The Confidence Flowchart

In 1994, I reached a milestone in my life:  after 2 years of intensive sign language training, I graduated from college as a certified sign language interpreter.  The path to that certification was long and arduous, seeming to be even impossible at times.  But, looking back, I found some parallels that line up well with my personal growth in magic.

I remember meeting with my head instructor and mentor on countless occasions.  He and I would often sit and review skills, address deficiencies, and work together to plan achievement milestones while following my path through the program.  Our ultimate goal was for me to become a successful interpreter.

I understood that either my success or failure was completely within my power;  it was all up to me to decide which I wanted. All I had to do was follow the plan.

I remember a meeting we had at the beginning of my final year.  My mentor had unexpectedly called me into his office so we could discuss a video review of my previous week’s assignment.  I hadn’t done well, and I knew it.  The recording blatantly showed me standing, frozen and stiff, while the speaker pressed on with his  lecture.  My hands would occasionally move, and the video showed that there were random motions that seemed to resemble sign language, but overall it was a complete embarrassment. A failure!

And my mentor MADE me watch it!

When the torture ended, he turned and asked me what the problem was.  Why had I performed so miserably?  My vocabulary knowledge and technical dexterity were good, as was my overall knowledge of the field.  Together we analyzed and dissected it, until we boiled it down to one issue:  when people were watching me, my nerve evaporated.  Alone, in front of a mirror or in a lab, my performances were top shelf:  flawless!  But when I had to perform in a real situation, before real people, I felt scared and inadequate.

I was crushed…..

My mentor reminded me that interpreting happens at the front of the room, or in the focus of the camera. “Always remember the golden rule of performance:  No successful performer does so from the back of the room.”  My problem was a lack of confidence, and I needed to find some if I ever hoped to be successful.

I’ve found the same to be true in magic performing.  Many magicians, especially those just starting out or shifting over into a different venue (from hobbyist to restaurant, or kids shows to busking, etc.) often lack self confidence to perform.  They get stuck.  To help overcome this, I’ve come up with a flowchart of activities designed to build both personal skill and belief.

Since we are starting at the beginning, grab a pad of paper and start making some lists.  Don’t try to follow this flowchart mentally.  Write everything down.  Brainstorm with folks who have experience, and take as many notes as you can.  Categorize and organize right now, and make it a habit for anytime you want to make some changes.

Now that you are ready, let’s take a look….

Planning

Right off the bat, each performer needs to make some decisions:  where to perform, how long will the show be, who’s the audience, and what effects to put in the show.  The answer to each will depend on each performer’s careful consideration, but my rule of thumb is: shorter is better than longer, as long as the performance quality is good.  Write down your decisions.

The overall performance length that I recommend is 5 to 10 minutes, with the ability to quickly (if not instantly) reset each effect.  Depending on the audience’s or “crowd’s” enthusiasm, the length can be adjusted.  But remember to never overstay your welcome: always leave them wanting more….

Selection

My inclination is to start small, say three or four core effects, each aimed at having the impact of close-up work.  Usually, effects like this are completely portable and can be carried by the performer, requiring little to no table space.  Walk-around, restaurant or bar magic, busking/street magic, and even corporate magic are a few examples of where these effects can be put to use, and each effect should incorporate an overall balance of patter, visuality, and audience inclusion/participation.

These shouldn’t be complex: decks of cards, silk vanishes, coins, ropes, packet tricks, as well as various mentalism effects can do wonders for the right venue.  Pick out effects with which you are most comfortable and familiar and jot them down on your pad.  Brainstorm about ways to arrange them all into a cohesive routine.  At what points can you add participation from the crowd?

Don’t forget any extras that your effects may call for, such as sharpee pens or envelopes.

Practice

Now that venue and routine ideas are beginning to take shape, you’ll need to start practicing.  By making a list of all the effects in your routine, you can be confident that each will be completely focused on.

Start by analyzing each effect.  If the trick has multiple phases, practice the first phase until you can perform it satisfactorily, then move on to the next phase and repeat.

Once all the phases are mastered, go back to the beginning of the effect and practice all of the phases in order, start to finish, speaking the patter as if you are performing live. When effect 1 is finally polished, move on to effect 2 and repeat the process.

Finally, when all of the effects are clean, practiced and ready, put them all in order and practice the the entire routine, non-stop, back to back, until it’s perfect.  Make sure to include any scripted patter.

As you practice the routine, write down notes of any patter adjustments, openings or other scripting ideas. Make allowances for times that you can bring the audience in, what things to say, etc.

Work slowly, and stay focused.  Don’t rush!  If you need a mirror, get one.  Using a mirror or video camera while practicing is a great way to watch for exposed angles and to measure your progress with the effect.  Write down specific problems you come up against so you can center in on those to iron them out. 

Resist the temptation to perform the trick for any laymen.  On the flip side, your fellow magicians can be a terrific resource to watch your performance and critique it, giving you advice for improvements. I’ve never known one to turn a fellow magician away.

NOTHING is more crippling to your confidence (and your routine) than under-practicing.  Practice is the door that opens up your self-confidence, and while you may “bungle” an effect occasionally, your confidence is your safety net; it will keep you calm and in-tract.  If you deprive yourself of adequate practice, your “bungle” will bring down the entire routine like a house of cards.  You’ll be humiliated, embarrassed, and your performance confidence will plunge.

Practice is a gift that you give to yourself, your show, your audience, and the entire Magic community.  Please do not skimp on it.

Certitude

At some point, practice has to end.  Each of us has to push away from the table, or up off the couch, and get out of the house.  We have to go perform.  This is probably the hardest thing for each of us to do. But, until you actually DO SOMETHING, you’ll never know how well all that practice has paid off.  With all respect to Nike: JUST DO IT !

Each step prior to this helps inject and build confidence, with each adding onto the one before.  Meticulous planning and detailed organizing, selecting the right effects, practicing relentlessly; all, when compounded one atop the other, give an underlying foundation of calm and peace of mind which makes performing much easier.  The routine is now performed from a solid place within the performer.

Experience

Performance now engages the imagination.  It merges what is understood with what is unknown, allowing the magician to fully relax and enjoy the performance just as much, if not more, than the audience members.  You are freed to finally interact with them, watch their amazement, and listen to every reaction.

This is the “payday” for all of the long hours of work and toil that has been previously invested in the routine.  Will failure happen? Absolutely!!  Will every show be trouble-free?  Of course not!!  But as long as you keep going out, keep doing something, keep performing, even your failures and mistakes will pay dividends.

You will find that, in truth, NOTHING is negative when performing - there is always something in every show that adds to your knowledge and pays you back.  After completing each show, you return home a stronger and wiser magician.

Evaluation

So, that’s it?  You’ve built your routine, your show, into an entertainment powerhouse, and are rightfully feeling pretty darn good about what you’ve accomplished.  And the people love you. So, what now?

Now is the time to step back and take an objective, 30k foot look at the show.  An honest review is exactly what every performer needs to stay fresh and maintain crowd appeal.

Arguably the best way to do that is to perform live in front of a video camera.  This way, the entire scene (crowd, magician, performance) is captured in harsh, unbiased objectivity.

After the show, take a seat with your pad and watch the recording.  Make notes of positives and negatives, successes and failures.  What parts are you proud of?  Made you laugh?  Who were in your crowd?  How was the script and patter?  Clear and intelligible?  Costume?  Table and props? Character?

Is any of it becoming stale?  Could it use a facelift? Video review is the best tool for reviewing and maintaining your magic performances.  Regular recordings can be archived for documentation and posterity.  Honest evaluation solidifies all aspects of the show with intimate knowledge and understanding of how it is put together and plays live to the crowd.

Confidence

Once the entire flowchart has been successful navigated, it becomes second nature.  On a whim, new effects, new routines, new shows can be mastered, assembled, added, and performed.

There is no secret formula.  Remember the golden rule of performance:  No successful performer does so from the back of the room.  Self-confidence abounds because the performer has acquired practical, successful experience with each stage of the process.

Now the Ball’s under YOUR Cup …..

If you find yourself frozen or “stuck” at some point in your magic career, take a look at your confidence level.  It could be that all you need is better organization, or stronger, simpler effects.  Your routine might need some tweaking, or perhaps you are lacking adequate amounts of practice and that’s been holding you back.

It could be that the only thing you are lacking is the motivation to JUST DO SOMETHING!  The powers of both success and failure lie totally with you and in your efforts.  You decide your fate.

Give this flowchart a try.  Dedicate the next 3 to 6 months to covering the entire thing - start to finish.  Then, step out of your comfort zone and dare to be the magician you’ve always wanted to be.

….. and don’t forget to have fun !!

Cheers !!