I'm 15 years old, and I have been practicing magic for just under three years. In the last few months, I have been watching magicians such as David Blaine and other youtube magicians go out on the streets and perform magic to people. However, whenever I am out in public ready to perform... I can't. I can't bring myself to walk up to somebody or especially a group of people and ask to perform magic for them. At school though, I have no problems performing for large groups of my friends. I also have issues performing if an adult is watching me for some reason. So in short, the problem I have is that I have never performed to complete strangers on the street and it appears I lack the confidence to do so. Any tips to help me build confidence or tips to performing magic out in public? Or any resources on the matter that can potentially help me?
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Confidence?
- Thread starter JustinT
- Start date
It's a form of stage fright and the ONLY WAY AROUND IT is to just do it. . . jump into the pool and swim!
The issue with an adult is that you think you might be judged harder when in truth, it's your friends and peers that will be more harsh on you than most adults will e.g. if you are already applauded by your peers chances are you'll be find with grown-ups as well as total strangers.
YOU DO NOT JUMP UP TO A STRANGER and ask them to pick a card, etc. It's liable to get you knocked on your butt. On the other hand, you can be doing things that draw attention to you and get people to stop and watch. . . I've done the simple old clown gag of trying to pick up an elusive hank (kind of a poorman's dancing silk routine) in order to get a group together before actually starting a demonstration, it's what buskers refer to as "Building a Tip" and quite frankly, I'd rather do that than pounce on the random passer by. . . it's got more class and smells far more professional & artistic. Forget the crap you see on TV in that it is ALL staged for the camera these days and as such it is not accurate to how things really work in the real world. Study videos/tutorials and books about Busking and let that guide you as you take the baby steps towards public exhibition.
Remember, if you can entertain 30 kids or more at school as well as your teachers, you can do the same thing with total strangers.
The issue with an adult is that you think you might be judged harder when in truth, it's your friends and peers that will be more harsh on you than most adults will e.g. if you are already applauded by your peers chances are you'll be find with grown-ups as well as total strangers.
YOU DO NOT JUMP UP TO A STRANGER and ask them to pick a card, etc. It's liable to get you knocked on your butt. On the other hand, you can be doing things that draw attention to you and get people to stop and watch. . . I've done the simple old clown gag of trying to pick up an elusive hank (kind of a poorman's dancing silk routine) in order to get a group together before actually starting a demonstration, it's what buskers refer to as "Building a Tip" and quite frankly, I'd rather do that than pounce on the random passer by. . . it's got more class and smells far more professional & artistic. Forget the crap you see on TV in that it is ALL staged for the camera these days and as such it is not accurate to how things really work in the real world. Study videos/tutorials and books about Busking and let that guide you as you take the baby steps towards public exhibition.
Remember, if you can entertain 30 kids or more at school as well as your teachers, you can do the same thing with total strangers.
You can take the edge off stage-fright with visualisation exercises.
Close your eyes. Get a clear image in your mind of the place where you're going to be approaching people and performing. Pick out as many details as you can so you can make the image in your mind as clear and precise and big and bright and realistic as possible. Now, in your mind, walk up to a group of people and give them a compliment. Then introduce yourself and tell them you're a magician. Now ask if they'd like to see a trick. Now, in your mind, see and hear that group respond enthusiastically to the offer, in exactly the way you would like them to in real life. Now, perform a trick to them. See, hear and feel everything that you would see, hear and feel when you're performing in real life. Take note of the feel of the props in your hand, the timing of your movements, the lines that you're saying. Do everything exactly as you did the time that this trick went the best it ever has. Now see this group react with delight, astonishment and applause. Graciously accept their applause and leave feeling great about yourself and ready to approach another group.
Run through this exercise in your mind a few hundred times (or a few thousand, it's free!), focussing on making the images in your mind more detailed and vivid each time. Then when you come to perform in real life, it's not a problem. You'll have done it hundreds of times already!
Close your eyes. Get a clear image in your mind of the place where you're going to be approaching people and performing. Pick out as many details as you can so you can make the image in your mind as clear and precise and big and bright and realistic as possible. Now, in your mind, walk up to a group of people and give them a compliment. Then introduce yourself and tell them you're a magician. Now ask if they'd like to see a trick. Now, in your mind, see and hear that group respond enthusiastically to the offer, in exactly the way you would like them to in real life. Now, perform a trick to them. See, hear and feel everything that you would see, hear and feel when you're performing in real life. Take note of the feel of the props in your hand, the timing of your movements, the lines that you're saying. Do everything exactly as you did the time that this trick went the best it ever has. Now see this group react with delight, astonishment and applause. Graciously accept their applause and leave feeling great about yourself and ready to approach another group.
Run through this exercise in your mind a few hundred times (or a few thousand, it's free!), focussing on making the images in your mind more detailed and vivid each time. Then when you come to perform in real life, it's not a problem. You'll have done it hundreds of times already!
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TeeDee that is an excellent suggestion. One thing I find really interesting is that the mind doesn't entirely differentiate between a thoroughly imaged situation and reality. You can actually improve your skill by visualizing as TeeDee explained. It's mental practice. You still need physical practice, but doing both will drastically increase your learning speed.
Another thing you can do is visualize yourself a few feet in front of you. Imagine seeing yourself exactly as you want to be. ie: confident, smooth, etc. When you've got the image really solid, physically walk into the same space where you were imagining yourself and mentally merge the image to yourself.
Another thing you can do is visualize yourself a few feet in front of you. Imagine seeing yourself exactly as you want to be. ie: confident, smooth, etc. When you've got the image really solid, physically walk into the same space where you were imagining yourself and mentally merge the image to yourself.
Good call! And if you have trouble seeing yourself as you want to be, for now, you can always imagine someone you would like to emulate (David Blaine, for example) and merge into the image of them, adopting their posture and thus imbuing yourself with the qualities you aspire to in them.
Thanks for the input! The problem for me is that, what if everything doesn't work out the way I visualized? I'm not going to have an enthusiastic audience every single time and they're not going to be impressed every single time. How do I know which people to approach and at what times? How can I know that they would be a "good audience?"
Learn social skills. Learn how to read when people are not busy and seem friendly.
One of the most important things I think a performer of any ilk can learn is that even if it ALL goes wrong, totally wrong, nothing works at all, it really doesn't matter that much. You move on, you try again, you learn from your mistakes.
Think about it from the other way - What WOULD happen if you don't get an excited audience? What WOULD happen (Realistically) if you messed up a trick? Someone's going to think you're not an amazing magician? So? They'll probably forget about it by the time they get home.
First off, this is completely normal so do not discourage yourself because of it. I can't really go into much detail on how to help because everyone above me has done a great job. Truly the only way to get over it is to go out and do it. The more you perform to people, the more comfortable you get in showing a complete stranger. Six years ago, I wasn't going up to random strangers and showing them tricks. I was doing them for my parents, friends, and friends parents. People that I was comfortable with and didn't think would judge me. But trust me, blowing the socks off of a complete stranger and seeing the reactions from them are ten times better than showing them to that one friend that you always perform for. Doing this and performing magic also opens you up as a person as well. Makes you very out going, trust me. At least it did for me. I used to be awkward and shy. Another thing to think about is rejection. This WILL happen to you. Don't let it discourage you. You kind of have to pick out your victim by seeing what they're doing and how they're acting. If someone is jetting down the street (probably trying to get somewhere) they are probably not going to be very interested in seeing what you have to offer. Their loss. Pick people that look like they're "hanging out" or just casually walking around. Groups that are standing and talking, probably have nowhere to be quickly and are good targets.
Just remember that you have to get out there and do it to not be frightened by it. But also remember that this happens to everybody that starts up in magic. It is completely normal.
Have fun with the art, and enjoy.
Blake
I am also 15 and I've been doing magic for much less time than you. Though I have no stage fright (from dozens to local and small professional theatre roles in Boston) and and a very confident person, I still get the shakes when performing magic. One thing that I've found to help is to get people to ask me to show them something. This wont't work just walking down the street but, for example, I was a at a wedding this weekend I didn't really know anyone. I wanted to use this opportunity to perform for people other than school friends and family (not always the best audience) but I was having trouble approaching people. So instead of asking people if they wanted to see something I just took out my cards and started practicing the flashiest card moves I know (not being a flourisher that just means a cards spring, waterfall, riffle shuffle with a bridge, and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJmCvcxr9pI). Within a couple minutes someone had asked if I did card tricks. Although this won't work for street magic it does help to have more experience performing, and on top of that, for strangers.
-Isaac
-Isaac
