Mailbag: Distracted Artist and Audience Belief

Finally got around to trying distracted artist style yesterday. Moved a fork with my mind at a strategic moment and it had a huge impact on a stranger. The only issue was they were convinced it wasn’t a trick. I created a kind of elaborate story around it that seems too fantastical to be believed, but I’m pretty sure they took everything at face value. Thoughts? —AG

The “problem” with the Distracted Artist style is that it’s a blank canvas. If I’m telling you I’m moving a fork with the power of my mind, you may believe or disbelieve it. If I tell you I’m moving a fork with trained lice, you’ll probably disbelieve it. If I tell you I’m moving a fork with via channeling the electromagnetic force in my cell phone and aiming it at the fork, you may think, “Is that possible?” Depending on the story I tell, I can dial in your belief somewhat.

With the Distracted Artist style you’re putting it in the audience’s hands as far as how they’re going to interpret the event. Was it something legitimately strange, or was it just some guy doing a trick?

My personal philosophy is this: I’m never trying to genuinely convince someone I have any type of powers or that this is anything other than a trick. But it’s also not up to me to babysit their mind. If they choose to believe something, then whatever. That’s a choice they’re making. This is especially true with the Distracted Artist style.

One thing I’ve maybe never made clear is the issue I have with claiming real “powers.” My primary issue is not that you’re really going to convince people and that that’s somehow going to harm their life in some way. My issue is just that it’s pathetic. “I want people to really believe I have magical powers!” [Or powers of persuasion, or psychic powers, or memory skills, or card-cheating ability, or whatever.] You want people to really believe you have abilities you don’t actually possess? That’s very sad. And it’s poisonous to your psyche.

If you can do entertaining, mystifying magic… that’s enough. You won’t feel the need to try and genuinely convince anyone of “real powers.”

I went off on a tangent there. To get back to your question, AG…

In your situation, if the person was taking it more seriously than I had intended, I would say, “Oh, I was just practicing a magic trick.”

Or go the other direction, “Please promise not to tell anyone. I’m Christ. I’ve returned. I’m moving forks at the moment. But I have bigger plans on the horizon.”