On May 20, 2021, pulpscrypt wrote:
One of the most memorable tricks I've seen done for laymen was in Vegas a few years back where the great Jeff Hobson had a terrific show for a short time at the Excalibur.

One of the first effects he did was borrow a one dollar bill, change it into a $20 (!) and return it to the spectator for them to KEEP!

Mind blow. But a $19 investment per show.

SO I thought and thought til my thinker had thunk, and came up with something I thought I could be memorable AND financially sustainable for a hobbyist...

I got twenty, 2 DOLLAR BILLS from my bank over a few months. Quite "magical" I thought.


I planned to do this trick 10 times for a walkaround show.

7 out of 10 spectators wanted their $1 bill back because they had never heard of a $2 and thought it was fake.

I still have some $2 Bills to remind me that a "magical experience" is truly subjective! LOL

On May 20, 2021, funsway wrote:
I am very glad you are addressing this issue. Perhaps some will pay attention and think of the Story Told After.
I have frequently spoken on the Café' about the 'affect' of magic rather than just the 'effect' and usually get shot down.

I, perhaps alone, feel that every performance has an affect on one or more observers. You may never see it or hear about it but it is there.

A sense of Hope? Joy of life? Willingness to tackle an 'impossible task," -- who knows

I do have the advantage of having had people come to me 30, 40, 54 years after a performance and tell others of the special moment in their life that I orchestrated.
The story they tell is rarely of what happened -- often even stronger magic than what I did, but both perceptions and memory change over time. it is all good.

So, I feel you do not go far enough in your message. Why limit the ability to have a positive influence on others to a magic performance?

Why not act in every human interaction as if what you do can have a positive AFFECT on the other person?
Since you do not know what that might be, the focus must be on avoiding doing anything the will detract or harm or confuse.

I am not talking about moral judgement or selling some religious notion, just doing little things that cause smile or wink or nod.
In some cultures folks do not say "hello" or "good day" sort of greeting. They say "I see you there."

I create an experience of unusual, mysterious and "inexplicable phenomena" everyday that has nothing to do with performing a gig.
I do not 'believe' this will have an affect on others, I 'know' it will.

This attitude caries over to when I do perform magic effects for entertainment or even create new effects for others.
My job is to orchestrate the dire for magic to occur so strongly that I can't mess it up.
The seeds of the Long Term Memory of astonishment and "must be magic" are always there. I just have to trigger them.

Just offering a possibly different spin on this affect issue. I am certainly not recommending anyone else adopt this attitude about magic.

But, perhaps some reader will give thought to how they interact with other people off stage as well as on.
If you can engender awe&wonder as a performer, why not as a person?