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

What exactly makes someone a magician?

A magician to me is someone that can amaze me and make me still wonder, "how did they do that?" Perhaps, I do learn how they did it..I'm still amazed that someone had that concept to think of something so incredible. Some of those tricks are so simple but take years to master. For me, when I see the reactions of people I perform for and they're in awe, well, that's what keeps me coming back because I know that "in awe" feeling.
 
To me, a magician is a person who can put someone into a state of wonder. Not only that, but also a person who can lift spirits and connect with random people on a personal level (like previously stated).
 
I agree with the idea that a magician is good at life. Or how I like to word it, a manipulator of the world. A musician manipulates an instrument. A singer manipulates their voice. An actor, their body and voice. a painter, their brush. But a magician has the world as their canvas. Whether it be restoring leaves onto trees. Freezing water. Stopping time. or even creating little pieces of strange at a moments notice. If you can only consider yourself a magician with a deck of cards in your hand or a coin, you're not what a magician should be. A magician should be selfless since the art is often violated in some form in their eyes, but innocent in the spectators, so that's who it should be about. the spectator. You're a magician. the world is your canvas. Start painting.
 
What is the point of trying to over analyze this? All you are tying to do in this thread is get people to argue semantics.

Some of the things you are saying Nikki are extremely narrow minded in thinking. You said that an Entertainer can babysit your mind for a bit, but a magician can change your life...

There are many types of entertainers, and it sounds to me as if you claim Magicians are the extreme being when it comes to entertaining.

I have been inspired/ touched/ motivated/ "changed" by watching amazing dancers, way more so than I have by Magicians. I have been entertained by magicians, yes, but "changed"? It all depends on who the person is.

A person should strive to have those "life skills/ worldly skills/ wisdom/" etc... regardless of who they are or trying to be. A magician isn't the only type of person that can be influential.

In my opinion, a Teacher should be those things 100 times more so than a Magician should be.
 
There is a distinct and very real problem that is emerging in this fine craft of ours, that can be seen quite clearly in this thread. I wonder if anyone else feels like it's getting crowded in here...

Ty
 
-Ty said:
There is a distinct and very real problem that is emerging in this fine craft of ours, that can be seen quite clearly in this thread. I wonder if anyone else feels like it's getting crowded in here...

Ty
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i'm not quite sure what you mean by it getting crowded... but there is a rift emerging between people who love the art. and people who do magic. (something like that)


for me: a magician is somebody who can make the impossible seem possible.
 
AsherF said:
I agree with the idea that a magician is good at life. Or how I like to word it, a manipulator of the world. A musician manipulates an instrument. A singer manipulates their voice. An actor, their body and voice. a painter, their brush. But a magician has the world as their canvas. Whether it be restoring leaves onto trees. Freezing water. Stopping time. or even creating little pieces of strange at a moments notice. If you can only consider yourself a magician with a deck of cards in your hand or a coin, you're not what a magician should be. A magician should be selfless since the art is often violated in some form in their eyes, but innocent in the spectators, so that's who it should be about. the spectator. You're a magician. the world is your canvas. Start painting.
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so your saying that Darwin Ortiz isn't a magician? how about Ed Marlo? David Roth? Dai Vernon?

edit: i forgot Dan and Dave Buck!!!
 
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I agree with ChristopherT on the idea that a magician is one who does the impossible. Sure I guess magic can change someone's life, but I don't think this is what defines all magicians. This does it for me:
magician 
1.an entertainer who is skilled in producing illusion by sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; conjurer.
2.a person who is skilled in magic; sorcerer.
 
AsherF said:
I agree with the idea that a magician is good at life. Or how I like to word it, a manipulator of the world. A musician manipulates an instrument. A singer manipulates their voice. An actor, their body and voice. a painter, their brush. But a magician has the world as their canvas. Whether it be restoring leaves onto trees. Freezing water. Stopping time. or even creating little pieces of strange at a moments notice. If you can only consider yourself a magician with a deck of cards in your hand or a coin, you're not what a magician should be. A magician should be selfless since the art is often violated in some form in their eyes, but innocent in the spectators, so that's who it should be about. the spectator. You're a magician. the world is your canvas. Start painting.
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WOW. That was a beautiful way to put it. And I agree with it ten fold.
 
Morgan B said:
Haha, I LOVE your defintion. I pride myself on being all that you say, and more.

This commercial, although downplays me a bit, should give you an idea of my life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVwG1t-NVAA

I think you nailed it Nikki, you just left my name out.

Seriously though, I do pride myself on being called a renaissance man, and it boils down to this - if you are an interesting person, that prides themselves on doing their craft well, then people will enjoy what you offer.
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That link led me to a strange video that seemed to loop for about 7 minutes and was not very interesting. What the hell was that?

Anyway, I agree with theatrehead's first post.
 
Nikki said:
wow ok so i guess you really havent been impacted by it. Magic is different for everyone..how we got started and who we have been exposed to. If you see the right magician it can leave a huge impact on you and change your way of thinking, inspire you, and for some it gets them to start magic. Or view things differently. So you just need to be exposed to the right magician. then again those card tricks changed your life, thats why your here posting about this
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Have you ever read "Maximum Entertainment?" By Kenneth J. Weber?

He said something about how see saw a old card magician in a tent at some event. He explained how simple he seemed at first. But he realized that this was no regular card magician. He never repeated a trick as he watched for around two hours or so? The magician also used little robotic animals to help find cards and things.

I read the book a while back and am not sure how much of that i actually got right but it was my favorite part in the book. That is a magician I like, Simple and Mysterious. A true artist!

That magician connected with me and I didn't even meet him or watch him perform pretty amazing I thought!
 
I personally don't think of a magician as any better than any other artist or entertainer out there. Magic is just a different genre of art, nothing special here.

That being said, magic is many different art forms combined. You must be good at public speaking, dexterous with your hands, deceptive, graceful (depending on your style, but gracefulness goes hand in hand with dancing), have a good knowledge of psychology, know how people are misdirected, how the human eye perceives things, and many times magicians are good at comedy.

As you can see, a lot goes into magic, and makes it quite complex, which is why it's such a hard art form to pursue.

I think some people are over analyzing here though. As much as I would like it to be, I don't think a magician is "good at life". I know many magicians who are not even close to "good at life".

That being said, I do think magicians (with lots of experience) will have a much better understanding of humans than your average person. They will also (probably) be able to connect with people easier (because, as magicians, we have to learn how to do this).

But I DO NOT believe the magician is any better than any other artist. Magic is just a tiny category of the big category...art. All artists are in the same boat, trying to get across an emotion to the audience, or trying to tell them a story. Or simply trying to entertain them. We're all (or a lot of us) after the same thing, just like any other artist.


We are all artists, so I don't think there is any need to separate us from other artists. We are trying to separate ourselves from our own group.

Not pointing out anyone specifically, just saying we aren't any better than any other artist.


Cheers
 
I wasn't trying to say that a Magician is above other forms of entertainment. It is a form of entertainment, all I was trying to do was make a distinction between "entertainer" and "magician" because "entertainer" can be anything, when you refer to an entertainer thats very vague. It could mean many different things. You can entertain with magic, but to be a magician isnt exactly the same. Magic can freak people out, and with the right magician, they could remember it years later with storys to tell. It could keep them up thinking at night and they remember the story and how it touched them. Thats the difference. You can surely be touched by many other types of entertainment, ive been touched by books, movies, poems..ect. I didn't mean to say one form is better than another.
 
WilliamMckeehan said:
Have you ever read "Maximum Entertainment?" By Kenneth J. Weber?

He said something about how see saw a old card magician in a tent at some event. He explained how simple he seemed at first. But he realized that this was no regular card magician. He never repeated a trick as he watched for around two hours or so? The magician also used little robotic animals to help find cards and things.

I read the book a while back and am not sure how much of that i actually got right but it was my favorite part in the book. That is a magician I like, Simple and Mysterious. A true artist!

That magician connected with me and I didn't even meet him or watch him perform pretty amazing I thought!
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haha yes, ive read that book. Its been a while though, I read it like 2 years ago so I dont remmeber everything from it
 
Nikki said:
WOW, so yeah its been a LONG time since ive been on forums..been really busy. Sorry if this is already a topic..like I said its been a long time since Ive acctually been on forums and read things and I didn't see it when I used the search. But while talking to my friend Jenni, another female magician I know, she brought up something that sparked my curiosity. She asked me what exactly makes someone a magician. I think that might be an oppinion question. Everyone has their own preception of what they think a magician is. To some people its a guy with a top hat pulling a rabbit out, to others it might be cutting a lady in half. To some flying or doing things they can not that they wish they could do.

To me a magician is so much more than someone who does or is skilled at tricks. A magician is someone who is good at life, someone who can motivate and inspire someone, someone who can amaze and brighten someones days. A magician is wise. Someone who can connect with their audience on a personal level tht others cant reach. Also a magician is someone who is worldly..who knows whats up and understands people and issues in the world today. Someone who people love and want to talk to. To me theres so much more to magic and being a magician than just the tricks you can do or the skill you have. Its amazing the things you learn and see being a magician..the realizations tht others dont always notice. Thats what a magician is to me.

What makes someone a magician to you?



-Nikki
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A magician is someone that makes you believe the "impossible" is "possible"........

if they can't do that, then everything else becomes vain.....
 
Nikki said:
I wasn't trying to say that a Magician is above other forms of entertainment. It is a form of entertainment, all I was trying to do was make a distinction between "entertainer" and "magician" because "entertainer" can be anything, when you refer to an entertainer thats very vague. It could mean many different things. You can entertain with magic, but to be a magician isnt exactly the same. Magic can freak people out, and with the right magician, they could remember it years later with storys to tell. It could keep them up thinking at night and they remember the story and how it touched them. Thats the difference. You can surely be touched by many other types of entertainment, ive been touched by books, movies, poems..ect. I didn't mean to say one form is better than another.
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What you're describing is an entertainer. A magician is an entertainer. You say it like a magician is more than an entertainer. Not really. A magician is simply an entertainer. Just like any other artist.
 
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