October 2008 :: Applying Your Skills

d+M

theory11 artist
With my first approach to Cerca Trova, I wanted to know if you ever use the skills that you have learned in magic in your everyday life. I don’t necessarily mean the physical techniques of sleight-of-hand, more along the lines of interpersonal skills. Some may use such skills subconsciously where others will find ways to consciously apply techniques to everyday situations.

As an example, I know that magic can offer a great deal of confidence when it comes to crowd-control or simply speaking out to a group; it can give you enough experience in social situations that confidence will help you approach absolutely anybody.

It will be good to see just how far magic can go beyond its very purpose, and just how many of us are aware of how much more than deception and subterfuge magic really is.

d+M
 
Feb 27, 2008
2,342
1
33
Grand prairie TX
Before performing magic for people,which ive been doing for 5 or 6 years now,i was always a shy child.Always kept to myself,and it wasnt necessarily because i was scared to approach people,but that i never knew what to say.And through magic i found the confidence to properly introduce myself to people young and old.And express myself more openly.
This year ive recently entered in theatre(this is my senior year)and my teachers and peers consider me a very good actor.Although most of my performances i base off of characters in most of my favorite films.Recently i applied daniel day lewis's character from THERE WILL BE BLOOD in an impromptu scene.
And i dont allow myself to say that i cannot accomplish something.not school-wise but physically enduring stuff that i know i wouldve given up on years ago.That is something
David Blaine helped me realize.
 

PTG

Jun 15, 2008
146
0
In a cave.
I personally have noticed that through my magic, I learned to talk to (and even manipulate) people. I used to be terribly shy. Now I can talk to whole bunches of people, young, old, adult, and kid. It's funny cause I got one of those little email question things in my inbox today, and a friend was answering different questions about me and one question was: If you could pick one word to describe PTG what would it be? And they picked the word confident (almost to the point of cocky). So yeah. btw I'm a fan keep up the awesome work!;)

-PTG
 
Dec 15, 2007
9
0
Minnesota
I understand what you mean DM. My example is my little brother, he just turned two years old and loves to play with cards because he sees me practicing. So one day when he tried to take my cards from me I did a single back palm and said "Where did it go?!" It became the most exciting thing in my brother's life and I would do this little routine constantly, until one day when he figured it out and reached around my hand and took the card from me. Now as my brother continues to grow I can see the "outside of the box" style of thinking that magic sparked in him even at this early of an age and I think he is going to grow up a smarter and more creative person because of it.
 
Nov 15, 2007
1,106
2
35
Raleigh, NC
I would say figuring things out would be the greatest help from magic.

I was never really shy, so the social aspect of magic came naturally. But through my two obsessions, magic and puzzles of various kinds, I've learned new ways to approach problems in the real world.

When asked how to accomplish something I can look at it from many views a lot easier, almost like figuring out a handling for a concept that pops into my head.

And where my social skills applied themselves to magic quickly, the last month or so I started doing more mentalism, and being able to read people is a big part of manipulating them and I think this has spilled over to poker when I play with my friends.

It's odd though...they never let me deal the cards...I wonder why.

-Rik
 

timsilva

Elite Member
Nov 18, 2007
404
43
California
timsilva.com
@ DM - YES. I apply skills that I've learned from magic all the time. Now that I think about it, it helped me in many ways. Again, being able to walk up to random people and have confidence -- even without a deck of cards at hand. I wasn't ever really shy, but I definitely didn't approach large groups of people with that much confidence before I started magic.
 
Oct 24, 2007
314
0
I have found that magic has helped me in every day life. It's given me the confidence to approach people I don't know and speak to them. It's given me the confidence to let my opinion be known in group discussions and more. How did it do this? I love magic very much and I wished to share my many hours of practice and love for magic with other people. In order to do this I had to approach those people. My love for magic forced me to overcome my shyness and finally break out of it. So, I do apply magic to my every day life. Peace!

Tyler
 
Nov 18, 2007
61
0
Toronto, Ontario
I guess magic has helped me find who I really am.

This statement really goes beyond "Oh, I'm more social now". When I perform magic, I completely relax, be myself, and simply entertain- principles which should be applied for everyone. Magic has helped me find what type of person I want to be, not what other people want me to be.
 
I often attempt to look at things a different way, because of magic. Instead of looking the same way that the crowd looks, I'll try and analyze the situation and figure out what's going on.

For example, whenever I watch a TV show, instead of actually paying attention the show, I try and imagine the cameras filming the actors. I try and figure out where the director and producers are standing and camera filming them.

When I perform any type of magic, there's always two or more views. The audience view, of what people are seeing. And the magic view, what I am seeing and doing. I try and use the magic view whenever I can throughout life.

I attempt to look at every situation tactically, looking at different methods of getting the job done. Even if it's as simple as climbing into bed, I'll try different ways of getting under the covers.

Magic has given me a whole new perspective on what I see and do in my everyday life, for which I am very grateful for.
 
D

Deleted member 2755

Guest
Absolutely. Magic as a whole changed my life completely. I look at people generally in a different way. I learned some psychology. My personality COMPLETELY changed. I'm generally a more likable person.

That's all I'll say here. It goes sooooooooooooooooooo much deeper than that though. I just don't exactly feel comfortable saying it all on a public forum though.

I'll just say that if I met myself before I started magic, I would probably have little in common with myself.

-Doug
 
Dec 13, 2007
69
0
34
Atlanta,Georgia
i design my own stage illusions, and that has help tremendously with math and science within school. It has also helped me meet and grow my group of friends. Magic breaks down the walls people put up... and when you break those walls many people can become friends you thought would never talk to them.
Interesting Fact:
Robert Houdin stopped a war between the Fakirs and the French Using Magic
 
I've found my self in numerous business meetings where I need to nail a gig, or make sure that the meeting is turned to my advantage so I don't get taken advantage of in a contract negotiation. As a result I started using anchoring, something I do a lot in my act, to associate good feelings about me with a particular action or gesture. I also note down what gesture or action I used later so that if I go into another meeting with the person in the future I can bring those good feelings back. Is it diabolical and unethical? Yes. However I don't get screwed in business meetings very often.

On a sleight of hand level once, when I was living in Canada I was standing outside a comedy club with a number of my peers. There was a particular comedian that we didn't want to hang out with for a number of reasons, one was that he was notorious for intelectual property theft. I was having a cigarette, and I saw him comming. I knew he was going to bum one off me, and in Canada cigarettes are ten bucks a pack. I wasn't going to give one of my precious smokes away to this vagrant. So as he walked up I did a russian put out, and quelled any asking of cigarettes before it began. When he left and I was smoking again my fellow comedians were surprised that I was able to light another smoke so seruptisiously. That probably isn't how you spell that word, but it's difficult to make a series of uninteligible hash marks with this western style keyboard.
 
Sep 20, 2008
1,112
3
i am a PuA first hand, Magician Second.

If you want to know more about PuA's (which stands as 'Pick up artist') just send me a PM, or just google the term.

Magic is known as a 'Dhv' in PuA terms, though by just saying that im a PuA in a non PuA forum, im exposing the community (which in a way is saying how a trick is done to a heckler.)


The skills i attained through Magic (particularly audience management) ive learned through PuA. =]

-Sinful
 
Jun 24, 2008
493
0
Harrisonburg, VA
In the past year that I have had magic in my life on a constant basis I have noticed multiple changes in myself. My confidence has changed though it never really suffered I can still see the different when I interact with people. I've always had a wild imagination and often times my ideas come off as odd to others and because of magic I've been able to put that to use, it really pays off in the end. I am more passionate about magic then I have been about anything else in a very long time, people see that passion and know that they shouldn't get me on the topic of magic as I can talk about it for hours.

I use to feel that magic was simply tricks to entertain but in all honestly it brings so much more to the table at the end of the day. It's something that no one but other magicians could possibly understand.
 
Jun 7, 2008
1,648
0
30
DC area
www.youtube.com
Im always far less nervous and I have more friends thanks to magic. I can talk to a girl that i like and not get nervous at all and that helped my get my girlfriend. I have become more popular thanks to magic to, every one likes it (expt my sister) and they wont stop asking my to do tricks.
 
Aug 20, 2008
24
0
Las Vegas
With my first approach to Cerca Trova, I wanted to know if you ever use the skills that you have learned in magic in your everyday life. I don’t necessarily mean the physical techniques of sleight-of-hand, more along the lines of interpersonal skills. Some may use such skills subconsciously where others will find ways to consciously apply techniques to everyday situations.

As an example, I know that magic can offer a great deal of confidence when it comes to crowd-control or simply speaking out to a group; it can give you enough experience in social situations that confidence will help you approach absolutely anybody.

It will be good to see just how far magic can go beyond its very purpose, and just how many of us are aware of how much more than deception and subterfuge magic really is.

d+M


Great topic d+M. Some great responses as well. On top of social skills, developed cognitive abilities, learning how to work with your own creative process, and confidence... I've noticed how its helped change my philosophy of life. The act of performing magic and relating to people through that offers a great insight to the fact that we are all the same. Everyone has walls or social masks that they put on but once they are truly astonished you can see who they really are... and the similarities are across the board. This knowledge that comes from this experience as a magician gives us better insight into humanity and people in general. Not only can it improve ones own social skills but can actually change how we view people/the world.

Also, as was pointed out before, magic is a great exercise for developing an intuitive form of sensory acuity. Or, the ability to read people.. I would add an empathy for the state(s) of mind your spectators are in and a knowledge of where you want them to be and how to get them there. We know when a spectator is truly amazed or when they are not impressed, (or when they are faking / exaggerating their reactions on video to sell a product.) A true magician knows that the place where the magic happens is within the witness. The daily experience of this keeps us familiar with the process and keen to how the people around you feel. This can be applied to any social situation to elicit a harmonious interaction.

pEace,
bSmith
 
Aug 24, 2008
264
0
29
Greece
Great post Daniel.
magic actually has drastically changed my life.now i am much more confident to begin with. as a child i was pretty much shy but through magic i have developed my social skills and have made many friends with magic.i am also more confident when approaching girls.Also my character has changed. now i am more relaxed than i used to be. I was always different from my friends ,sort of an outsider and there had been times where i tried to to become like my friends.Through magic though i have accepted myself and i appreciate the fact that i am an "outsider".

I can now entertain and even manipulate a huge crowd . I use some "techniques" that i found in Pure effect in my everyday life. when sb remembers something he likes/dislikes e.t.c i often make distinguishable moves(e.g tap him/er on the shoulder.wen i want to bring that feeling of like/dislike back to that person i will do the same move (in this case tap on the shoulder).I found that this always works.

Other than psycology i use sleight of hand whenever playing cards(2nd deals,bottom deals,palming,false shuffling,e.t.c).though i make sure i do not win every single time because they are going to be suspicious.It is nice to now that u are controlling the game though.

p.s sorry for the bad english ( i am Greek)

George
 
Mar 19, 2008
396
1
My place!
alot more perswasive and sugestive. has got me out of alot of stuff . oh yeah and stealing chips at lunch poker games. Its all in good fun though we call them cheating games, if you get away with it you derserve it :)
 
Sep 17, 2008
195
1
Maryland
I use it daily in a variety of different ways. I sometimes look at how the size and direction of an object in someones hands can become invisible from my perspective. Something else I use alot is cold reading. I am a High School teacher with many special needs children that I work with. I have noticed how to pick up on feelings of certain students and also manipulate them to do assignments that were, once, too challenging to tackle. I have a sense for reading reactions before they are displaced and also to create an answer to a question before it is asked.

These are just a few examples.
 
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