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Sarah Anne New user England 18 Posts 
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When performing mentalism casually - let’s say with an ID for example - how do you respond to the spectator who later asks “is what you’re doing psychology or sleight of hand”?
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mindmagic Inner circle London 1885 Posts
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"No."
Or try the Piddingtons' line: "You be the judge." Actually, no one has ever said that to me; anyone I perform for knows that I'm a magician - I always make that clear. |
E.E. Inner circle Look mom, I have 1541 Posts
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Hey Sarah,
It all comes down to the image you want to project. Some mentalists stay in character even when they're not on stage. It's crucial to think about character development—what are your skills? How do you present them? These are questions you should answer for yourself, even if you never share them with the audience. This internal understanding is known as a "sub-script." Next, consider the type of experience and message you want to deliver to your audience. Personally, I don't maintain my character off-stage, but I also avoid completely breaking the illusion of magic and mentalism. If someone questions me, I keep things vague, saying something like, "Some things are real, some are just for entertainment!" Lately, I've been leaning towards Max Maven's perspective: "I don't care if they believe what I'm doing is real, as long as they know it's really difficult."
Professional mentalist and digital artist for mystery performers. check out my work at www.facebook.com/EverElizaldeArtStudio
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Djin Regular user 195 Posts
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As an amateur, I deflect or side step the question by answering a different question. In the example you've given I might say "it's just something I've been working on." It's not a lie, it's not a flat out refusal to respond which would be socially awkward, but it doesn't answer the question they asked.
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Philemon Vanderbeck Inner circle Glasgow, Scotland 4854 Posts
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"As a large language model, my answer is, 'What did you think it was when you were watching?'"
;-)
Professor Philemon Vanderbeck
That Creepy Magician "I use my sixth sense to create the illusion of possessing the other five." |
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Sarah Anne New user England 18 Posts
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Thank you all. This is helpful. I like the suggestion of turning the question back on the spectator.
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Shrubsole Inner circle Kent, England 2459 Posts
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The thing is that people have belief systems of how the world is. (And we are not talking about religion here.) So, a person will think wherever they want and someone saying "Yes, I am real and do real magic/mentalism" or "No it's just a trick" that won't change what the person thinks. They want you to confirm what they already think it is. If you do, then they are happy if you don't then they will come to the conclusion that you are lying.
So good advice above by claiming nothing and asking what they thought it was, you engage them in conversation but leave them thinking whatever they did in the first place. If they are just a "I wanna know right now, so I can do it for my friends and look good without putting any work or study in" type then they will get nothing from you. If, however, they are genuinely interested in our craft and want to progress, they will do the research and put the work in. When I started in magic many many decades ago, I could never understand the thinking behind people who think that a magician/mentalist is just going to expose everything on demand to them when they demand it. Sadly they do exist.
Winner of the Dumbringer Award for total incompetence. (All years)
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mindhunter.jpg "View Profile"){kind=tracking} Inner circle Upstate NY 2319 Posts
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Quote:
On Aug 3, 2024, Philemon Vanderbeck wrote: Excellent...it gets THEM thinking, and whatever they come up with may only deepen the aura about what it was you actually DID...and in their re-telling may "legendize" you...i.e. that simple center tear may morph into "he just had me THINK OF xyz, etc.!!") Ive passed it off casually, when questioned, which is rare, as "hmm...I dunno...these things just seem to happen around me...." (Which is technically true....lol!) Bryn
Bryn D. Reynolds, Author of:
"The Safwan Papers" & "The LOGAR Scrolls" Mentalism ebooks - PM any interest. My artwork: https://darkmountainarts.com |
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Sarah Anne New user England 18 Posts
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Quote:
On Aug 11, 2024, mindhunter wrote: Yes! It is surprising how many times I've heard a very different re-telling from what actually happened, often along the lines of 'I just THOUGHT of it', totally forgetting a deck of cards, billet, etc. was ever involved! |
Axel Elite user Berlin 474 Posts
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Asi Wind talked on the Huberman-Lab-Podcast some time ago.
And Huberman asks him to explain something that he (remembered) seeing Asi or another mentalist do at some point in time. Something we all know. I think the way Asi replies is an interesting example for how someone could avoid answering a question like that, without telling someone, "I am not going to tell you!". A caveat I think there is: for people that are schooled in communication, this kind of evasion might become annoying, as soon as they hear someone doing it. In the end Asi does answer the question. I imagine that he realised he couldn't leave Huberman like that. But if you're doing it light hearted and not too serious, I think in most situations, this works and gives you a chance, not to answer a question without "rejecting" the questioner. In the end it's similar to Philemon's question. And then complimenting them on their answer. The segment starts at 00:15:28. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RXtXnS......ba6a498d |
John C Eternal Order I THINK therefore I wrote 13252 Posts
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Quote:
On Aug 2, 2024, Sarah Anne wrote: Years of learning about and understanding people. “I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.” |
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mindhunter Inner circle Upstate NY 2319 Posts
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Quote:
On Aug 15, 2024, Axel wrote: I watched that, Axel.... Really done well! Thanks for the link. Bryn
Bryn D. Reynolds, Author of:
"The Safwan Papers" & "The LOGAR Scrolls" Mentalism ebooks - PM any interest. My artwork: https://darkmountainarts.com |
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dvno Special user Hamburg 582 Posts
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It’s not sleight of hand, it’s sleight of mind
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mindhunter Inner circle Upstate NY 2319 Posts
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Quote:
On Sep 4, 2024, dvno wrote: Very succinct answer, dnvo......and kinda TRUE! Bryn
Bryn D. Reynolds, Author of:
"The Safwan Papers" & "The LOGAR Scrolls" Mentalism ebooks - PM any interest. My artwork: https://darkmountainarts.com |
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countrymaven Inner circle 1703 Posts
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You could tell them the truth: you can't figure it out because of your own slight of mind.
They will assume, you said "sleight" of mind and won't be offended. hehe |
JanForster Inner circle Germany ... when not traveling... 4366 Posts
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Quote:
On Jan 26, 2026, countrymaven wrote: 
Jan Forster
www.janforster.com |
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Daniel Cuartas New user 36 Posts
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Hi Sarah! First of all, what are your intentions? Do you want to be seen as highly skilled, or perhaps as someone "supernatural"? Your answer to: is it sleight of hands, slight of mind, NLP, micro expressions, science spirits, etc, should align with your persona.
?You have to truly believe in what you do. When people ask questions like that, I sometimes squint and ask, "What do you mean?" I act like the question makes no sense because, to your character, there is no other explanation for what you do.
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++Daniel Cuartas++ |
| The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Penny for your thoughts » » Psychology or sleight of hand? (6 Likes) | |
Posted: Aug 2, 2024 05:28 am 
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