I have about 60 decks of cards in one of my drawers. I also have a lot of magic props, some fake thumbs, a few invisible elastics and so on. Just the basics. The truth is, I love magic and all that’s to know about it.
Over the years, I’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands of bucks on cards, props and instructional books or videos that taught me how to do tricks that would blow the minds of my friends away. It’s a precious thing to be able to make people wonder and forget about everything, even for a few seconds.
Doing magic for over 10 years now, although just for friends and family, has taught me a lot about people. Their reactions, their curiosity and amazement, they’ve all taught me so much about the human condition.
In this guide:
1. People are easily deceivable
“There’s no way in hell you know my card!”
And then you show them the card and they’re going nuts. People are always so convinced they know the truth, it makes them so easily deceivable. So easy to lie to and convince them something is the way you say it is, even if it’s not.
2. People love to be deceived
“Oh my God, that is absolutely amazing, I loved it!”
Even if they’ve just been lied to, people have the tendency to first be great with it. It happens not only during a magic trick but also through advertising, politics and social media. They’re great with buying a diet coke because go figure, it’s healthier. They’re great with having a new car because it’s so much better, although the old car was doing the job just fine.
3. People want to know the secret
“How did you did that?”
This is the most common question I get every single time I’m done with a magic trick. I never tell the secret to anyone, regardless of how easy the trick is. It’s part of the magic to not know the secret. Just be amazed by it and stop thinking about the explanation. The absence of the explanation is what made it so amazing and unbelievable in the first place.
4. People can’t handle the secret
“No way, that’s now how you did it!”
If and when you, for some reason, tell them how you did it, most people tell you you’re deceiving them. Something so amazing can’t have such a simple, mundane explanation. But the fact is, everything in life that seems complicated is actually simple.
Being healthy is simple, if you do things in moderation, you are healthy. Being happy is simple, if you choose to be happy, you are happy. Life itself is simple if you don’t make it complicated.
5. People want proof for magic
“Do that again!”
This is the most annoying thing somebody can ask a magician to do. The trick is done, it’s time to rather move to another trick or leave the thing where it ended. People are never satisfied with the things you show or tell them.
Even if the trick happened right in front of them and was as unexplainable as UFO’s, they still want proof you’re a magician and have magical powers. So they ask you to do the trick again, and again, and again.
As a conclusion, it doesn’t matter what’s your hobby or what’s your side gig. What matters is it has to make you and the people around you happy. Or, in this case, a little wonderous!
“For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, none will suffice” — Joe Dunninger.
