The more I learn, the more I am impressed by simplicity. Now, when I say simplicity, I should say that I mean streamlined, clever, and uncluttered methods to produce amazing and impactful effects. As a magician slowly diving into mentalism I love that subtlety and presentation are more favored than knuckle busting moves for a "because I can" factor.

Exactly. I don't like when I read or hear : "It´s simple but powerful"
No, it´s its simple AND powerful.

Simple is good, simple is necessary.

Dai Vernon (yes, a magician, but it´s also useful) said that a good effect should be explained in a few words (paraphrasing), and I think that in Mentalism it´s also an applicable guideline.


Best

... As in any sales presentation.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein

It's been just about a year since I wrote the initial post and I'm still learning. The more I learn the more I realize I have to learn. I have been loving mentalism since I transitioned over a year ago. It's funny, people who know me say things like "you already know what I'm thinking" before an effect really begins now. I've really been sticking to streamlining handlings, eliminating all possible explanations as part of patter/routine, and actually scripting effects- this is something I never did with magic due to the visual aspect of many effects. In mentalism, the presentation is key to credibility. I really am grateful to all those on these threads who have helped me over the year- Bob Cassidy, MindPro, John C, and countless others. This community is fantastic.

Yes, this community is awesome. I hope they keep it running for a long time. Since I stopped performing professionally a few years ago I continue coming to the magic Café. Got to keep my creative side running at at least half speed.

KISS

Reminds me of the first time I asked a spectator to look at the serial numbers on his dollar bill and read his mind.

Keep it simple sorceror.

Simple, but hard.

Simple and direct doesn't always mean easy and self-working. As Henry Hay once observed, sometimes the hard way is actually the easy way, and vice versa. Read the chapter "Hard Easy Tricks and Easy Hard Tricks" in his "Amateur Magician's Handbook." Actually, it should be required reading for every magician and mentalist.

I talk about simplicity in my design teaching: if you are interested in the broader context of the concept, John Maeda's book 'The Laws of Simplicity' is a good read: http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/laws-simplicity

I've found a lot of design thinking is applicable to what we do - designing routines, designing effects, designing experiences - and simplicity is a powerful component of that.

Phill

Leo Boudreau point in one of his book that the effect should be kept simple and direct, but, in order to be deceiving, the method shouldn't.

Some effects benefit from a crushingly simple method though. Look at Sneak Thief - Every time I have ever performed that I've marvelled at the elegance of the method.

Phill

I agree with Phill. Sneak Thief may be the most beautifully simple yet devastating effect in mentalism.

It's a balance between method and presentation : some thing can get people wondering and astonished without any presentation (not a very bright idea) or with a weak one, others require a better background/orchestration to be deceptive...

The hoy book test is a good example : the method is direct and beautiful but it needs a good presentation otherwise it's an easily solved puzzle.

I love doing sneak thief, it just makes me smile inwardly every time I do it. Its unbelievable how it just fly's by them every time.

A friend of mine was telling me how he had ended up having to do it completely surrounded once - he put all the emphasis on the responses of the spectators on seeing their drawings and from talking to the group afterwards *everyone* was sold on the effect, there was no "*wink* very clever" from the people in the cheap seats. It is quite the piece.

Phill