audience. In other words, as long as your audience has a good time, you've done your job. You don't even need to necessarily fool your audience (hell, I've seen magicians screw up and be more enjoyable than magicians with perfect technique). Stop worrying about fooling other magicians, stop worrying about methods - just worry about what you are presenting to your audience. I've learned that it's really, really hard to fool other magicians - and it's not worth trying to. Magicians are more appreciative of a performer who can perform than who can do the latest sleights.

(2) Never bring yourself to an audience; let the audience bring themselves to you. I used to think that you were supposed to adapt your magic to every situation. Don't tell me you haven't done it before. "Oh, comedy club - I'll just cut out some magic and add some new jokes!" "Oh, mainstream venue - I'll remove any bizarre elements from my acts!" Simon Lovell said it best when he said that, "It's not your job to give the audience what the want - it's your job to give them what you think they need, regardless of what they think they want" (I'm paraphrasing a bit). Another good friend of mine was talking about the same thing when he said, "You have to let the audience come to you." This doesn't mean that you should be doing bizarre magic at a kid's show or R-rated comedy at the nursing center, but it does mean that your artistic integrity should come before what you think your audience is looking for. Let an audience like you for you and not for the you you think they will like.

Next post - The Superman and Batman Schools of Magic