Don't listen to IAIN. He has a beard. Apart from Nightmare Alley. And that book by Elliot. And everything.

If it's any consolation, when I got into mentalism I read everything until my eyes bled.

But that taught me how little method matters. Which was a good thing.

Now I think premise first, method second.

Right way around.

Anand,

My advice would be to instead of jumping in and trying to learn as many "effects" and principles as you can, focus more on understanding what Mentalism is, how it should look, the differences between it and Magic or Mental Magic etc. Really think through what it is you are trying to convey as far as what it is you do. It's going to take you awhile to figure certain things out and overcome magician thinking. Most of us had to fight that battle.

There are lots of movies and tv episodes out there dealing with this subject matter. A couple were mentioned above. I would also recommend watching some good old fashioned Twilight Zone. There are some really good episodes dealing with telepathy, clairvoyance etc. Character is everything. Learn to be natural and make it feel real. If your main focus is on the effect, you are doing it wrong. You are going to have to explore a lot of material out there before you get a sense of who you are as a character. Let it evolve naturally.

Gets Bob Cassidy's Artful Mentalism books. Pay particular attention to his Fundamentals. Get his DVD and watch his lectures. Get Richard Osterlinds Mind Mystery dvd's starting with volume 1. Absorb all you can. You have a fun journey ahead of you.

Good luck!

Just watch the pros perform and you'll get the idea.

Read whatever calls your attention, but of course learn the bases first... The Art of Mentalism II is a good start. And please, please... do not learn mentalism with Rich Ferguson's DVD set "This is mentalism"

In a few months (if you are completely new and you are super enthusiastic) you should be ready to start performing.

Methodology aside, don't forget to get one or two books on presentation... Since you already own Weber's book, I'd recommend you to get Nick Kolenda's "Showmanship for mentalists" which has proved to be very good.

You'll find there are a whole lot of branches when it comes to mentalism. You have to make your choice when you're ready.

Welcome to the dark side.

Ever.

I wish to second the importance of establishing character and persona first, before learning effects and methods. If you are really performing, you will soon discover that knowing your character and thus capabilities highly simplifies effect selection and presentation approach. Since you are coming from magic another check, albeit controversial, is to ask yourself 'how do I feel about being perceived as psychic by my audiences?'. This is a frequent consequence of a well-done presentation of mentalism in the real world no matter what you do or say.

It's fashionable to say "read the 13 Steps." And of course this is important. But for someone just starting out there are two books that are key. The first is the "Principals of Mentalism" by Osterlind. The second, as has been suggested already is Cassidy's Fundamentals 2. If modern mentalism has a textbook list, those two should be required reading...not so much because you're to copy what's said...but because the basics of mentalism and the THINKING about mentalism are so perfectly presented. As you read, think of how mentalism and its presentation is completely different from what you are used to with magic.

Once you've digested those try reading "Mentalism Incorporated" by Chuck Hickok. This is a book you read not to copy the effects -- but to learn how a mentalism show is structured. Hickok's thinking on this is unparalleled.

By the time you finish studying these three books, you'll have a good idea of who you are as a mentalist -- or if you're really cut out for this particular performance art or not. You'll know what kinds of effects excite you or interest you...and I suspect you'll find they fall into one or two specific categories. Develop an act from there.

Once you've designed an act -- get out and do it. Perform it everywhere you can find an audience. Treat this portion of your career development like it's "performers university" because you'll learn things you simply can't get out of books because you'll see it first hand. Don't get hung up on anything except getting stage time. Perform for strangers...not family.

Be open to redesigning what you do as you find various things that work or don't work. In all of this you'll find and learn to recognize your "voice" as a performer. Hope this is helpful.

I wish you luck, Anand...and welcome you here.

Yes, be prepared to change your way of thinking, perception and approach to the art. You will also likely experience some unique challenges due to you age. Stay away form performing for family and friends. Always be open to learning. Listen more than you talk so you can absorb and understand things to create the foundation of which everything will be built upon. Best of luck.

As Ed Fowler (aka E. Raymond Carlyle) likes to point out...
If you screw up while performing magic you are looked at as a bit of a failure, if you screw up and miss once in a while performing mentalism you appear more believable.

In the same train of thought, if you screw up and flash while performing a magic trick you are perceived as a bad magician, if you screw up and flash while performing mentalism, you are exposed as a fake...

David -- Thank you for your advice. Performing for strangers is luckily something that comes to me naturally, and I am excited to do so as I progress in mentalism. I am going to purchase Bob Cassidy's Fundamentals, and Principles of Mentalism now as well. I definitely want to know the basics and presentation of this craft before fully diving in.

I appreciate all the great advice, and warm welcomes!

Just checking in here on Thanksgiving eve and I am gratified to see all the heartfelt great advice passed along to our new friend Anand!

This is what the Café is about - and the people here Anand are some of the best minds around. Lots of wisdom here.

I think because of your theater background the persona and character aspects should be easier for you than for someone like myself who had to go to go back to community college classes to learn what blocking and upstage meant.

Being 16 - that may be one of the bigger challenges as a bit of age can be helpful in believability. But you could also take that inherent weakness and spin it as a strength.

Hey Brett!

I agree - the Café has been one of the best resources for me in my development in magic, and now mentalism.

With the theater background - yes, as I have been just starting to perform a few mentalism effects, I have noticed that the persona/character comes pretty naturally.

Being 16 is definitely a challenge, but I agree that there are definitely ways I could spin it positively.

Thanks for popping in!

I tend to believe that your weakness can be played as a strength and become part of your persona and where you get your powers.

You could draw upon the mysticism perhaps of your background and there are many movies which were made with the character of a younger person who possessed mysterious powers.

I agree, Brett!

Also come down to Inner Thoughts below and hang out -

I am a bit saddened that you and many others think that embracing Mentalism must be an "all or nothing" type of shift.

Yes, I know all the arguments about different mind sets, ways of engaging the audience etc. What happened to a person having different interests and passions?

You possibly speak more than one language. Some multilingual people can think in the language they are speaking -- become a different person.

It is possible to be a great musician and a popular actor. Don't allow yourself to be limited by other people's single-minded focus.

Having said that, if you wish to make a living today doing one or the other you should probably have single focus. You can make that choice.

But, please make it for positive reasons and not because of some artificial concept of "can't do both."

Read you own sig-line, and follow. It is the ability to engender awe and wonder in another person that is important, not the label on your business card.

Don't take the bait - Dr. Crow has been dealing with this for some time now.

Each to his or her own perspective.

I'm sure Anand can weigh on his own how much or little "magic" he incorporates into his work.

Hi funsway, thank you for your thoughtful post (I have condensed it for the sake of space).

I don't believe my transition needs to be "all or nothing".

I am still planning on performing magic for children's parties and family gatherings (which I have thoroughly enjoyed).

I will never abandon magic. It has been a passion of mine from a very young age. It's a beautiful, enchanting, entertaining artform. I will never forget the lessons I learned from masters like Pop Haydn, Dai Vernon, Larry Jennings, Darwin Ortiz, and many others.

Magic continues to be the ground on which I stand, and I believe it will remain a sturdy foundation on which I build my mentalism upon.

Because of my heavy background in theater, performing mentalism has also come very naturally.

When I say I want to "transition" from magic to mentalism, I mean that I want to refocus my efforts (practice, performance) to mentalism.

When I witnessed my first mentalism effect in person just recently, I experienced the same feeling of awe, wonder, and joy that I had when I was 5 years old and saw my first card trick.

When I performed my first mentalism effect, it stirred something inside of me that I had never experienced in magic.

That is why I want to (at least for the time being) refocus to mentalism, not because I think it looks good on a business card or because I have to choose one or the other.

I think one of the strengths about having a background in theater is that you can learn different mentalism effects and then make them your own through unique storytelling and scene setting. I've seen great mentalists tell a story for five minutes before even getting to the effect and the audience was completely silent and enthralled. It makes the effect that much stronger.

"I am still planning on performing magic for children's parties and family gatherings (which I have thoroughly enjoyed).[/quote]

...and that's where you'll lose me. Best of luck.

Hi,welcome to the secret place for mentalist!
I perform magic and mentalism for my friends.
Performing magic and mentalism in the same show is not a problem for me,
if the mentalism routine presented is plausible enough,
even I just just perform a magic trick,my audience still perceive the mentalism part as more real and serious stuff.
Besides,study mentalism can transform your magic to a higher level;study magic can transform your mentalism to a higher level too,it's mutual enhancement for both skills.
Some youtuber use mentalism as a simple pickup trick or prank,that is nasty,don't do that!
You are fortunate to having the access to mentalism in your youth.
Mentalism can be very very powerful,use it wisely,use it elegantly,use it for good.
Respect your audience. Don't use mentalism to just take advantage of muggles.
Use mentalism to inspire people,to motivate people,to make them feel good.
Remember...great power comes great responsibility!
May the force be with you.