Dear Friends:
Lisa Krol performed her first paid magic show at the age of 12, but life led her down other paths. After dabbling in magic during university, she returned to the art as a pandemic project, and attended her first Magic & Mystery School Masterclass in April 2023. Her classmates discovered she could sew, and now she creates custom fabric magic props, including her version of the McBride Egg Bag. You can explore her work at www.magicbylisa.ca (password: Vernon).
Feedback that Builds, Not Breaks
Those of you who attended the Magic and Meaning Conference in October may recall my PEP talk on feedback. I shared tips on structuring feedback for fellow magicians presenting an effect or routine. While most of our peers have the best intentions, feedback often falls short, and ends up making the performer feel deflated or embarrassed. In the worst cases, the performer may abandon magic altogether. The purpose of the talk was to provide some guidelines to help keep sharing sessions constructive, and to create a more supportive magic community.
For the reviewer, I suggested starting with a positive thought to recognize the effort that went into preparing the demonstration, and acknowledging the presenter’s willingness to share. I also talked about restricting commentary to the context requested by the performer, giving clear concrete ideas, and resisting the temptation to showcase one’s own skills. For the performer, I advised preparing for negative comments, which are necessary for improvement, even if they are hard to hear, establishing a context for feedback, receiving ideas with gratitude, and reflecting on what may be useful to further improve the performance, accepting that not everything said will be applicable.
The Power of a Single Voice
After my presentation, I received numerous positive comments. However, the one negative comment caught my attention. Despite the overwhelming positive feedback, I fixated on that single negative comment which also happened to be from a complete stranger. I have no idea if this person was a professional, hobbyist, enthusiast, or collector. Perhaps they had expertise worth listening to, but maybe not. Why was this bothering me so much, especially when respected colleagues had been overwhelmingly complimentary?
Not long after the conference, during a virtual jamming session, a fellow magician shared his experience from a recent walk-around event. Although he received stellar reviews, and a generous tip from the booker, he kept coming back to the story of the one table where a spectator was unimpressed and tipped him to leave, even though the others at the table seemed to be enjoying his work. He was devastated, and like me, he could not let it go, despite all the other positives. Does any of this sound the least bit familiar? Do you find yourself fixating on negatives even when they are outnumbered by positives? If so, why do we do this to ourselves?
Understanding Confirmation Bias
The answer may lie in the concept of ‘confirmation bias.’ This psychological phenomenon occurs when we focus on information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs, and ignore information that contradicts them. For instance, if you expect a dentist visit to be painful, you will notice the discomfort of others and overlook those leaving happily with their free toothbrushes. Essentially, you pay attention to the ideas and information that agree with what you already think to be true, while you disregard anything else.
Could confirmation bias explain my fixation on the negative? Did I believe my presentation was weak? Did that negative comment confirm my worst fears? Perhaps. Although I have been performing magic for decades, I had taken a long break from performing publicly, and I felt less experienced than many. Who was I to speak at a conference and share anything useful? Similarly, did my friend doubt his abilities? Did the negative feedback confirm his insecurities? In your own personal experience, did you, consciously or otherwise, think you deserved the negativity?
From Fixation to Growth
Many of us need to learn to compartmentalize the negatives and look at the bigger picture. If there are specific suggestions in the negatives, by all means, take that seriously and see how it can be incorporated into your practice routine or next performance. In my case, the negative comment was along the lines of “I don’t like this”. Unfortunately, there is nothing to take away from that. Had the comment been more constructive like, “You have windows in the left hand,” I would have had something to work on. Without something concrete, the comment is better forgotten. While difficult, the key is not to fixate on the negative as a commentary on the whole package, and allow it to cast a shadow on our passion for performing and sharing magic. Instead, we need to recast our stories.
Confirmation bias is ingrained in our thinking and cannot be easily turned off. But we can challenge it. We just need to change our narratives. Before your next performance, whether for a friend over coffee or for a sold-out theatre, tell yourself a positive story. Reflect on your progress from where you started with a particular effect or routine. Consider the time and effort you have invested to bring your presentation to this moment. Identify the one or two parts that you are most excited to share. By doing so, you can use confirmation bias to create a more positive and self-affirming experience, and balance any negative feedback. Focus on the positive thoughts, and allow the positive comments to resonate more strongly. The true magic may just be in learning to believe in yourself!
Lisa Krol