I started in magic about 7 months ago and I have come quite far. I have learned enough that I believe that I am ready to hit the streets and start performing for people other than just my friends and family. The only issue is that I have a mental block of sorts against performing for complete strangers. Whenever I try and perform I get really nervous and that gets my hands sweaty and that ends up making whatever I want to perform much more difficult. Does anybody have any tips on how to get over this mental block of mine? Anything would help.
Performance anxiety
- Thread starter MagicalSleight
- Start date
one thing you can do is first start out stuff that does not require alot of sleight of hand self working stuffwould be great
this is just to get you used to being in front of people after once the nerves start to go away then you can get into the more
difficult type of magic. you will find the more you are in front of people the easier it gets, and also do not worry about messing up a trick it happens to everyone.
this is just to get you used to being in front of people after once the nerves start to go away then you can get into the more
difficult type of magic. you will find the more you are in front of people the easier it gets, and also do not worry about messing up a trick it happens to everyone.
First of all, I hope you know that everyone gets nervous every once in a while (even the pros) so don't feel like you're the only one with this problem. Don't get me wrong though, it will get better once you get more experienced and used to performing. So I'll tell you what helps me when I get nervous. 
So the source of all performance anxiety is fear. Fear of what you ask? The fear of rejection. We're afraid that they won't like us, or they won't be interested or maybe we'll mess up or maybe even it's just that we think that they won't even give us the time of day when we approach them and offer to perform for them. We get this "worst-case scenario" style of thinking and it holds us back in our performances and approaches.
So the thing that helps me is that I visualize the entire performance. I play it all out in my head and in my imagination everything turns out the way I feel like it should (which is perfectly). Then I ask myself these questions:
-Am I confident enough in my sleights?
-Am I confident enough in my patter?
-Am I confident in my approach?
-Am I confident in my abilities in my overall performance?
If I answer yes to all of these questions, I ask one last question: "What do I have to worry about?". If you're confident in yourself and your abilities in everything that goes into making your performance great, why should you worry? They're gonna love it.
Of course, things don't always go perfectly. (People say no, you mess up sleights, etc.) But hopefully, this helped you out with your performance anxiety. Remember, the only way to get better at performing is if you perform. So start out showing your family members and close friends. Ask them what they think of your performance, (what could be better, what you did well, etc.). Then start showing people at school (if you're still in school ) And lastly, have fun. It may sound cliche' but when people see that you're having fun, they will start to have fun.
Good luck!
So the source of all performance anxiety is fear. Fear of what you ask? The fear of rejection. We're afraid that they won't like us, or they won't be interested or maybe we'll mess up or maybe even it's just that we think that they won't even give us the time of day when we approach them and offer to perform for them. We get this "worst-case scenario" style of thinking and it holds us back in our performances and approaches.
So the thing that helps me is that I visualize the entire performance. I play it all out in my head and in my imagination everything turns out the way I feel like it should (which is perfectly). Then I ask myself these questions:
-Am I confident enough in my sleights?
-Am I confident enough in my patter?
-Am I confident in my approach?
-Am I confident in my abilities in my overall performance?
If I answer yes to all of these questions, I ask one last question: "What do I have to worry about?". If you're confident in yourself and your abilities in everything that goes into making your performance great, why should you worry? They're gonna love it.
Of course, things don't always go perfectly. (People say no, you mess up sleights, etc.) But hopefully, this helped you out with your performance anxiety. Remember, the only way to get better at performing is if you perform. So start out showing your family members and close friends. Ask them what they think of your performance, (what could be better, what you did well, etc.). Then start showing people at school (if you're still in school
) And lastly, have fun. It may sound cliche' but when people see that you're having fun, they will start to have fun. Good luck!
As mentioned, start out with a self working effect to calm your nerves and get to know the people. The shaky or sweaty hands will go away eventually after you get used to performing for strangers. I was no different from you. My hands would sweat so bad and shake that I could not do anything. It was almost embarrassing. (Purel or other hand sanitizers with alcohol 5 minutes prior to the performance will help you and dry your hands out. I suggest a tiny travel size bottle in your gig case or pocket)
You will mess up! Yes..you read that correctly. You will mess up. You will fumble a sleight or forget a step at some point in an effect. It happens to all of us when learning the ropes. My suggestion is to just create a short set of 3 effects and perform them in the same order over and over and over for as many people as you can find to watch you. There is only one thing that happens. You will see improvement and begin to relish in your success that will soon follow. It will become and addiction and adrenaline rush for you to perform and not as much as the fear that you feel at this point in time.
Good luck. I would love to hear from you again after some trial and error performances.
You will mess up! Yes..you read that correctly. You will mess up. You will fumble a sleight or forget a step at some point in an effect. It happens to all of us when learning the ropes. My suggestion is to just create a short set of 3 effects and perform them in the same order over and over and over for as many people as you can find to watch you. There is only one thing that happens. You will see improvement and begin to relish in your success that will soon follow. It will become and addiction and adrenaline rush for you to perform and not as much as the fear that you feel at this point in time.
Good luck. I would love to hear from you again after some trial and error performances.
Here's one thing you shouldn't be afraid of.. Screwing up. People will more than likely not remember you losing their card or flashing a coin that is palmed if you don't make a big deal of it. In fact the chances are they will most likely remember the good aspects of what you did or are doing more than anything..
Unless you a complete jerk, then you're pretty much doomed from the start.
Unless you a complete jerk, then you're pretty much doomed from the start.
What you really need to do is build confidence.
An easy way to do this is to talk to people you don't know (not with performing a trick in mind, but just to get to know them a little bit.) Building up the ability to talk to a complete stranger is a great starting point, and asking "hey, would you like to see a magic trick" becomes much much easier.
For instance, going up to someone and saying "Hey I'm a magician, wanna see a trick?" might get some odd looks and some turned heads, but saying "Hi I'm [insert name here]. Do you have the time? etc. etc. build up the conversation, and then end with "Oh, hey, you wanna see something cool?" You've already gained their trust a bit, and they will most likely want to be polite, and say "um...sure, alright."
Its just what my advice would be. Becoming acquaintances before performing makes performing easier. If you don't already have the confidence to go right into the magic.
I hope at least some of this makes sense.
An easy way to do this is to talk to people you don't know (not with performing a trick in mind, but just to get to know them a little bit.) Building up the ability to talk to a complete stranger is a great starting point, and asking "hey, would you like to see a magic trick" becomes much much easier.
For instance, going up to someone and saying "Hey I'm a magician, wanna see a trick?" might get some odd looks and some turned heads, but saying "Hi I'm [insert name here]. Do you have the time? etc. etc. build up the conversation, and then end with "Oh, hey, you wanna see something cool?" You've already gained their trust a bit, and they will most likely want to be polite, and say "um...sure, alright."
Its just what my advice would be. Becoming acquaintances before performing makes performing easier. If you don't already have the confidence to go right into the magic.
I hope at least some of this makes sense.
If you do magic on the street, just have the frame of mind that it doesn't matter if you mess up because chances are that you won't ever see them again. Also practice standing up. It helps A LOT!
AgentKuo as I just realized already posted what I was trying to say! But maybe reading it in different words might help?!
I don't walk up to people and start doing magic right away... I wander around where ever I am and just start a random conversation. That way If you start performing you are sort of friends in a way your not just some weirdo doing "tricks at them" makes it easier. don't build yourself up so much either. Just say It's something I been playing with can I show you or whatever. Like you said it is in your head you can over come it.
P.S- Messing up is really not as bad as you might think I use to all the time;
I don't walk up to people and start doing magic right away... I wander around where ever I am and just start a random conversation. That way If you start performing you are sort of friends in a way your not just some weirdo doing "tricks at them" makes it easier. don't build yourself up so much either. Just say It's something I been playing with can I show you or whatever. Like you said it is in your head you can over come it.
P.S- Messing up is really not as bad as you might think I use to all the time
;If rejection is a problem you should be able to shrug it off. Think of the possible outcomes of approaching a stranger; they either accept you, tolerate you, or dismiss you.
An accepting person will be happy to have someone to talk to, enjoys making new friends or even just new experiences (you want these people to perform for).
Tolerate you - a little more apprehensive, but still a good practice audience. If you can feel they're in a rush or don't want to be bothered (but are too polite to say otherwise) dismiss yourself and save them the trouble.
Dismiss you completely - people who want nothing to do with you. Feel sad? No, it's their own fault, and now they don't get to enjoy time spent with you - it's their loss.
Going into a social interaction with these three outcomes in mind you can't go wrong. Even if someone blows you off, it was an expected outcome so you won't be shaken by it.
This goes deeper into practicing magic, always have an out. If you're performing and lose a card...change the trick...'Oh! I didn't get you to sign the card, here, find your card or chose a different one to sign...it's much better that way.' or always force a card...always peek a selection...etc
When you're practicing, drop the cards in the middle of the trick and ask yourself 'what do I do now?' by practicing mistakes and possible outcomes you will be better prepared and in the end less anxious.
An accepting person will be happy to have someone to talk to, enjoys making new friends or even just new experiences (you want these people to perform for).
Tolerate you - a little more apprehensive, but still a good practice audience. If you can feel they're in a rush or don't want to be bothered (but are too polite to say otherwise) dismiss yourself and save them the trouble.
Dismiss you completely - people who want nothing to do with you. Feel sad? No, it's their own fault, and now they don't get to enjoy time spent with you - it's their loss.
Going into a social interaction with these three outcomes in mind you can't go wrong. Even if someone blows you off, it was an expected outcome so you won't be shaken by it.
This goes deeper into practicing magic, always have an out. If you're performing and lose a card...change the trick...'Oh! I didn't get you to sign the card, here, find your card or chose a different one to sign...it's much better that way.' or always force a card...always peek a selection...etc
When you're practicing, drop the cards in the middle of the trick and ask yourself 'what do I do now?' by practicing mistakes and possible outcomes you will be better prepared and in the end less anxious.
Lol about what you said about my post. Its cool, though.AgentKuo as I just realized already posted what I was trying to say! But maybe reading it in different words might help?!
I don't walk up to people and start doing magic right away... I wander around where ever I am and just start a random conversation. That way If you start performing you are sort of friends in a way your not just some weirdo doing "tricks at them" makes it easier. don't build yourself up so much either. Just say It's something I been playing with can I show you or whatever. Like you said it is in your head you can over come it.
P.S- Messing up is really not as bad as you might think I use to all the time
Also, messing up can be part of your presentation. Personally, I don't like to perform this way (ie: That's not your card? Hmm, well what if I wave and snap. Is it your card now?") That whole style just doesn't appeal to me. But it is a possibility.
I would also agree with William about talking to a person, and saying "Hey, I've been working on something kind of interesting, would you like to see?" or "I have this theory I'm trying to test" (genuinely anything related to school or studying seems to be appropriate.
) And then go into the trick with a patter that relates. (ie: "See, I'll have a deck of cards, and there's this really weird principle about the two black kings...yaddayaddayadda...and if it works correctly, they should actually sandwich your chosen card")Thanks, this has all helped me quite a bit. I just got back from a summer camp and, using this advice, I was able to perform and make a good reputation for myself there. Now I love to perform (though I still get nervous, just not nearly as much).
It was really hard at first since while I was performing my first non-self-working trick, there was another magician in the audience who decided to reveal everything I was doing while I was doing it. This made me more nervous and mess up more frequently. Not only that but I had people walking up from behind me and watching me at bad angles.
Since then, I have learned how to better control my audience and just stop doing a trick if I feel that I am about to mess up.
Thank you, all this advice has helped me so much.
It was really hard at first since while I was performing my first non-self-working trick, there was another magician in the audience who decided to reveal everything I was doing while I was doing it. This made me more nervous and mess up more frequently. Not only that but I had people walking up from behind me and watching me at bad angles.
Since then, I have learned how to better control my audience and just stop doing a trick if I feel that I am about to mess up.
Thank you, all this advice has helped me so much.
Great to hear that you're getting out there and performing.
As for the little heckler problem, it gets a little annoying when they want to try to catch everything you do and call you out on a bunch of things, but when someone actually reveals the method, I would just stop and tell everyone that I won't continue unless that person stops. But there are tons of threads on here about how to deal with hecklers.
And for the problem with people walking behind, try to get your back against a wall. I know sometimes you don't have a wall, but try to get in an area where it would be a little hard to get behind you. But since people were just walking by, they probably weren't paying attention to your sleights, so there's probably not much to worry about. But if you see some people in the crowd start to slide around, just make sure you can catch them and say "Come back in the front, you'll get a better view"
But its great to hear that you actually got out of your comfort zone and did magic for people. It would be nice to see a video sometime. (hint hint)
