Your Magic Philosophy

One of the things I try to get across to my students is the need to develop a magic philosophy.
Hopefully, your philosophy will always evolve. You want your magic to have a soul not a set of rules.
Here's an example of a magic philosophy:
When I vanish an object in my hand, I want it to reappear in the same hand.
I try to follow this guideline all of the time. I construct my routines to meet this criteria.
How do you develop your own philosophy? Well, one way to do it is to learn from other people. Lou Serrano, one of the premier close-up magicians at The Magic Castle is the guy that emphasized the above point to me.
I agreed with his thinking on it and I adopted it as part of my philosophy.
Of course, reading, thinking, and experience all contribute to developing your own personal philosophy.
However, don't assume a philosophy will naturally develop over time. You need to be able to write it out the way a company writes out its mission statement.
A performing philosophy is important because it helps you choose material. When developing something new, it's easy to throw things away or to change them to match your needs.
Don't confuse the idea of philosophy with that of character. If you're trying to develop a character, you should stop. That's a different subject and my stance on the topic is part of my philosophy. I'm sure there are plenty of people that would argue against my thoughts on the subject...but they'd be wrong. HEHE.
The two big philosophies in the world of magic fall into one of two categories, really defined by two people, Dai Vernon and Tony Slydini.
Vernon's philosophy was that magic just happened. It's everywhere, not in his control, it just happens. He also emphasized making everything look natural.
Slydini on the other hand made the magic. He was very impromptu and dramatic. He took credit for creating the magic, it didn't just happen.
I hope this plants a seed for you to start considering your own personal philosophy. It's personal, it's not right or wrong, and if you keep an open mind, it will change as you grow.

Credit By Zach Waldman