Nowadays we call it Street Magic.  Street magic is really close up magic, but it’s been made so popular by magicians such as David Blaine who literally performs his magic “on the street”, that close-up magic has taken on this new name.  So what is close-up magic, and why is it so popular?

Close-up magic is any magic trick that you can do right in front of someone.  No further away than a yard.  And usually much closer than that, like right in someone’s face.  And the reason it’s so popular is that because of the spectator being right on top of the trick, and most of the time they are even involved in the trick, or at least an item that belongs to them, the magic appears miraculous!

On a big stage, there is a part of us that could believe that a magic trick is because of a “special effect”.  But in close-up magic, there is no explanation, no special effect, no assistant, no fancy props or gimmicks.  It’s just you and the coin, or you and the card, etc.  A good close-up magician can really perform the impossible.  And in the intimate setting, or one-on-one setting, the spectator feels special.  Like the trick is being done just for them.  No wonder why it’s so popular.

All magicians who are starting out can do themselves a service to start mastering close-up before anything else.  This requires the magician to get very good at all the skills necessary to being a successful magician; misdirection, sleight of hand, creative patter, generating rapport, and using everyday props to make the magic happen.

And who knows, you may fall so in love with close-up magic that you decide to make a career out of it.  Many magicians have.  Why not you?

It’s a love hate relationship….coin and money magic.  Some magicians love it.  They are addicted to it. They can perform it anytime, anywhere.  Other magicians hate it.  They think it’s boring or uncreative.  Perhaps that is simply because they have seen some poorly executed tricks.

If you fall into the latter category, you may want to rethink this.  Coins magic is wildly successful and here are some reasons why you should be implementing it into your routines.

1. Coin magic has a psychological affect on an audience.  Maybe it’s people attachment to or love of money that has them be so crazy about those tricks.  Or maybe it’s the anxiety they feel when their money disappears and the relief they feel when it reappears.  This creates engagement! Who knows why, but people love it.  So if you have no other reason, do it for that.
2. Most of us will never know what it feels like to perform on the big stage, so at our level coins are really easy to carry around and bring out on the street, in a bar or restaurant, wherever!
3. Borrowing someone’s money to do a magic trick with will automatically capture their attention.
4. Card tricks really don’t seem “impromptu”, no matter how good the magician is.  I mean, who carries around a deck of cards in their coat pocket.  But everyone has a coin on them.  It makes the magic appear to be completely spontaneous, leading to the wow factor.
5. Learning coin magic is the absolute best way to work on sleight of hand.  All the different sizes of the coins, and different weights, contribute to the dexterity that is needed to properly execute millions of magic tricks.
6. The mechanics of coin tricks are so simple that it can have you really honing your misdirection skills.
7. And finally, coin tricks can be done for all ages, and in all venues.

If you have been a performer of any type, then you are probably familiar with the word “routine”.  A dancer is said to perform a routine…a gymnast has a routine.  But did you know that magicians also should have a routine?

What is a routine? Well, if you think that all a magician does is string together a bunch of his or her tricks to make a show, then it wouldn’t be very interesting.  HOW the tricks are strung together makes all the difference, and this putting together of the right tricks at the right time, with the right theme and patter is what makes a routine.  A strong routine is what will get you paid to perform, not how talented you are.  There are tons of talented people out there.  The ones who know how to best utilize their talent are the most successful ones.

What makes a good routine?  The best way is to tell your audience a story.  Not like a bedtime story, but take them on a journey throughout your show.  There should be a plot, a reason to go from one trick to another.  This creates a connectedness to you and your routine.  Your audience will go on the journey with you, just like with a good movie.  If you don’t have a theme, create one, and fit all of your tricks into this theme.  You’ll be amazed how fun it is.

How you do this is quite simple.  Every good writer knows that a great story has three things; a gripping, attention grabbing opener, a solid middle section, and finally a climactic ended that pulls everything together.  Applying these same principles to your magic show will make all the difference.  People will remember a theme or routine much more than individual tricks.

People just starting out in magic usually wonder how to jump start their magic career or hobby.  People are always asking, “where do I start?” and the answer may be simpler than you think.  Often these eager talents just want to go to a magic store and purchase a ton of gimmicks and get started.  This is not the best approach. Until you know what to do with all of those expensive tricks, they will never work for you.

I believe in working backwards from this type of thinking.  Actually developing some skills first will give you the best start.  And believe me, you’ll be so glad you did.

A good magician is able to perform magic anywhere, at anytime, with anything.  This can only happen with some vital skills that can be developed without spending much money at all.  Misdirection, slight of hand, and a little mentalism should be all you need to learn to get a great start.

First off, let me say that there are tons of videos, and books on how to perform all this stuff.  Go to the library, get on the internet, wherever you can to get some great coaching on these basics.  It’s out there so don’t feel that there is no one out there who will teach you.  Start researching and you’ll find all the coaching you need. Start practicing with a plain deck of cards and some coins.  That way, you’ll be able to borrow a coin or an object from anyone and be able to do a magic trick.

Once you are good at some basic skills, start to build up your skills of patter, performance and building rapport.  These are critical skills. In fact these are useful skills in whatever business you are in, but especially effective in magic.

It all comes down to you and your diligence to learn the fundamentals.  Practice makes perfect of course, so whatever you learn, make sure you practice it over and over again so that it becomes second nature.

Just like everything else, magic has evolved over the years.  Spectators no longer want to see bunnies out of hats and the like.  People really want to be awed and in this day and age it takes a lot to awe people.  That is why mentalism has had such a comeback recently.  Its power really grabs people at a depth that some other classic magic doesn’t anymore.

One thing to understand about mentalism is that it has nothing to do with being psychic.  Any magician that claims as such is lying. In fact mentalism simply requires practicing skills just like with coin magic, or card magic.  So what are the skills?  Following are some psychological techniques that are required to make mentalism successful.

1) Read Body Language- people’s inner most thoughts are not just expressed in what they say.  As a matter of fact someone can be saying one thing, but subconsciously saying another.  The truth is always in the subconscious communication.  This communication comes out in someone’s body language.  How they stand, shift, move, eye movements, facial expressions are all indications of what’s really going on for a person.  A good mentalist must study this and be good at readying the signs.

2) Power of Suggestion- Mentalism really came into popularity in the 40s when there were great advances in psychology.  One of the practices that became often used during this time was hypnotism.  Hypnotism is really another way of creating relaxation and rapport.  This same idea can be applied to mentalism.  When someone is relaxed with the magician, there is a rapport that gets created.  When that rapport is there, the spectator is a lot more likely to reveal information that they never would before.  And they become much more compliant, possibly due to a desire to not disappoint the magician, or peer pressure, or to not spoil the trick.  So really it has nothing to do with being in an altered state as much as creating a bond between magician and spectator.  Creating rapport is one of the single most important aspects of being a good performer and mentalist.

3) The Power of Perception- now if it’s starting to feel that you need a degree in psychologically to be successful at mentalism, never fear.  Just by practicing some useful skills you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.  Getting good at perception is also an important trait.  Knowing how the human brain makes decisions, recalls things, reads, and categorizes information is extremely important in misdirection and also in mentalism.  It doesn’t stand alone, but is extremely useful in making your mentalism appear more convincing.

Are you a public speaker and interested in incorporating magic tricks into your speech?  Well, this is a great idea, as long as it’s done right.  Magic has the ability to grasp the attention of the audience and keep them captivated for a length of time.  This is something that is imperative if you want to be successful at public speaking.

If you are thinking about incorporating some tricks, the most important rule of thumb is to use magic tricks that are applicable to what you are talking about.  Don’t just throw in some tricks here and there that really have nothing o do with what you’re saying.  This will seem odd and out of context.  Instead, really do some research and thinking about what would be really appropriate, and use the magic tricks as a complement to what you are already speaking on.  The magic shouldn’t take the place of the content of your speech, instead it should accompany your speech and bring attention to the points that you most want to make.

The best place to put the magic trick or routine into a speech is right in the beginning.  So you capture their attention right away, and then go on to talk about your point.  Putting tricks in the middle of the speech can be awkward.  People won’t be expecting it so it can seem to come from out of left field.

One of the greatest reasons to incorporate magic into your speech is that magic tends to evoke an emotional response.  This is what speakers strive for.  An emotional reaction to something will automatically make it memorable.  Magic is a great way to create this type of moment, making your content or products that you are emphasizing really stand out and become memorable.

Business speakers can really score big when utilizing magic.  Make sure to not go overboard…they wanted a speaker, not a magician.  But utilizing magic can make you stand out above the crowd.  A trick like producing a business card with that person’s name on it really packs a big punch and will have people talking about you for a long time.

The word “teleportation” was actually invented by a man named Charles Fort.  He came up with that name to describe an object being transported from one location to another, or a person from one location to another…instantaneously!  Now we all that this is not really possible, but in the realm of magic…isn’t everything possible?

In a teleportation effect, a magician moves and object or person to another location by seemingly unnatural and invisible means.  Therefore these tricks can be described as an extension of a Vanish trick, or a Production trick.  Really a teleportation trick is a combination of the two, but with the added effect of the object or person turning up again in an entirely different location.

Some popular teleportation tricks include the magician or the assistant being cloaked in a cloth, and then turning up again at the back of the theatre instantaneously.  Or a coin moving from one hand to another, without the hands coming together.  Or a card being placed in a sealed envelope but when the envelope is opened again, the card has disappeared and ended up in the pocket of a spectator.

Taking this a step further, there is also the “transposition” effect.  Which is 2 objects changing places.  This of course is 2 teleportation tricks in 1.

All of these tricks really pack a punch and can wow an audience beyond words.  They have no idea how they are done.  And learning a few of these effects and incorporating them into your routine will really lift the quality of your show to a whole new level.

Just the thought of it is magical…. New Years Eve.  It’s the night were we say goodbye to the old and hello to the new.  It’s the reset button on our lives.  No matter how upsetting the previous year may have been, it’s almost like in that one night we get a fresh start.  We set new goals, we have new desires, and even though we will grow a year older in how ever many months, we almost feel younger; sort of newer in that first new day of the year.

New Years Eve is a GREAT night for magicians!  If you haven’t been booked for a show of your own yet, why not take this evening and go see one of the greats?  They all have shows somewhere on that evening.  You may have to do a bit of searching, but chances are there is a magic show in your town, or near you town on that night.  If you don’t have a show, why not call a restaurant and get booked to perform table-side?  It’s a great chance to practice your close-up magic, gain some recognition, and possibly get booked for a show from someone who sees you and loves you.

There are tons of people out on NYE, so get out there and get some exposure.  Restaurants will be packed that evening, so you’ll have no down time if you chose to go this route.  Heck, you’ll even make some money.  The restaurant may pay you, as well as the tips you’ll receive.  Of course, if you are already booked for a show, then way to go!  Have a blast!

Lastly, you can always conjure up your own show on that night.  Create a classy dinner party with invited friends and family, and actually perform a show for them.  They will never forget it.  If kids are your thing, then invite all the kids in the neighborhood for a special NYE kids show.  Your neighbors will love you and it’s a great opportunity to get some referrals.

Seek out the opportunities!  That’s what successful people do.  They don’t sit around and wait for something to happen, they make something happen.  With this kind of energy you will be amazed at what doors open up for you.

The majority of magicians work alone.  Sure, you may have an assistant or a few animals in your show, but in reality it’s a one-man deal.  And practicing your magic, for the most part you can probably relate to the majority of that time being spent alone.  With all of that being said it can be easy to slip into the habit of “going it alone” with everything having to do with your success as a magician.  And sure, when it comes down to it, the person you have to answer to is YOU.  You have to make sure you practice, gets bookings, perform a great show, and do any necessary marketing and advertising.  But there is an interesting concept that you may want to try on, that when utilized can boost your success exponentially.  It’s a little scientific, but hang in there.

A Mastermind group is a group of like minded individuals who come together to fulfill on the purposes of each member, and the purpose of the group.  Successful business people utilize the power of a mastermind group to help them achieve their goals and objectives.  Why? If you believe in the Law of Attraction which states that whatever you think about, you bring about, then how about the power of a group of people focusing in on your objectives, and visualizing you achieving those objective…how powerful is that?

Now how does this relate to your magic business?  Well, if you were to utilize a mastermind group to have a group of other magicians (or it could be entrepreneurs of any type) to practice new material on, to brainstorm with, to hold you accountable to what you say you are going to do each week, and most importantly to hold your intentions in the forefront of their minds, what do you think this might create?

Try it out!  Don’t be all alone out there trying to become a success.  Utilize the power of a group and you might experience being carried along to your dreams in a faster and more efficient way than you have ever imagined.

Have you ever seen a magic trick and immediately wanted to go home and figure out how to do it yourself?  Of course you have if you are in the field of magic in any way.  Remembering that magic is about creating illusions, everything is learnable.  Even the most amazing, far-fetched, incredible tricks are possible if you are willing to put in the time and effort.

Take the classic box trick for example.  This is the one where a person get’s in it, whether it’s the magician or the assistant, and magically disappears!  It’s all illusion and pretty simple to create.  Here’s how:

Keep in mind that the box trick is just like any other magic trick.  It’s about creating an illusion in order to amaze and bewilder your audience. The secret to the trick is based on the box itself.  So once you create the correct “gimmicked” box, you’ll be set.  Keep in mind that the box should be made in such a way that the person “disappearing” into it will be able to fit behind it without giving away how the trick is done to the audience.

-The box you choose should be large enough for the person to fit in it, and be able to move around a bit as to be able to get out of it.  It can be cardboard, or a sturdier material.

-Cut out the box’s base, making sure to leave a ledge on 3 sides of the box.

-Take another part of the cardboard to use as a false bottom.  Tape it to one edge of the bottom of the box.

The idea is that the bottom now creates a door that the person inside it can slip out of.  The magician then opens the box and tips it forward to reveal to the audience an empty box.  Meanwhile the one disappearing is simply behind the box, pulling the false door closed as the magician tips the box.