if no one is there to experience an effect, can we call it magic?Ĭreating great magic comes from a place of having love for the fellow human being. Keeping in mind the age old quote 'If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?' The question in magic is. “A fundamental understanding of the human psyche is the essential key to successful magic' - Robert Houdin There is no magic moment if the spectator does not feel hopeful that what they're experiencing just might be real. 'I think it is in collaboration that the nature of art is revealed.' - Steve Lacy

If the effect doesn't make the spectator feel they are in collaboration with the magician then they won't be experiencing the full spectrum of what magic has to offer.

If there wasn't a power dynamic between the spectator and the magician then the spectator would stop asking 'How did you do that?' This is why it is extremely important that e very performance should feel like a collaboration. Magic subconsciously makes the spectator feel that the magician is smarter than them. it's an existing state that's revealed' - Paul Harris “Astonishment is not an emotion that's created. The spectator's reaction to an effect is much less important than how an effect makes them feel. If I had little interest in the complexity of the human being I wouldn't have a hunger to create magic. My passion and love for magic is first and foremost grounded in my obsession with the human experience.

Essential robert houdin