Decoration

Art decorates space.
Music decorates time.
Magic decorates reality.

This is my expansion of a Jean-Michel Basquiat quote.

I’ve argued before that using magic purely for self-aggrandizement is corny. And while that’s true, at least it’s a clear and relatable goal: “I want people to think I’m powerful or clever, so I’ll do tricks that fool them and (hopefully) raise me in their esteem.”

Without that kind of motivation, it’s easy to find yourself asking, “What’s the point?” when it comes to performing magic. Why are we faking doing something impossible?

That sentiment above is my answer.

Magic can be used to decorate reality. It doesn’t actually alter the world itself—it reshapes our experience of it, creating brief, concentrated moments where our perception of reality feels artistically elevated. Done well, this can be deeply interesting, compelling, even beautiful. And it doesn’t require us to pretend magic is anything other than what it is.

Hanging a picture doesn’t change the wall—it just gives us a momentary reprieve from the tedium of blank space.

Magic does the same thing for reality.