On Aug 27, 2017, Juliano wrote:
Davidpaul I understand that more performing will help me , but I think magic is much better when someone asks you to do a trick. If the magician goes around asking "do you want to see something?" I think the charm and the mystique of magic is less. So this is the reason for not performing a lot. I have a full time job as an artist and magic is my hobby from my childhood. So I agree completely with you, but maybe I have to change my ideas about magic for the time being and this is not easy
Mike I don't really get nervous with selfworking material. Its the fear of failure, but its not so much. Just as much anxiety is needed to make me not relaxed. I think the fact that I don't have a specific patter for every effect, and I just perform it "freestyle" it creates some stress to me. I heard that many proffesionals use very strickt written patter in a way that is not obvious. thanks guys for your help, I really appreciate it.

On Sep 6, 2017, flowerthief wrote:
Hey Juliano,

I know you directed this question at professionals, which I am not. But as one amateur to another, I can give you some specific advice that is different from what you've heard here so far, and which MIGHT be just what you need. If not, go ahead and chuck it in the barf bin; what do I know, I'm just an amateur, not much farther along than you.

Back when I was in your position of having done the study but lacking the performing experience, I knew as you know and as everyone has told us that the answer was to "go perform more!" But being able to perform dazzling stunts with confidence in front of a group when called upon is a huge leap from practicing by yourself in front of a mirror. How do you bridge that gap?

The key is to match the pressure/stress level of the performing circumstances to your experience level performing the trick in question. (yes, I am going to use the word "trick"; gotta start there!) And slowly work your way up.

If you have only performed in front of one person, you are not ready to be performing in front of a large group.
If you are at Experience Level 2 you shouldn't be performing at Pressure Level 12.
This is an RPG. You don't go battling end-game bosses without first slaying numerous goblins and rats, incrementally making your character proportionately strong to the challenge. So let's find some rats.

It is not a new concept. Maybe it is so obvious that we forget to tell it to beginners. Or maybe I don't know what the blazes I'm talking about, but the system I'm about to describe has helped me at least:

LEVEL 1

You've newly learned or come up with a trick that you like. I'll give you advice that goes against others' advice. DON'T practice that trick to perfection yet. Practice it SOMEWHAT. No more. For one thing, you might find out that it doesn't play out in performance as well as it sounded on paper, or it doesn't fit your style. For another thing...your mileage may vary, but for some personalities (:cough: mine) you could actually feel MORE nervous about a trick you have practiced endlessly when you finally perform it for the first time in front of a person who does not look like yourself in reverse, than if you had taken a more casual attitude.

That first actual person should be a close friend or confidant. Someone who knows you are learning magic. Someone who knows that you might screw up royally, or that the trick itself might not be that good to begin with, but who likes seeing your new material to the extent of becoming your willing guinea pig, and who will give you honest feedback. This is all mutually understood between you, so the pressure level is very low -- not zero, but low. Ideally you have more than one such friend. Depending on their reactions you might find yourself modifying the trick. Or shelving it. Or treating your friend to expensive delicacies to compensate for his wasted time. Or you conclude that it really is worth (eventually) perfecting, so you practice it more extensively before going on to the next level.

LEVEL 2

You know the trick is solid and you have performed it in front of an actual person. Both of these facts should serve to raise your confidence slightly yet significantly.

The next thing I do is perform the trick in front of a stranger. It could be someone sitting next to me at a bus stop or in a public food court or somewhere like that. It could also be an acquaintance who you don't see often, but I prefer a stranger. There are a limitless number of them and whatever happens you will never see each other again, provided you don't live on the fringe of the outskirts of Lonely Rock.

I say no more than "hey, look at this" as I do a quick and flashy effect such as a vanish or color change. Also, I target females. They tend to make for a better audience. Plus, if the female is attractive there is an extra incentive to force myself to speak to her. Sometimes I end up getting her number. Then, because I am only clinically interested in magic, I proceed to make her phone number vanish too. (Ok, that's a lie)

The Quick And Flashy Thing serves two purposes:

1) It shows her your intention and puts her at ease. "Oh I see, he just wants to show me a magic trick. I can deal with that", she thinks. We are all immediately apprehensive whenever a stranger approaches us, so it is important to demonstrate very rapidly that your intention is harmless.

2) Depending on her reaction you can judge whether to go into the actual trick that you want practice performing. If she seemed to like it, continue. If her reaction is cold, shrug it off and bother her no further. Plenty of other strangers who don't hate magic out there.

So get a trusty Quick And Flashy Thing under your belt as soon as you can. You only need one. (I've claimed the bottom-card-to-right-palm color change. If you use that one too we might have a problem )

If the idea of shoving a deck of cards in the face of someone you don't know is scary, consider that the worst thing that can happen is that you botch it up and have to explain "I'm still practicing this" or "I'm new at magic" or "flowerthief told me to do it". Many people will like you MORE for your honesty than if you had actually nailed the trick. Most will smile. Then you go your separate ways and never see each other again. No loss of prestige.

Do this multiple times in front of multiple strangers, one single stranger at a time. You probably want to avoid situations where there are onlookers because that will just make you more nervous; we're still at a low level here. Sitting down is preferred when in public.

LEVEL 3

The next thing is to perform in front of 2 or 3 people at the same time. I find that it doesn't matter greatly if they are friends or strangers or a combination of both. Just that there are multiple people watching. I mean, if one person calls you out on your Riffle Force then the other person is gonna hear that too and they'll both be on to your sneakiness. Thus multiple spectators raises the pressure level, because the potential is there that nobody can ever use a Riffle Force in public again. But you have substantial experience performing this trick now so you are up to that level of pressure. Your presentation is improving as your experience performing this one trick mounts. You should also be continuing to practice it in private.

If you are getting this far, the goal of performing in front of a group on demand is in sight, but from here I am usually thinking about routining. Thoughtfully stringing together tricks that I have confidence in performing with other tricks that I have confidence in performing to create non-stop sequences of amazing magic. Performing a decent-length routine brings with it a higher pressure level to be worked up to. We're fighting baby wyverns and headless knights with axes now, but there are tougher foes waiting on deeper floors.

This is getting long and everyone is thinking "Put an electronic cigarette in it already, amateur". You get the idea.