A note on the terms
I am not a magician in the classic sense –
even if that is how you found me.
Magician, conjurer, illusionist, mentalist – in everyday speech the terms are often used interchangeably. For your event, though, the difference matters. Here is what sets mind magic apart from classic conjuring – and what the two have in common.
What defines classic conjuring
Classic conjuring works with objects: cards, silks, rings, rabbits, sometimes whole stage illusions such as making a person disappear or sawing them in half. The principle behind it is usually mechanical or choreographic – a prop, a sleight, a distraction. The question afterwards is almost always: “Where did the object go?” or “Where was the card really?”
What defines mind magic
Mind magic does without that world of props. Instead of an object, the audience itself is at the centre: thoughts, decisions, memories, numbers, names. There is hardly anything visible to help – often just a slip of paper, a board, or nothing at all. The question afterwards is not “Where did the object go?” but “How could he know what I was just thinking?”
What mind magic is not
Mind magic has nothing to do with clairvoyance, fortune telling or special powers. I am not blessed with an extraordinary gift – I use techniques from psychology, communication and dramaturgy which, as with any magic trick, work only under controlled conditions: on a stage, in a prepared setting, with an audience that knows it is watching a show. Just as a woman sawn in half is not really sawn in half, a mentalist does not really read minds. Both are a great art of deception – only by different means.
Conjuring and mind magic side by side
The tools
Conjuring works with props and objects. Mind magic works with psychology, language and the audience itself.
The question afterwards
With conjuring it is about the trick. With mind magic it is about yourself.
The staging
Conjuring often works with visible effects. Mind magic is deliberately pared back.
What they share
Both are entertainment, not a supernatural ability – and both work only in a controlled situation, not in everyday life.
Questions about conjuring and mind magic
Is a mentalist a magician as well?
In the broader sense yes – mind magic belongs to the art of magic, just as card magic, stage illusion or close-up magic are branches of their own. But a mentalist works without the classic props and with a different focus: the audience’s mind rather than an object.
Can you really read minds?
No. What looks like mind reading is a combination of observation, psychology and dramaturgy – prepared for a stage situation. It does not work in everyday life, and not to order outside a show.
Why are there no card tricks or big illusions in your shows?
Because that is a different craft. I have specialised in mind magic and concentrate on what works best with it: moments in which the audience doubts itself rather than a prop.
Do I want a magician or a mentalist for my occasion?
That depends on the experience you are after. Anyone expecting classic tricks with objects wants a conjurer. Anyone who wants an evening in which the audience itself becomes the attraction – no props, but plenty of astonishment – wants mind magic. If you are unsure, a short phone call helps.
Mind magic
Curious how that feels live?
Have a look at the shows, or tell me about your occasion straight away – I will tell you honestly whether mind magic is the right thing for it.