theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

Anxious when performing?

TechnoMessiah said:
I perform to family and friends.
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Then you haven't felt real anxiety yet. Believe me, there's no crucible quite like performing for total strangers and knowing that their tips or lack thereof are going to be paying your rent.

Eventually, you learn to embrace the adrenaline rush.
 
TechnoMessiah said:
I perform to family and friends.
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Oh Glorious news, I bet you like being that one guy in your family ^.=.^, I was like that at one point the nervous thing there is a story that I know of that might help in this situation.

It reminds me of my earlier time hand turning bowls on a lathe. When I would start the bowl I would do it flawlessly and with little effort. But I always got the jitters when it got down to the last few centimeters of wood, and end up breaking the bowl. My teacher made me start over again each time I broke it. Although I broke the bowls *cough cough* 87 times, each time I would get farther and farther and more confident. But as the bowls got thinner the easier they were to break with the slightest of jitter. I am now on my 107 bowls and seemed to have gotten stuck at the last few millimeters.

My teacher stopped me before I started to make the next bowl and said “Stop and relax take a deep breath, now let it out and visualize yourself and your goal. In your head visualize your process as you shave the wood away.” I was skeptical at first but did as I was told. I still have that 108th wooden bowl today.
 
One time I tried to perform a trick to a group of people at Starbucks... they said, "We don't believe in magic." It turned out to be my sister’s psychologist. I know this doesn't help one bit, but I thought it was funny...
 
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DoctorMagic said:
One time I tried to perform a trick to a group of people at Starbucks... they said, "We don't believe in magic." It turned out to be my sister’s psychologist.
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This has relevance because?

edit*
hmm, do you have anything to suggest to better help technomessiah?

I mean it with the greatest respect.
 
DoctorMagic said:
One time I tried to perform a trick to a group of people at Starbucks... they said, "We don't believe in magic." It turned out to be my sister’s psychologist.
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I would have asked if they believe in having fun and being entertained. ;)
 
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