I get so numb I collapse. No. I'm kidding. I think this thread is kind of irrelevant though. How we feel doesn't matter at all. What really matters is how the spectator feels. We don't do magic to get that weird tingly feeling or whatever we do it to entertain and amaze the spectator.
Actually, that's completely incorrect in my opinion.
There seems to be this budding wave of collective moral outrage amongst magicians recently, in which the overarching trend is to advocate a most extreme form of selflessness - "I as the magician do not matter at all. My feelings don't matter. It's all about the spectator."
I think this arises partly from the fact that we know at least that magic is based to a large extent on skill, whether it be presentational ability, communication skills, mental dexterity, or indeed technical skill. People are scared of the notion that in demonstrating this skill, we will be showing off, that demonstrating skills necessarily involves egotistical actions.
Anyway, I digress slightly. The point is this.
The magician
does matter.
Let's for example examine the question of whether I should perform The Biddle Trick.
The Biddle Trick is a classic effect, a great effect used by many generations of magicians since it's creation. When given the proper effort, it gets great reactions.
Therefore, I as a magician MUST perform The Biddle Trick because it's great for laymen, right?
Wrong!
I hate The Biddle Trick! There's nothing wrong with it, I just personally hate it. It doesn't interest me at all. And as a mentalist, I prefer not to risk the perception of "card technician". But even simply as a card magician, I would not perform this effect.
But why not? We should do everything in our power for the spectators! We don't matter!
Yes, we should, but YES, we also do matter.
The truth is that there is such an extensive magical lexicon, that there is an abundance of great effects which can all get the same great reaction as The Biddle Trick. Does this mean we have to perform them all? After all, it's our duty!
Of course not, that would be ridiculous. Try and argue that and I'll slap you back to the Middle Ages.
At some point, we
have to pick and choose. How do we pick and choose? We choose what we like! We choose what suits us and in that action we involve ourselves - unconsciously so, unless your method of choosing effects to learn involves a roulette wheel. We choose what appeals to us, and in that action, we make ourselves, the performer, important.
Now, apart from pure necessity, why is it important to make the magician, ourselves, important in this process of performing?
It's quite simple. Think of a passion of yours. Now imagine telling me about it.
Now think of the Exogenous Consumption statistic of your country, and explain it in the context of a simple (Two-Sector) Keynesian Model. Now imagine telling me about that.
Unless your passion also happened to be Keynesian Economics (which it could well be, in which case, you'll have to think of something else appropriately boring, with my sincere apologies), you'll quickly realise that you will be more bored talking about the latter than the former. Now, if you're bored, how do you think I'd feel as the listener?
Let's transfer this back to magic before I have too much fun. When you perform something you intrinsically enjoy,
it shows. When you perform something you don't enjoy,
it shows. When it shows, it affects the audience. The fact is that enjoyment is contagious. If you enjoy what you do, the audience will enjoy it too. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it is a requisite for successfully performing magic, that you enjoy what you do. If you don't enjoy it, there's no way your audience will.
Simply put, that is why you, the magician, are important when performing. Your goal is to create the experience of magic. This is impossible if you do not like your own material. If you do not enjoy it, your audience will not either, and will not experience the magic. If, on the other hand, you love what you do, your audience will pick up on this. Enthusiasm, passion, love, they all show.
Now, given that there is such a huge magical lexicon, it follows that you also have the power to choose from a vast array of effective routines.
So, why not choose what you like?
Yes, it means admitting that you as the magician are important, but that is not a bad thing! On the contrary, following what you like is a good thing because it improves the calibre of your performances. The final result is a flow-on effect, which
will improve your audience's experience.
See, the truth is, in order to perform for laymen, you also have to consider yourself. Without acknowledging how we feel, and using how we feel about our magic to good use, and making decisions based on our feelings, we cannot hope to alter others' emotions.
P.S. I hope you can also see how, with some modification, this argument can be molded into one advocating the personalisation of effects by creating your own presentations and variations - in other words, originality.
