Improve Your Magic by Being More Present

“Don’t sleepwalk through life.”

If you saw Derren Brown’s recent stage show, Showman, this quote will resonate with you. He delivers the line a few times throughout the show to address the importance of being present in life.

Derren's phrase came back to me last weekend after I totally sleepwalked my way through my magic show. Long story short: I was performing, and at one point, my muscle memory jammed, and my hands didn't know what to do.

It was my fault; I wasn’t present.

I was performing a trick I had been doing for years. I knew every detail of it, and that was the issue. I was performing to on auto-pilot, not paying attention to my words and actions. 

"Don’t sleepwalk through life.” Think about it. Do you want to exist or live? Do you want to perform your magic or be on autopilot, executing a series of actions?

The Psychology Behind It

My two greatest passions in life are magic and psychology. I perform magic on stages all over the world, and I am studying for a master’s degree in clinical psychology. I aim to bond these two worlds. They have so much in common.

But let's go back to that moment of brain fog. Mid-performance, I suddenly had no idea where I was in the routine. Let’s be honest. Has it ever happened to you too?

I’m talking about not feeling present during a performance. To execute a trick and at some point be like, “Where was I?” From a psychological point of view, this happens because you've entered autopilot mode.

Imagine you’re reading a book, and as you reach the bottom of the page, you realize you’re not aware of what you've just read. You know that feeling, right? You were reading while thinking about something else. (Hopefully, you're not doing that now!).

Learning how to read requires a lot of effort as a child. But the more you practice reading, the more you learn to read, and you make reading automatic.

Once reading becomes an automatic action, it becomes possible to read while thinking about something else. You end up reading without really taking any of it in. Your brain pays attention only when you decide you need to pay attention.

That's what happened to me during that performance. I didn't actively focus on what I was doing.

As magicians, we enter autopilot when we stop thinking about the magic we do. After the hundredth, thousandth, or millionth time performing a trick, it gets pretty easy to perform on autopilot.

Sometimes, we sleepwalk through our magic.

How to REALLY be present while doing magic

By being present, you will not only avoid mistakes during the performance but also enjoy that very moment a lot more. The audience will be more engaged, and your tricks will have a greater impact.

So, how can you really be present while doing magic? Here’s the key: break the auto-pilot, break the pattern. Let’s see how you can do that.

1. Keep working 

Even if a routine or show feels finished, don’t stop there. Keep working on the details and searching for new angles. If your act is never finished, your mind will never settle, and you won't sleepwalk through it.

Talk to other magicians and artists, and ask your friends what they think about your work. Show them a video of your performance. Look at how they react: is that the emotion you thought they would feel? Is that the very moment you want them to feel it? Consider if it is worth making changes or perhaps taking a whole different direction. Repeat this process regularly: it will keep you present.

2. One-to-one with your audience

Every time you perform, you will have a different spectator who will respond to you differently. You can use this to your advantage and be more present. David Blaine is great at performing the same trick for different celebrities, and yet each performance feels unique as he is always grounded in the performances.

If you’re interacting with one spectator or with a small group of people, pay attention to them. Respond to them in a personalized way each night, trying to break the barriers of your script. Really give them your time and attention and respond naturally to how they act and what they say.

Make sure the management of your body and speech matches the stimuli you get from the spectator in front of you. As you're performing your routine, ask yourself: how can I interact with this person? What are their eyes telling me? Observe their reactions and try to act accordingly.

Gestures can be broader, smaller, slower, or faster. Take longer or shorter pauses. Deliver a few lines in one breath, then break the flow with a silence that no one expects. It’s not just you delivering a speech. You are having a conversation. You should care about the person in front of you.

If the audience is too big and you are not talking to anyone in particular, communicate with their faces and bodies. Notice how their expressions vary and how they change their posture. Remember: you’re doing magic for them.

In his new book, Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, the author discusses how it's possible to signal to an audience that you are listening simply by pausing when they applaud and going off script based on their reactions. If they react well to a line one night, double down on it and improvise an additional line to signal that you're present with them.

If you do this, your performance becomes a game. Every night, you can carve out spaces to play. And in this constant game, you are present both for yourself and to the eyes of the spectators.

3. Explore the space

If you’re on a big stage and the stage lights blind you, you won’t be able to see the faces of the audience. If that’s the environment you’re performing in, a good way to remain present is to play with the space. Sometimes, being present starts with simply noticing your surroundings.

Each venue has its own peculiarities. Find them.

Is the stage bigger than usual? Is it tiny? Make use of it all! Don't forget the apron: sometimes, you can get much closer to your audience than you think. Or you can even get off stage. Remember, you can also perform on the sides of the stage, not just in the center. And not just that: you can sit on the floor in the middle of the performance. Or lie down. Instead of walking, run and then slow down. Take longer or shorter steps. One step less or one more.

Look for new ways, new timings, and new spaces.

Making experiments live with the material you have performed hundreds of times will help you be present and have more fun.

Remember it all: make a small choice.

Finally, we need some shortcuts to remember all of the above. To me, it all comes down to a small choice.

We said our goal is to be present. The best way is to focus on one thing at a time. Decide which aspect you’d like to start with. Let’s say tonight you'll focus on the speed of your speech, tomorrow on your pauses, the day after tomorrow on noticing the facial expressions of your audience members, and so on. That’s the choice. Pick one, try it. Next time, try another one. Keep exploring.

If you perform more than one routine, you might want to link each routine in your lineup to one of the aspects from above. This will ensure variety throughout the duration of your show (both for your audience and for your explorations).

Ben Hart is very present.

Observe how, throughout his semi-final performance on Britain's Got Talent, Ben remains clear-headed. He knows exactly what he has to do and say. He's so magnetic that everyone in the room is on him. His eyes speak.

From minute 2.11 to minute 2.15, you can notice how he looks at Alesha Dixon while making sure she understands what she has to do. He ensures that Alesha’s eyes meet his and that she nods—see how his body slightly moves toward her. This is a way of giving instructions to a spectator while being present. Even if it is just four seconds, it is fundamental. 

Watch Ben’s body: he’s always active. This is not related to how quick his movements are but to the fact that his movements convey energy. His body weight doesn't sway from one leg to the other; he's anchored to the ground.

Close your eyes and focus on what you hear: he modulates his voice, playing with volumes and tones. Listening to him doesn't give you a sense of monotony but of energy. Of something alive.

Try to find other details that make you think about how much he's present and fired up during his performance.

Fire up!

Being fired up is what you have to seek to be present while doing magic. Ben Hart does it his way. What could your way be?

We have explored many paths you could follow.

Next time you perform a magic effect, let it be dedicated to yourself. Live every moment of it. Find your way to have fun, to be present.