Which do I like better: performing magic or creating magic? I need both. I love performing magic for others. I love it! Love it! Love it! Ah, but I sometimes feel like a cheat when I show off magic created by other magicians. There’s no good reason to feel this way, but I do. I realize that all magician’s are cheats. I mean, if you want to be technical then EVERY card effect you’ve ever seen performed or have performed yourself was created by another magician … every single one. And there is nothing wrong with that.
One of my mentors in mentalism is Ross Johnson from Chicago. For over 40 years he performed his exclusively owned and created feats of mentalism that border on true mind reading. He has kept all of his secrets to himself. And even though he creates his own effects, I’m sure he would agree with me when I state his effects were originally inspired by the previous mental giants before him.
Ross is a great example of being inspired to create unique mentalism that can not be duplicated without an education of his closely guarded secrets. Nevertheless, it was the giants of mentalism past who inspired and enflamed Ross’s genius which in turn allowed him to wow some of the best CEO’s on the planet.
Great magic, like some card effects, inspire me to create my own variation. I don’t perform a lot of playing card effects, but at the risk of giving too much away, I do perform a lot of film related and/or travel related mentalism. They are often built on top of a common playing card foundation. In this way I don’t feel like a copycat or a cheat. I am performing an effect inspired by some of the greatest minds in magic and I love it.