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Magical Mentality

Creative Thought for Magicians

~1930 Booklet

Eric C. Lewis

Author

Publisher:
- L. Davenport & Co.

Contents

Search Contents

#	Title	Type
3	Foreword	Foreword
Lewis introduces "Magical Mentality" — being yourself on stage, able to originate and adapt rather than copy — and the psychology-based system behind its development.
5	Creative Thought	Section
5	Thinking	Article
Imitation is natural but thinking is the key to originality; magicians must develop the habit of creative thinking to rise above mediocrity and receive the stamp of individuality.
6	The Three Kinds of Thought	Article
Divides conscious thought into three types — sensory perception, day-dreaming, and creative thought — forming the theoretical framework for the book's creative development system.
6	The Use of the Senses	Article
Sensory impressions are the raw material for all thought; sharpening observation gives magicians more creative data to work with. Everyone can develop their senses further.
7	Day-Dreaming	Article
Controlled day-dreaming — picturing an ideal effect freely before finding the method — is a powerful creative strategy: build the castle in the air first, then lay its foundations.
9	Creative Thought	Article
The most effortful form of thinking; involves extracting stored impressions from memory, rearranging them, and combining them until a genuinely new conception emerges.
11	Two Exercises for Developing Thought	Article
Two exercises for training creative capacity, memory, concentration, and judgment — practical mind workouts designed for inventing better magical effects.
11	Exercise 1	Article
Compare a well-received effect against a poorly-received one; analyze exactly why each succeeds or fails to develop sound judgment about what audiences truly want.
12	Exercise 2	Article
Observe three random objects and progressively build from simple observations to deep associative thinking; trains the brain's analytical and connective habits.
14	Dreaming and Reality	Section
16	A Word or Two of Warning	Article
Overworking one area of the brain causes mental fatigue and eventual breakdown; varying mental subjects allows constant recuperation and sustains higher-quality creative thought.
18	Twenty-Four Hours a Day	Section
19	Spare Time	Article
Every busy person has hidden moments — commutes, waiting, walking — which can be reclaimed for observation and creative practice without major changes to daily routine.
21	Inspiration	Section
21	Inspiration in Action	Article
Opens with two contrasting examples — a confident problem-solver in group discussion and a baker who paints a masterpiece mid-dream — posing the question: what is inspiration?
23	What Inspiration Is	Article
Inspiration means "to breathe in" — you must first take in knowledge before giving out ideas. The subconscious produces new combinations from accumulated stored impressions.
27	Some Objections Overcome	Article
Everyone already experiences everyday inspiration; its quality depends on the quality of stored knowledge. Extraordinary cases of inspired output trace back to natural subconscious processes.
30	The Art of Observation	Section
36	How the Ideas Come	Section