Failure

[AsherF]

I shouldn't let it bother me as much as it does, but it sickens me to see the state that we are in. We are quick to ask what the answers to a problem are without experimenting first. "What would happen if..." "Would it work if..." "how would they react if..." "Can this really be pulled off if..." Or rather, complaints about gimmicks being hard to "carry around." Or maintain. Or if it's impractical due to having to carry around dupes, gaffs, or shimmed items.

Look, I'm far from the greatest things since sliced bread. So I'm probably not who you look to for advice... Sorry I don't have a pretty face or a name worth mentioning, or even a paycheck for doing magic. But believe me, I've been around a minute... I've tried some risky things. I've done some stupid stuff. And I've had incredible successes in those little moments of risk. But what is most important to mention is, I've failed.

You want to get past these walls of progression? Lose your fear of failure. Learning how to succeed is equal to learning how to fall. You want to learn your angles? Timing? Take the effect out, and for goodness sake, mess up. You want to know if a gimmick works? Use it. Mess up. Get caught. Learn what you have to do to make it work. I guarantee a lot of your greatest effects are sitting at the bottom of the drawer, not because they suck, but because you're scared of using them.

The easiest thing in the world to do is to create excuses and arguments to support your case. "I can't perform this effect because it's IMPRACTICAL." "It's ANGLE SENSITIVE." This is just your mind playing tricks on you. The truth is that you haven't given the effect enough time. Impractical is a very debatable term. What I call impractical is an effect utilizing an object I don't use in everyday life... BUT, I've even taken to using certain items in real life just to pull off the effect.

Don't be afraid to be embarrassed. I know a lot of you are older and of age and have gone through this, but to those who haven't... trust me... you'll survive. I promise you. People don't remember bad performances, they remember the good ones. You can go back to all my spectators I've ever performed for, ask them the effects I've messed up, they'll probably not be able to tell you. Ask them about the stuff pulled off correctly... it'll be a whole different story! When you learn to fail, you'll be able to control yourself through your mistakes. I can't tell you how many times I've changed plots midway through effects just to make it make sense after all the mess ups and still turn out half way impressive. think about it!

Sorry, in one of my "passionate" moods where I just need to let a rant on certain things out.

 

[Geraint2k2]

I totally agree.

I said this on my wire artists profile "Oh .. and perform to practice... don't practice to perform. You'll work out the kinks much quicker when performing it to a real spectator straight away."

I've been caught out or flashed/messed-up in a trick before and I've never seen those people again.... however I still get people coming up to me in the street telling me how they still remember me from 4 or 5 years ago making their card appear in their shoe.

Last night I was working and a guy came up to me and said .. you probably don't remember me, but you showed me a trick at the Havester (restaurant) about 2 years ago ... and he opened his wallet and he still had the signed card in there.

It's moments like that, that mean the most to me as a magician, and I totally agree with AsherF.
Don't worry about taking risks, perform to practice and most of all learn from each failure to be able to adapt your magic on the spot.

I got caught on a double before. Someone said " that's two cards there " .. So I just did a KM move and said... "what do you mean?...... it's just one. "
They apologised for their mistake and enjoyed the trick. My world didn't implode, and 1 second after I left, I still had my health and fortune, so who cares.
I see a lot of magicians on here that get all high and mighty over little things... Rome wasn't build in a day ... but little progress is still progress.

 

[Mat La Vore]

A bit of a rant there, but good thoughts, Asher. Having the guts to potentially fail can make a huge difference in your learning curve. I take quite a few risks with my magic now because I know that if it works I'll have a miracle on my hands. And if it doesn't? I just move along to something else and either jazz what I was going for in the first place into a new effect, or carry on as if it wasn't supposed to be an effect in itself anyhow. Derren Brown has some great thoughts on taking risks in his books "Pure Effect" and "Absolute Magic." James Brown has some good words of advice on this subject as well (some of them on the Head Hacking produced DVD Change | Phenomena), and is in fact releasing a book with a focus on where his courage to try the risky things he does in performance comes from.

Having an effect go wrong and learning how to move on past that point is an opportunity for growth. And every time it happens you'll get better at dealing with it, and eventually you'll get to the point that it's not such a big deal. And that's when you'll start experimenting and trying out new ideas, and going into risky effects knowing they may fail you. You'll start intentionally creating those moments of possible failure for the sake of experimenting with something new, or because you know that the risk-reward ratio is worth the effort.

Again, good thoughts, Asher.

 

[Simple Magic]

This thread really inspires me. But I'm still afraid. Alright I'm gay. I'm just a hobbiest but what I don't really understand is why the hell do I always want my magic to be the best for the spectators? I want it to be tv level. Like the level of Criss Angel, Cyril Takayama, David Blaine, Dynamo, etc. Please don't misinterpret that by thinking me of copying them. A big NO! It's just that, I want everything to be the best for the people. For them to really enjoy and be inspired. I'm crazy. I really don't understand why I spend a lot hours on VERY UNIMPORTANT THINGS that the spectator don't really care about. Examples are: Oh my fingers are not curve again. Ahhh!!! Now it's curve from the front angle but from the left? Ahhh. It looks like **** on the left angle. Now it's good on the left angle but it's not good on the front angle again. Hay! I have to spread cards evenly. Ahh it's not even! I have to do the push off double lift because other double lifts are for gay magicians. I have to do the pass because a double undercut is gay. My fingers have to be super clean. I have to make sure I have good breath while performing. Etc. All of these are really useless but I still don't understand why I'm bothered by it.


All of these are the same with regarding to choosing effects. Today I'm satisfied with these tricks and will perform them next week. Tomorrow, ah those tricks sucks. Next day, Oh I'll perform them. Following day, Ah I'll never perform. I'm wasting a lot of hours on pretty stupid things. Please help me! Thanks!

 

[Josh Burch]

I approach magic with a Red Baron like attitude. Paraphrasing a famous saying of his that he "never entered a fight he couldn't win" sums up my style when I perform. The odds of failure should be so small that it is nearly insignificant. In a professional sphere if I mess up it may effect my odds of getting another gig. Don't get me wrong, I make mistakes often enough. I can avoid unnecessary failure by avoiding effects and methods that are weak.

Noting that something is angle sensitive is not an excuse. A back palm is a wonderful tool but it's not too magical if you see it from behind. If you choose not to use it because you work in restaurants where you are constantly surrounded it is not cowardice or fear. To that I would say "I can't perform this effect because it's IMPRACTICAL." and "It's ANGLE SENSITIVE."

Let's say a think a drink routine requires hoses sleeves and a hidden CO2 canister. If I get a question about that effect I might call it impractical, and that's okay. The routine might be more suitable in a vaudeville routine where the performer only performs that one effect. For me to say when I do walk around I don't use it because the canister makes noise and I wear a short sleeve shirt is fine.

The effect might not need more work, it is just the wrong tool for the job. That's okay, and it's okay to say it's impractical or angle sensitive.

 

[renome]

Simple Magic,

There's nothing essentially bad in being a perfectionist, minutely analyzing every part of your performance until you find the perfect combination. The thing is, if performed correctly, every move can be perfectly deceptive. Ok, Double Undercut is a little lame, but a few years ago when I just started in magic, I fooled people with less. Push-off double lift is harder to perform,yes, but getting the perfect timing to get a break beneath the 2 cards with a pinky count and manage to do it in that small time interval so that you don't show the pop-up motion of the corner is also hard.
As for the part where you can't decide which effects to perform, create your own! Combine the sleights you learned to fit your ACR, Sandwich, Triumph, TnR, etc.
Magic is art and some details in it may be less important, but they are still important nevertheless. Just get creative and direct your passion at something that is most productive at the moment (to you at least).

 

[visualartist]

Whoever here that knows me knows that I don't do anything without risks in magic, and in many aspects of how I live.
From doing a blatantly obvious break on a spectators card to hone my skills at keeping their attention on me or what im saying, to working with the impracticality of producing huge amounts of ice in any random setting. I love risks. In magic it translates to the spectators as something beyond a trick.
If your post had a "like" button id press it.

 

[RickEverhart]

I am actually enjoying this thread and there are some good thoughts that have been brought to the table. I too am guilty of having things that are still in the package that I have been "afraid" to fail at. It sure looked good when the guy behind the counter demoed it and I had to have it but then it just sits on my shelf.

If anyone can get a strolling or restaurant gig, this is definitely the key to using your new effects and breaking them in. In one night you might perform that same effect 30 times. Trust me...by the end of the night you'll have discovered many pros and cons. You'll know what patter works best, what angles are good and which ones are horrible...blah blah blah.

It takes some courage to fail and I admit, it is embarrassing getting caught on a move or with a gimmick, but it is part of the learning process.

Nice post gentleman.

 

[AdamF]

Thanks for posting, this is a great topic!

Everyone has pretty much said it all and I agree with most of it but what topic this also brings up is how important true entertainment and showmanship is to your performances, the trick should not make or break this. If you flash a gimmick but the spectators are having a wonderful time I don't think you've failed at all. You did exactly what you set out to do, which is to give the audience a fun, memorable day. But if you were banking on that one failed effect to be the only entertaining aspect of your show, it will really push you to think about how you approach magic. Just my two cents and something to think about.

 

[AsherF]

Having an effect go wrong and learning how to move on past that point is an opportunity for growth. And every time it happens you'll get better at dealing with it, and eventually you'll get to the point that it's not such a big deal. And that's when you'll start experimenting and trying out new ideas, and going into risky effects knowing they may fail you. You'll start intentionally creating those moments of possible failure for the sake of experimenting with something new, or because you know that the risk-reward ratio is worth the effort.

See, that there is the key. I often see people asking how to handle these situations. And become impressed with how certain professionals naturally handle such situation, but the truth is, there's not a set standard for what to do. It only comes from experience. One of my favorite effects to perform is Two Card Monte. It got near to the end of the effect, "Would you be impressed if I were able to switch the cards?" The spectator then says to me, "But I just saw you switch this card..." Not so impressed... effect ruined... "I know..." pause "but did you see me switch that one in the mean time?" Somehow I got away with it and the reaction was priceless.

AdamF, it's not so much about whether or not you've failed in your performance already and you get caught up in that failure... It's about overcoming the initial fear in the beginning of failure. "I'm not going to perform this BECAUSE I'm going to mess up." "I don't know the angles." Because that's the hardest part, making the choice to put yourself in that situation, rather than covering up because you've accidentally found yourself in the situation already.

 

[Craig Browning]

It is said that the best, more heroic warrior in the world are the one's that have made peace with the idea that they may most likely die when performing their duty. In theater the best comics tend to be the one's that are willing to risk it all and we find the same thing in dance, stunt work and a myriad of other things where "do or die" is either a literal or at least appropriate metaphor.

I've seen some of the biggest names in this business fail and god knows there are some horror stories out there (I have more than just a few). But THE SHOW MUST GO ON and thus, we push ourselves to try it again; which should be especially true for all magic buffs. When you have an effect you like but it don't seem to "work" or you're having problems doing it, you don't just give up the first dozen times around. You keep experimenting. All going well, you won't just find what works when it comes to the presentation, you may very well develop little twists and nuances that "make the effect your own" -- you are able to present it in such a way that your peers gasp and give you kudos (and harass you when it comes to the how & what of it all -- DON'T TELL THEM!)

In Mentalism far more than traditional magic, taking risks is what separates the "true" Mentalist from those that do Mental Magic. I don't say that to be insulting but the old timers understood the value of a "miss" and sadly, the recovering magician who has both, the ego and the addiction of always "winning" will not allow that fail to occur. I know dozens of guys that call themselves Mentalists and yet, they won't do Psychological Forces, Muscle Reading and other such methods because they are not 100% reliable. Rather than taking time to learn how to Pencil & Lip Read they search for the gimmick -- the easy way out. To many of us that are deeply vested in this side of the craft such things are half-measures and a means by which to develop some very bad habits which in turn, create a "fail"; you simply can't replicate things people have seen or heard of you doing unless you have a pocket full of stuff. . . it's a high risk situation but only due to the fact that we've set ourselves up to have that risk, not because it's a gutsy scenario.

A personal example of "risk" is the watch-steal I shared in Luke's book 3510 (I believe that's the right one). I'm combining a series of techniques in order to bring about a single, unexpected, manifestation during an improvisational Seance. Long story short, while everyone is holding hands a person's watch is stolen by the spirits and ends up on the table. To pull this off requires huge gonads and there is a strong possibility of getting caught, but this doesn't compare with the pay-off when it's done properly. Same goes with Rick Maue's TERESABOS routine and most any bit in which you are depending upon your personal ability to OBSERVE the "tells" offered by your participants... it really takes nerve and the willingness to accept possible failure simply because the pay off can prove to be something extraordinary.

As one of my mentors said, "You have to give yourself permission to fail in order to find the confidence needed to do it anyway."

 

[shadowlion63]

This was really helpful! Thanks!