Obviously you must perform for the entire group, making eye contact and warmly extending yourself to each of them in turn. But, to start, you have to choose one person in particular to participate in the performance. It will fall to this person to “pick a card,” or  “take a look at this string,” or “lend me a $100 bill please.” The choice of who you will initially “play to” is very important; it often makes the difference between a “so-so”, show and an “o my god I don’t believe it what’s your phone number” show.

Before you can decide who you want to perform to, you have to ask yourself, “What characteristics do I want a spectator-assistant to have?” Some performers work best with quiet business types, some with psychotic drunks. I like to work with and intimately interact with someone who is respectful, uninhibited, and attractive, in that order. It’s nice for people to watch you interact with someone who is attractive; but it’s much more important that the person is going to, first, extend to me the same respect and consideration I extend to them; and second, that the person is feeling good and is willing to have some fun. These people are a joy to work with, and they participate in creating an exciting, dynamic performance.

If you keep your eyes open, you’ll often find that these people don’t wait for you to find them, but actually “reach out” to you during your introduction. They’re easy to spot, if you look for them. They meet your eyes with a warm, curious, and confident look; they don’t quickly hide their hands below the table as soon as they realize that a close-up performance sometimes involves a spectator holding onto something; they will rarely speak to you first, but once you talk to them they freely open up.

These people are most often women. That women usually make better assistants is a simple fact, and not sexism, for the following two reasons, one small and one big. The small reason is that because you are probably a male performer and, I hope, relatively charming, it follows that there is often going to be a special kind of chemistry between yourself and a member of the opposite sex, especially with the heightened emotional situation of a performance. The big reason is that given the values and customs of our culture, women tend to not only have better communication skills than men, but are also more emotionally expressive than men, if only because men, in general, have this ridiculous notion that being sensitive and emotional is not masculine.

Even when you have learned how to best pick an assistant, there will be times when an assistant will be an exceptional part of – or perhaps steal – the show, and times when they bring your show down a bit. How to acquire the most control possible over which case it will be is another important topic; the start is picking the right people. Once you have chosen an assistant, you should work throughout your performance on creating a special relationship with this person.

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In this month’s article we are going to take a close look at what causes stage fright and some strategies to overcome these fears. More importantly we will provide you (the magician) with some concrete methods of overcoming your fears of external judgment. Though in February 2008, I touched on overcoming the jitters, this month I really want to take a deep look into the psychology behind stage fright.

I can remember clearly the first time I was asked to speak in front of an audience. It was one of the most frightening experiences in my life, however, in retrospect it became one of the most life-changing. I was working for the Department of Workforce Services and the Federal Government asked the Quality Analyst Department of Utah to develop and present training for the State of Utah Public Assistance Administration Conference.

Well my Supervisor assigned me to the task. It was interesting to watch the faces of all the other Quality Control Analyst before our Supervisor announced the nominee. Some exclaimed openly that they did not want to do it, while others planned vacations or played sick. Some went so far as to elaborately avoid our supervisor’s radar until a nominee was selected.

The fears expressed in my co-workers faces were sincere and very real. I found myself tied up in knots with the thought of being selected. The moment arrived, and the anticipation gripped the air. No one spoke a word. When my supervisor read my name the feeling could only be described as the feeling a Death-row inmate would experience before being carted off to the electric chair.

The day came: Judgment Day. I felt sick, and I remember not being able to sit down. There were hundreds of people present and every scan of the room produced more anxiety. I felt like I wanted to run out of the conference room and hide. I even had brief thoughts of planning a brilliant scheme of playing sick. But once the certain opened there was no turning back. In the beginning stages of my presentation I noticed that the more I engaged with the audience, the better I felt.

I guess by doing so I felt like I had a connection, giving me the perception that it was a one on one conversation rather than a presentation to an audience. Once I got through the body and closer to my conclusion I started feeling energized and alive.

After concluding my presentation, the audience cheered and applauded. People were coming up to me after the presentation giving me compliments and words of encouragement. I noticed that none of the earlier fears that I was experiencing were present anymore. In fact I felt alive, and the euphoria was overwhelming. So what happened? What caused me to experience so much fear? The audience was not a pack of wolves ready to rip my flesh off of my body, but I truly felt that I was facing a clear and present danger.

Though this life experience shared ended well, I had many more that did not. I learned that even the seemingly negative experiences are opportunities for learning. The main idea is how can we reframe these fears into opportunities for success? Before we discuss how we reframe fear, we need to know what fear is.

I would like to first define fear and why it is programmed into our biology. There have been many books written on the subject of fear and many of them focus on how fear can keep us alive. These books also address how fear can stagnate our progress and even stop functionality. So what is fear and how can we truly develop a working relationship with it? Regardless of your believe systems, I think we all can agree that there was a time when men and women were pitted against the environment directly for survival.

There were real and direct dangers that presented life threatening obstructions to our survival. Either it was being prey to predatory animals that co-existed with mankind, or other tribes (groups) fighting for territory and food access. The dangers were real and looming. Fear is a defense mechanism that heightens our senses, provides us with supernatural strength, and can give us a sixth sense to help us avoid danger. But what is not common knowledge is that fear and anger are two sides to the same coin.

As we discussed in last month’s article that we have a fight or flight mechanism that is activated when we feel threatened. The interesting aspect about this mechanism is that it can save your life if you are presented with a direct and real danger, however, what happens when that danger is indirect and perception-based?

Indirect and perception-based fears can seem very real and can paralyze an individual. If you study panic and anxiety disorders you will discover that the fight/flight mechanism kicks into overdrive. These episodes are triggered by conscious or subconscious fear-based beliefs regarding a situation or circumstance. These panics can caus accelerated heart rates, shortness of breath, and even can give the individual a sense that he/she is dying. It fascinating to realize how psychologically based beliefs can affect our physiology.

As magicians we all can recall our first experiences performing in front of an audience. Some of you out there probably experienced butterflies, feelings of nervousness, or in some cases some overwhelming feelings of panic. We have to keep in mind that perception based fears are limited to the mind’s eye.

As I stated I truly felt threatened by the audience, and in that moment I felt like I was facing a dangerous situation. Due to my perception of speaking to an audience, I created illusions of fear that caused my fight/flight mechanism to kick in. Fortunately I discovered that by reframing the situation, from focusing on speaking to a large audience to having a one-on-one conservation with human beings, helped calm my reactions allowing me to become responsive.

The center of stage fright lays our defense of ego. Understand that the ego contains our self concepts (our views about ourselves). To stand in front of an audience is to truly leave you vulnerable to judgment. This fear of judgment can feel very real and can cause you to go into a reactive state. So how can we control these perception based fears? The answer is reframing.

Reframing is the process of taking a perception, belief system, and/or memory and alternating it consciously, thus turning the experience from negative to positive. Understand that optimal performances are executed under a state of relaxation. To all of you beginning magicians please take this to heart because only when you have mastery over your perception based fears will you obtain a higher level of performance.

Before the performance, use the visualization techniques taught in the third step in my article “overcoming the Jitters.” Visualization is a great way to reframe your past, present, and future experiences. A great reframing technique is to focus on a positive aspect of a situation; for example when I reframed my presentation from a large group to a one-on-one conversation. This alleviated much of the anxiety that I was experiencing earlier because I focused on one audience member at a time, and once my nerves calmed I was able to focus on the whole audience. Remember it usually is the first handful of performances that are the most nerve-racking. Through time and practice, we all start to feel easier about the performance and overall develop a love for the stage. Reframe you perception-based fears into opportunities of growth and rejuvenation.

Here is an analogy that will illustrate how perception based fears are transformed into exhilarating experiences through allowing yourself to embrace the fear and take action. Most of us can remember our first roller coaster ride. Waiting in line we find ourselves getting restless and anxiety saturated with anticipation. As you hear the thunderous roar of the passing coasters you start to feel the butterflies swarm within your stomach.

The line moves forward, and every step you take causes more tension. Your mind is at war. One side is urging you to push forward while the other demands a retreat. With the opening of the gates your throat dries and hands perspire. As you get into your seat, you have one last thought of jumping off and running for your life. Too late, the bars go down securing you to the seat. As the coaster climbs up the hills, each clack of the pulling chain pounds in your ears. The moment has come, the descent. The roar of the coaster muffles your screams, and with every twist and turn your senses heighten. As fast as it started the coaster comes to a stop. Then, paradoxically, the very next thought that enters your mind is: “let’s do it again.”

Remember every perception-based fearful moment presents an opportunity for growth. Embrace it and know that the end of it provides life, not death. Reframe your judgment days and remember your first rollercoaster ride. Enjoy these moments because they are truly the thrills of life.

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So the question remains: why are some individuals willing to let go and enjoy the foreign experience that magic delivers, while some seemingly cannot drop their defense mechanisms long enough to be blanketed by the magical experience?

In this month’s article I am going to dive in deep into the human psyche to answer these important questions and provide you (the magician) with a deeper understanding of what is psychologically going on in the minds of these difficult spectators.

So there I was in Las Vegas enjoying the company of good friends and like most social gatherings once people know that you are a magician, the requests start pouring in.

So the cards break out and I start my routine. In the midst of my magic performance, which by this time was going very well, I noticed that there was one spectator who was separate from the crowd. His defiant expression spoke volumes of his discontent with what he was witnessing.

That is when the challenges began. It came in the middle of my performance of The Coolest Ace Trick in the World. The man exclaimed in a booming voice “I know what you are doing!” Understanding where he was going with this I calmingly replied “well then, from one magician to another I believe you can appreciate the craftsmanship of a well practiced routine.”

My reply was calculated to determine if this gentleman was an ego-based spectator or a control-based spectator. Generally ego-based spectators love to be the center of attention and of course the magic I was performing that night became the focus of this gathering.

Through my past experiences and my understanding of psychology I understood that the best way to deflate conflict with an aggressive ego-based spectator is to throw them an “Ego Bone.” In this case by saying “from one magician to another” I placed this man equally to me, which in most ego battles removes the motive for conflict. But unfortunately he did not stop there.

This is where it got interesting. The man continued to challenge every move, every gesture, and continue to proclaim he knew every sleight I performed. I stood there witnessing the once contagious enthusiasm of the audience suffocated by this spectator’s relentless exclaims of discredit.

I found myself feeling uneasy and wondering what could have provoked such aggression. It was not like I was selling carrot juice a cure for cancer. I was entertaining them with no other intention except for wanting to amaze and provide an experience that some of the audience members have never witnessed firsthand.

But the seemingly negative experience suddenly starting to be a lesson I will never forget. It became clear to me what was going on inside the mind of this difficult spectator. That clarity started to emerge when he exclaimed “You can’t fool me!” I replied “my intention is not to fool you, but simply entertain.”

He snapped back “There is no such thing as real magic. It is all sleight of hand and gimmicks.” This is where I started to lose my cool, which is rare for me. But for some reason I was stunned by his sure disregard for my craft. I sarcastically shot back, “Well I never claimed that I knew any witchcraft, sorcery, or voodoo for that matter, however, if you continue with this I will have to pull a monkey from your butt.” In retrospect that was not the best thing to say. This obviously escalated the conflict.

At this point I drew a line to a battle I never intended to wage. Some words were exchanged and in his last effort to make a point he struck the cards I was holding, scattering all over the floor and stomped away. In a professional setting my response may have been considered inappropriate, which I would agree because in my perspective I lost my mind control.

Think about it; which one of us was in control is this situation, was it the man or was I in control? Obviously the man was in control because I adopted his combative mentality, and in the end the magic was ruined and he got the last non-verbal statement. I believe that the most important lessons in life present themselves in failure. So what can we learn from this experience?

The type of spectator this man was is what I would define as control-based. Control-based spectators do not like the thought of not knowing, which in turn gives them a sense of control loss. Understand that people in general react either cautiously or aggressively to threatening situations.

Unknowns can be very threatening to some people, and their reactions can derive from the fight or flight mechanism. Though this man was aggressive taking on more of the fight reaction, some will simply act uninterested and walk away taking on the flight reaction.

I believe that mankind’s last true liberty is our thoughts: our minds. Mind control has fascinated and terrified Sci-Fi readers throughout the ages. Why? The thought of losing your thoughts can be an uneasy thought, what?!? In this example the conflict was founded on the fact that the man perceived that he was not in control.

His sense of control derived from what he knew and understood. The magic effects presented an illusion that could not easily be explained through his current knowledge base. So how did he react to this? He reacted by simply challenging and aggressively attempting to deduce my sleights and debunking my magic. I threatened this man with my illusions because he perceived my performance as a battle for mind control.

In retrospect the man was correct, because though I initially did not intend to engage in this battle in the end I found myself unintentionally fighting for control with this gentleman. Child Psychology has taught me that the confrontation that transpired between the man and me can be compared to conflicts we see between parents and children.

Think about this for a moment; we have all witnessed a parent being dragged helplessly by the will of their children, but there are cases in contrast where the parents rule with an iron fist. Both cases end in power struggles that inevitably result in emotional strain and relational division.

Power struggles for control never end in a win/win situation. On the contrary they end in unnecessary conflict, and if analyzed carefully they never achieve the objectives the parties originally set out for. In the example with the confrontational man, I never had dealt with a control-based spectator which put me on the defensive and ultimately caused me to react in a way that contradicted my professionalism. Though the solution came to me in retrospect, the lesson will stay with me for the rest of my life. The answer is that you need to give up a little control to gain control.

There are some cases where, in my professional opinion, that the best thing to do is to walk away, however, the understanding of what these difficult spectators are going through psychologically can give you an empathic perspective that will allow you to deal with these situations calmly and compassionately.

Remember there are no mind control battles that exist outside of your mind because the true enemy is found within. As a magician you must keep in mind that you have no control over your external circumstances, for example how people are going to react.

However, you do have control over your internal responses, how you consciously choose to handle the situation. Professionalism is measured by our ability to remain responsive rather than reactive. Once you adopt a reactive mentality you have lost control, giving the control to your external circumstances.

I know that there were times I wanted to master the deadly art of ninja card throwing, so that I could neutralize a difficult spectator by burying a card into the wall next to his head sending an unsettling message. If you had similar fantasies refrain from carrying this out to fruition because all you will achieve is magically turning yourself into an ass.

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Here’s the idea, you take one word from Column A, one word from Column B and throw them at a word from Column C. This is an exercise designed to help spawn new creative en devours.

These of course need to have some way to bridge with one another. For example, assume you have chosen paperclips, in a flash of fire and spectator assisted.

“Let’s see, spectator assisted. Flash of fire. I know for a fact I don’t want someone burning themselves, so I’ll handle the fire. Paperclips. Hmm, they have those memory metals that can be burnt into different shapes. Maybe force the shape and pull out a piece of metal in the shape of a paperclip.

Better yet, what if I dump a box of paperclips out, have someone chose one, then switch it for the memory metal. I wonder if I could wrap the metal in flash paper and have it change its shape? Now the force. I don’t want the handling to seem to contrived, so what about a few business cards set up so that half of them are the force symbol for the metal, the other half are random.

I could even use a papeclip to hold the business cards and apparently use the same paperclip to make the change. After a shuttle pass, I could place the actual paperclip in my pocket with the business cards as I remove a piece of flash paper.”

So using this concept, thus is born Phoenix, this month’s free trick.

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Having been a public speaker on a professional level I understand the importance of evaluating yourself from an outside perspective. Our self concept is developed through our personal experience of how the outside world reacts with us as individuals. More important these beliefs regarding who we are can be carried throughout our adult lives. The problem comes when our internal interpretation of who we are is not conducive to reality. Many disorders have been linked to this phenomenon such as anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder (BBD). But these examples are on the extreme spectrum of self concept distortion; we need to explore how common inabilities of evaluating ourselves from external perspective can affect our ability to improve our presentation.

So how does the self concept affect our ability to perform? To answer this question we need to first explain the differences between an amateur and master performer. Amateurs through their inexperience make the mistake of thinking that the end product (magic technique) is all they need to create a successful performance. This could not be further from the truth. I have discussed the topic of delivery in past articles; however, I want to take a closer and more in-depth look at the subject.

If you find yourself practicing your technique for hours at a time in the mirror and have no aspirations of performing for an audience then you may think that this article may not apply to you. Think again. Because technique alone does not produce powerful magic, it is the convincing performance of the magician that does. It is your language both verbal and non-verbal that sells the technique to your audience. And if we depend on our self concepts to gauge how well we are communicating to our audiences we may stagnate our performance development.

Observing professionals you will discover that their pose, words, and dispositions are just as crafted as their magic technique. Many professionals spend years crafting their art into a perfectly orchestrated masterpiece with multiple components. As magicians we must understand that being conscious of how our audience reacts to our performances will provide us with the invaluable feedback that will catapult our performance to the next level. We need to keep in mind that though we may feel that our performance is up to par, it is the perspective of the audience that matters. So how do we truly evaluate our self concepts and more important how can we take that information to improve our performances?

Do not underestimate that power of the video camera. This can truly provide a magician with the external perspective needed to propel his/her performance to a new level. As you review these recordings take notes on not only the execution of your technique, but your verbal and non verbal language. Yes it is important that you not just go through the mechanics of the routine when you are recording yourself, but really perform it like you were in front of an audience.

In last month’s article we covered the importance of making a presentation clear to your audience. This is a perfect opportunity for you to invite trusted associates to review the recording with you. It is important that you explain to them what you are attempting to accomplish because you need an objective analysis of your performance. A great way to accomplish this is a questionnaire for the test audience. This will provide your objective test audience with a series of questions that they can answer in confidence.

With your personal analysis along with the questionnaires of your objective test audience you can begin the process of evaluating your self-concept. You will be surprised how revealing this process can be. Remember that one test audience is not enough, because you will realize that one patter may fall flat with one audience group and entertain another. A true master understands how to read his/her audience and adjust accordingly.

This ability to read an audience comes only through being conscious of how their verbal and non verbal language affects their audiences. So whose perspective counts anyways? Though the perspective of your audience determines the success of your presentation, it is also important to understand that the creativity of the individual cannot be stifled. Experiment fearlessly and test your product like a scientist. The key to mastery is evaluating your product through a systematic method of checks and balances. Next month’s article will provide you with more tools and ideas that will assist you in mastering the art of presentation.

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So why do we want to simplify? Think about if I go up to a spectator and grab his borrowed coin to change it into a card, to catch the card on fire magically producing a turkey, to have the turkey lay an egg, to crack the egg to reveal the borrowed coin. Wait a minute that would be a cool routine, however, if delivered too quickly the spectator would not be given the opportunity to really appreciate the multiple punch lines executed.

One of the greatest lessons Mr. Stone has taught me is to really milk a moment, and like most magicians in training I have mistaken lots of moves and punch lines in one effect as good magic. In reality I was bypassing the building of an effect that all masters utilize. The point in this article is to really explore the attention span of your spectator and how you can implement this information to enhance the impact of your routine.

The average attention span of an adult is 20 minutes, however, more interesting that 20 minutes is greatly depleted when too much information and/or stimuli is presented in short intervals of time. What does this mean for you? Well if you present too much magic in a short period of time you can lose your audience.

This is a valuable concept when you think about it in terms of presentation. Going back to my turkey example, that effect in description would make a great affect, however, if presented in a rapid sequence would leave most spectators confused and not being able to focus on any one affect. I would bet that if that spectator was asked to explain the effect that they witnessed an hour later, they would more than likely remember the beginning and the end, leaving the middle unclear. Here are some points to think about when you are developing a routine.

First does the presentation support the effect? An interesting attribute to human memory is it transfers short term memories into the long term through the process of association. Association in a nutshell is the process to linking new information through stories and/or categorization. When a spectator is enthralled in a presentation not only does it make the effect more memorable, but intensifies the affect. When you are developing a presentation for an effect, ask yourself: does the story (presentation) support and build up the impact of the punch line? Watch masters at play because you will see this principle in action.

Second keep it simple! Simplicity is the key to great magic. You want to create groovy magic not move-y magic. Less is better for many reasons. One the spectator is able to follow the routine, and more importantly she can appreciate the magic unfolding before her eyes. Second, the magician can really build up the magic without being so preoccupied with misdirection and moves. Do I enjoy executing complicated sleights? Sure I do, however, I always make sure that the move is not taking my attention from my audience.

Finally, a great magic effect only has three parts and they are: 1) The Introduction, 2) The Presentation, and 3) The Punch Line. The introduction in my opinion is where the relationship is established. This is where not only your audience gets a sense of you, but where you get a feel for your audience. Take the time to establish a bond. Even if you are working tables and have limited time, the proper introduction can set the tone for the routine.

The presentation is where you can intensify your magic. Keep in mind when you are creating a routine a presentation should fit your personality and it should support the effect. Do not be afraid to test and adjust your presentation based on your audience’s responses. Great magicians are always adjusting and finding ways to improve their presentations. Remember sleights are only as good as they are presented.

Practice your presentation as much as you practice your sleights. Finally, keep your effect limited to one strong punch line. Sure you can have many affects in one effect, however, be sure that they are supporting the build up and not a multitude of finales.

In conclusion the best way to test the impact of your routine is to have the spectator explain your effect after a period of time has lapsed. This is where you will truly see your audience’s perspective on your effect. Remember your audience’s attention span is finite, and with that knowledge you can tailor your routine so that it will engross their attention with a strong but simple presentation. Magic is just as much anticipation as it is impact.

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What does fear of public rejection have to do with magic you may ask? Think about this: you may have mastered an effect in the privacy of you and your reflection, but have you ever been so nervous that the execution of that same effect fell flat? Yes this article may be assisting beginning magicians in overcoming performance jitters; however, there is a lot for the pros as well.

I have taught on a college level for four years, and one of the courses I had the opportunity to teach was communications. I have witnessed students vomiting right before a presentation; I’ve seen students turn ghost-white and pass out in class. What is it about public speaking/performance that creates so much fear?

Psychologically speaking, the fear of rejection threatens an individual at the very core of his being: the self concept. The self concept can be compared to a mirror. This mirror reflects back to us our perception of who we are. If this mirror was not nurtured properly, it can, metaphorically, crack causing an extremely distorted self concept.

The self concept is founded on both internal and external experiences. Those experiences start to paint a picture of who we are (many times who we believe we are). Though I will not cover in depth the working components of the self concept (I don’t have that much space), I want you to get the gist of how our attempt to protect ourselves from rejection creates anxiety.

Our fear, literally, derives from the perception that we are exposing our inner-self to the public’s judgment. So how can we overcome this perception, and thus develop a relaxed and confident performance mind-set? For you beginners out there, you will receive some concrete techniques that will assist you in overcoming nervousness and anxiety that is common before a big performance. For you pros out there, you will learn how to reach peak performance before a show.

The first step in this process is to realize that everyone experiences some level of anxiety before a performance. I have taught hundreds of course in my life time, and I still experience butterflies at the beginning of every semester. What you need to realize is that even the professionals have a routine to get them in the right mind-set before performing. Understanding that you are not alone can ease the performance pressure.

The second step is developing a confidence in your skills. Before a big show, make sure that you know your routine inside and out. Remember the more you perform the easier it gets.

Now we are getting to the goods. The third step is utilizing visualization. Visualizing is a power technique that is used by top performers around the world. Visualization got its start when psychologist realized that the subconscious mind cannot distinguish reality from fantasy. Meaning, as Napoleon Hill stated “what every man can believe and conceive, he can achieve.”

Many athletes from the NBA to Olympic Teams have implemented visualization to maximize their performance. So how does it work? It can be summed up in two basic steps.

• Get into a relaxed state
• Create the desired outcome in your mind’s eye

Relaxation is an important step when sending suggestive data to the subconscious mind. There are many techniques on the subject of relaxation, and I encourage you to do some research. However, I will share with you one that I have used throughout my life. It is important to inform you that if you suffer from any respiratory problems, it would be advised to consult your doctor before attempting this breathing exercise.

To get maximum results you need to create an environment conducive to meditative exercise. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for the duration of the exercise. Lie on your back, and make sure that the surface is comfortable and non restrictive.

Do not cross your legs. Rest you arms next to your body. You want to breathe in until your lungs are full (you should see your abdomen expand), and hold that for 3 seconds. Then breathe out releasing all the air from your lungs. This is the pattern of breathing that should take place throughout the whole exercise.

If you start to feel light-headed, slow your breathing until you feel comfortable. As you continue to utilize this breathing technique you will strengthen your ability to breathe this way for long periods of time.

As you continue to breathe as instructed you want to get yourself in a totally relaxed state. I want you to relax each part of the anatomy one by one until your whole body is tension free. I will demonstrate the tension release technique and list the order I want you to go through your anatomy.

When releasing tension from a part of the anatomy you want to inhale until your lungs are at full capacity while tensing up that part of the body. Then hold the tension for about 3-4 seconds. When you are ready to release the tension, exhale; while simultaneously releasing the tension from the selected part of the body. The anatomy order of this tension-relaxation exercise:

1. Feet
2. Calves
3. Thighs
4. Abdomen
5. Shoulders
6. Arms
7. Hands
8. Jaw
9. Forehead

After systematically relaxing each of the above body parts you should experience a deep state of relaxation. Now you are ready to send your suggestive data. I want you to picture in your mind’s eye you performing your routine flawlessly. You need to visualize every detail you can possibly imagine.

Keep in mind that the more senses you involve in this exercise the more powerful the effect to your subconscious mind. Visualize yourself calm, relaxed and executing every move perfectly. This will plant this seed of confidence and assist in eliminating self doubt and counter act any self-defeating believe systems.

Confidence is a key factor to peak performance and this exercise will assist both the beginner as well as the pro in consistently and deliberately maximizing performances. The late Bruce Lee once stated, “take what is useful, and reject what is useless”, which gives validation to experimentation.

The only way we are going to know what is useful and what is useless is to apply it directly in our lives. I challenge you not just to read these articles, but experiment with them and determine for yourself if these principles work.

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I have been through the corkiest creative sessions with Jeff Stone. Imagine two grown men in the latter stages of sleep deprivation rambling passages that would only be comprehensible to a three year child; and throwing cards at each other attempting to catch those cards in our decks like some degenerate ninja warriors. Good times, good times.

Besides the paper cuts we endured and me thinking that it is a fortunate thing that Jeff never touched alcohol in his life; most of our best work was created during those sessions. Though I will be covering some time-tested techniques to assist you in the creative process, it is important to understand that a creative flow cannot be approached in a structured way. What would be the purpose of creativity if there were too many rules, right? These techniques are more guidelines than rules. So with that in mind let the guidelines begin.

The first step in the creative process is the question(s). The greatest events throughout history started with a great question. Many times when I am working on a new effect I use reverse engineering. I usually start by thinking of an effect I would like to see and construct the effect from the end to the beginning.

Take a moment and think about what you would want to see in a magic effect. This is when you want to go outside boundaries of conventional thinking, think of effects that would stand out, that would make a lifelong impression. Jeff and I spend hours messing with strange knick-knacks and objects we pick up from various places. Sometimes the objects spawn an idea; sometimes an idea will spawn the need for an object. The point is to keep in mind that your mind must be “flowing.” Don’t question or criticize any idea that comes to mind; just flow with it.

The second step in the process is preparation. After you come up with your ideas you need to provide a solution that will bring those ideas to life. Preparation is the process of gathering, storing, learning, and exploring different knowledge sets. Knowledge sets are chunks of information that relate to your current idea, problem, or circumstance. However, please note that a seemingly unrelated knowledge set can provide you with the solution that you were looking for.

It is important that you explore knowledge sets outside the conventional information provided in magic. Remember the most unconventional magic was created through an unconventional thought processes. Fill your head with ideas, concepts, and information from books, conventions, attending lectures, and/or developing your own creative think tank. Stone Cold Magic is based on the concept that a work environment must be conducive to a creative thought process.

Some of my greatest ideas came from those creative sessions with Jeff Stone. Creative people gathered in one place can either be the most unproductive state of chaos ever witnessed or an idea factory. Either way the preparation process is in full play.

The third step in the creative process is incubation. Incubation is when your subconscious mind processes the information gathered, store, and conceptualized during the preparation stage. It is important during this stage that you are relaxed. Relaxation is the cornerstone to optimal brain functioning.

All psychologists agree that deep relaxation aids the cognitive process. Incubation stage is when you want to do some unrelated, relaxing, and enjoyable task. Remember the more enjoyable and unrelated the task; the more information will incubate effectively. Relax and enjoy yourself, keep in mind that you have already done all the ground work. Now it is time for you to trust your subconscious processes.

The forth step to this process is illumination. Many of you out there have probably been faced with a problem that consumed you. And the moment you let the problem go, the answer came like a bolt of lightning. That bolt of lightning is illumination. Ideas have often been symbolized as a light bulb, and there is reason for that.

Many people have described an idea hitting them like a light, lightning, and energy. Psychologically we are processing information subconsciously 24 hours a day and many people do not realize that they can consciously direct these subconscious processes. The directive here is the preparation and incubation stages of the creative process. Keep a notepad on you at all times, including near your nightstand because you never know when an idea will strike.

The final and the founding step to the creative process: Verification. Many people question what separates those people who continuously manifest positive outcomes in their life vs. those who continue to struggle through life. The answer is simple: Action. I have had the opportunity to befriend amazing individuals; individuals who faced hardship and struggle throughout their youth to only re-frame those circumstances into powerful motivators.

I once heard the “Luck is nothing more than when opportunity meets preparation.” To further that statement Lincoln stated it best by saying “When the time for action has come, the time for preparation has past.” Verification is truly taking that idea and acting on it. There have been countless times when I was struck by an idea and failed to take action, only find that someone else independently came up with either the same or similar idea and acted upon it.

What was the difference between me and this other person? I failed to act. Verifying an idea is applying it in a routine or demonstrating it in front a live (objective) audience. Please be cautious about making assumptions about your idea. The true test of the idea is applying it directly and reviewing the results. Remember some of the most brilliant ideas needed work then they were first hatched. Have fun with these techniques, and be sure to apply them directly to your magic creating repertoire.

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