Someone I know is beginning to learn magic. They’re taking a course in “mentalism” at the Magic Castle. This “someone” in this case is a person who attended a show of mine randomly, and then just kept showing up to more shows. They messaged me talking about wanting to become a magicians assistant. And then eventually expressed interest in how the tricks were done. This, I believe, ended up leading her to do the Classtle.

She’s messaged me a few times about ESP cards, or sending me a photo from their photocopied pamphlets, one of them with the heading “Cold Reading” and I can’t help but feel that this path leads down such a path so far from what I am doing or even what is being accomplished on stage. Even though the subjects are the same, the words are the same, and the setting/context/etc. bears strong resemblance, the throughput is entirely different. In fact, they couldn’t be opposed enough.

I suppose it’s most similar to the two oversimplified polarities of acting: outwards in or inwards out. Acting with gestures or acting with internal emotion. The true north in acting, or magic for that matter, is in not knowing which practice is in action at any given time.

Truth be told, when I perform the plot of a “drawing duplication” I have forgotten what I am about to draw. Yet, I somehow find it again. I grasp at it, piece it together like a puzzle being formed, and eventually I draw it out, their drawing, from my own hand. Could this be accomplished without knowing the secret artifice of truly learning their confidential drawing? Could this be accomplished without being able to find it again?

— J.R.