How to Make Your Magic Unforgettable

You finish your show, take a bow, and enjoy the applause.

A few days later, you ask your friend what they thought of the show. They answer: “I don't remember exactly what you did... but it was amazing!”

Wait… What?

They saw you levitate a ring, read minds, make a signed card disappear, and they don't remember the details?

But in all likelihood, it’s not their fault. It's a design problem.

Magicians spend years refining their technique, but often ignore this fundamental truth about performance: people don't remember tricks. They remember moments.

It’s essential to create magic that lasts in the memory. This will make your magic stronger and will ensure that everyone in the room remembers your show, even weeks later.

To do that, we need to examine how memory works, and dig deeper from there.

How Memory Works

To understand how to make magic memorable, you need to know how memory works.

There are three key stages:

1. Encoding: the brain processes and labels an experience.

2. Storage: the brain archives that information (or not).

3. Retrieval: the brain tries to recall it later.

If your trick isn't clearly encoded, it won't be clearly retrieved. This is a signal that you need to improve the design.