Alain,

Welcome to the Magic Café. I have thoroughly enjoyed your posts so far. Thank you for that.

What would your best advice be for someone coming new to mentalism who was interested in learning as much as they could and perhaps eventually performing?

Cheers,

Kirk

Pleasure to meet you, Kirk.

Thank YOU for reading my posts!

I have made this suggestion to others. First, DO watch mentalism being performed on Youtube or wherever you can. Try to distinguish presentations that you like with those that don't grab you. Think about what you like about the presentations that you do like, and what you find uninteresting about those presentations that you don't like. That will help you have some insight as to your direction.

Next I would read some books. The best secrets are kept in print.

If you are completely new to magic in general, I will suggest that you get the Tarbell Course in Magic. You can buy it one book at a time, and these would provide you with a complete scope of magic and illusion.

For a more focused look on mentalism and routines that lie just outside its periphery, about the best thing you can do is buy my friend Barrie Richardson's Theatre of the Mind. This single book will have enough material for you to learn and also do research on, that you practically don't need to buy another book for the rest of your life to have a lifetime's worth of great ideas to master, and or be inspired by. If you devour that one, his other two that follow are just as good. Let each entry that appeals to you, also inspire you to dig deeper and find out more about other creations of the originator or similar variations of routines/demonstrations created by others. Every effect out there and its variations of methods are slightly different in criteria and therefore it's hard to tell you to do just one thing. Part of finding what's right for you will be by having the right passion for continued research or the vision to see your objectives through that allow you to amaze your audiences in a manner that resonates with you.

Practice with as many friendly people you know, but try to find fresh blood to practice on constantly. The more different people you practice on, the more you will begin to understand human nature on a REAL level that will give you the true advantage that mentalists use to successfully execute any effect.

Finally, create an alliance of community trusted friends and mentors to help support you on your way.

With that, I wish you well on this fantastic journey into our art!

Be great,

Alain

Alain,

Thank you so much for the excellent advice.
You are the first person to encourage me to watch You Tube! I am a huge fan of doing just that, but was "in the closet" about it when talking to others. It really does provide easy access to a variety of styles, etc.

As a bibliophile, I am with you on the books (I even married a librarian!). I am also a huge fan of Hermetic Press and Theatre of the Mind was on my "maybe" list. Now it is on my "order now!" list. I thank you for that - and I am sure Steven Minch will thank you too!

Thank you again. I look forward to exploring this amazing world of mentalism and discovering my own path.

Cheers,

Kirk

Kirk,

You are most certainly welcome. If you're buying books from Stephen Minch, you have an excellent head-start!

Warm regards,
Alain

Also, The Ross Johnson DVD is EXCELLENT!