|
|
|
|||
Sarah Anne New user England 11 Posts 
|
When performing mentalism casually - let’s say with an ID for example - how do you respond to the spectator who later asks “is what you’re doing psychology or sleight of hand”?
|
mindmagic Inner circle London 1789 Posts
|
"No."
Or try the Piddingtons' line: "You be the judge." Actually, no one has ever said that to me; anyone I perform for knows that I'm a magician - I always make that clear. |
E.E. Inner circle Look mom, I have 1539 Posts
|
Hey Sarah,
It all comes down to the image you want to project. Some mentalists stay in character even when they're not on stage. It's crucial to think about character development—what are your skills? How do you present them? These are questions you should answer for yourself, even if you never share them with the audience. This internal understanding is known as a "sub-script." Next, consider the type of experience and message you want to deliver to your audience. Personally, I don't maintain my character off-stage, but I also avoid completely breaking the illusion of magic and mentalism. If someone questions me, I keep things vague, saying something like, "Some things are real, some are just for entertainment!" Lately, I've been leaning towards Max Maven's perspective: "I don't care if they believe what I'm doing is real, as long as they know it's really difficult."
Professional mentalist and digital artist for mystery performers. check out my work at www.facebook.com/EverElizaldeArtStudio
|
|
Djin Regular user 193 Posts
|
As an amateur, I deflect or side step the question by answering a different question. In the example you've given I might say "it's just something I've been working on." It's not a lie, it's not a flat out refusal to respond which would be socially awkward, but it doesn't answer the question they asked.
|
Philemon Vanderbeck Inner circle Seattle, WA 4743 Posts
|
"As a large language model, my answer is, 'What did you think it was when you were watching?'"
;-)
Professor Philemon Vanderbeck
That Creepy Magician "I use my sixth sense to create the illusion of possessing the other five." |
|
Sarah Anne New user England 11 Posts
|
Thank you all. This is helpful. I like the suggestion of turning the question back on the spectator.
|
|
Shrubsole Inner circle Kent, England 2459 Posts
|
The thing is that people have belief systems of how the world is. (And we are not talking about religion here.) So, a person will think wherever they want and someone saying "Yes, I am real and do real magic/mentalism" or "No it's just a trick" that won't change what the person thinks. They want you to confirm what they already think it is. If you do, then they are happy if you don't then they will come to the conclusion that you are lying.
So good advice above by claiming nothing and asking what they thought it was, you engage them in conversation but leave them thinking whatever they did in the first place. If they are just a "I wanna know right now, so I can do it for my friends and look good without putting any work or study in" type then they will get nothing from you. If, however, they are genuinely interested in our craft and want to progress, they will do the research and put the work in. When I started in magic many many decades ago, I could never understand the thinking behind people who think that a magician/mentalist is just going to expose everything on demand to them when they demand it. Sadly they do exist.
Winner of the Dumbringer Award for total incompetence. (All years)
|
mindhunter.jpg "View Profile"){kind=tracking} Inner circle Upstate NY 2285 Posts
|
Quote:
On Aug 3, 2024, Philemon Vanderbeck wrote: Excellent...it gets THEM thinking, and whatever they come up with may only deepen the aura about what it was you actually DID...and in their re-telling may "legendize" you...i.e. that simple center tear may morph into "he just had me THINK OF xyz, etc.!!") Ive passed it off casually, when questioned, which is rare, as "hmm...I dunno...these things just seem to happen around me...." (Which is technically true....lol!) Bryn
Bryn D. Reynolds, Author of:
"The Safwan Papers" & "The LOGAR Scrolls" Mentalism ebooks - PM any interest. My artwork: https://darkmountainarts.com |
|
Sarah Anne New user England 11 Posts
|
Quote:
On Aug 11, 2024, mindhunter wrote: Yes! It is surprising how many times I've heard a very different re-telling from what actually happened, often along the lines of 'I just THOUGHT of it', totally forgetting a deck of cards, billet, etc. was ever involved! |
Axel Elite user Berlin 464 Posts
|
Asi Wind talked on the Huberman-Lab-Podcast some time ago.
And Huberman asks him to explain something that he (remembered) seeing Asi or another mentalist do at some point in time. Something we all know. I think the way Asi replies is an interesting example for how someone could avoid answering a question like that, without telling someone, "I am not going to tell you!". A caveat I think there is: for people that are schooled in communication, this kind of evasion might become annoying, as soon as they hear someone doing it. In the end Asi does answer the question. I imagine that he realised he couldn't leave Huberman like that. But if you're doing it light hearted and not too serious, I think in most situations, this works and gives you a chance, not to answer a question without "rejecting" the questioner. In the end it's similar to Philemon's question. And then complimenting them on their answer. The segment starts at 00:15:28. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RXtXnS......ba6a498d |
|
John C Eternal Order I THINK therefore I wrote 13065 Posts
|
Quote:
On Aug 2, 2024, Sarah Anne wrote: Years of learning about and understanding people. “I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.” |
|
mindhunter Inner circle Upstate NY 2285 Posts
|
Quote:
On Aug 15, 2024, Axel wrote: I watched that, Axel.... Really done well! Thanks for the link. Bryn
Bryn D. Reynolds, Author of:
"The Safwan Papers" & "The LOGAR Scrolls" Mentalism ebooks - PM any interest. My artwork: https://darkmountainarts.com |
|
dvno Special user Hamburg 576 Posts
|
It’s not sleight of hand, it’s sleight of mind
|
| The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Penny for your thoughts » » Psychology or sleight of hand? (6 Likes) | |
Posted: Aug 2, 2024 05:28 am 
| [ Top of Page ] |
|
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.03 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
|
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < 
|