The subject of sessions in the magic community, a gate to friendships and an open invitation to war, is perhaps one of the unique aspects of our art that still remains unchanged after decades (or perhaps centuries). You get to sit down and meet people you only have heard about through friends and magazines the so called ‘celebrities’ of magic, or you get to talk to your best friend whom you will be traveling to another convention with in the next few years, and unfortunately sometimes you get to meet the person that will betray your confidence and rape your creations for the pure pleasure of recognition.

There exist rules, otherwise suggested or part of a social skill that works outside of magic, which apply for sessions at every convention. I have had the pleasure to session with many people from different countries and cultures, and the one constant is that there must be trust. Trust, is by far, the most valuable asset that a magician can offer during a session if he or she wishes to receive somebody else’s ‘real work’. This of course is an obvious thing, but for some reason many magicians forget about it during sessions and let go of all the things they have. Personally it is very hard to get me to talk about my work. I am, as cursed as a day in hell, fearful of having my material stolen or otherwise used in a very shameful way. The only other words that I can give about the subject of trust, crediting, and stealing, is to chose the people you session with carefully. You may end up in a session with somebody whom you don’t think is not trustworthy, so all you have to do is focus on a discussion about his work instead of yours. Drive through the session but do show a few minor things so you won’t seem untrustworthy yourself.

I must say that I am a very particular person when it comes to magic. It is, perhaps like some, not just a hobby but also a way of life. If you are a performer and/or a creator you know what I speak of when I say that the feeling we carry with us, once we achieved a unique piece of magic, is something to protect and cherish. Perhaps, it is a feeling so unique that one must protect from our fellow magicians when thought unworthy of such gift.

But how do we know when we have crossed the line when choosing who is worthy of our work and who is not? When do we become blinded by our own egos, and begin to think that we can only share the material with people that are highly skillful since ‘we are highly skillful’. That is an obstacle that determines who is in magic for the recognition and who is in magic for the art. Not because you ‘help’ the less knowledgeable, by giving them tips and sharing your random thoughts, does it mean that you have gotten rid of your ego. That action is simply an excuse and a mask that has been placed over the self-image the person created so others will not call him ‘egotistical’. Such a name to be called upon a person is not welcomed in magic, and hiding behind that young novice seems to serve as a very good shield. Nonetheless, the true test against one’s own egotistical self is to be nothing, to be nobody, and to be treated as nobody, yet you still stand without any desires for vengeance. Once you can stand there, as a tree would stand in front of an angry screaming man, then you know that you have no ego to show. Not only that, but you will not become the angry screaming man that tries to cut down everyone from his grace.

But perhaps, ego is a part of our nature. It is the self-esteem that we have for our own, the light that keeps us working in desire for achievement and recognition by our fellow brothers. But remember that you can only love yourself so much or you will lose your mind, and even worst, the people that have trusted you in the session.

Learn to be social in your daily life, being polite and respectful while at the same time having people enjoy your company, and you will be welcomed even in the ‘table of the gods’ at every convention. You all know what I mean by ‘table of the gods’. You walk into the lobby, and there you see all the top guys in magic sitting in one big table with people standing around it. Beer bottles, lit cigarettes and decks of cards are scattered through the table. Just like the gods would, everyone sits there enjoying themselves in the gardens of admiration. Which brings me to the next topic I have in mind about sessions: The types of sessions

Why can I, Irving Quant, not be even close to ‘the table of the gods’ Because it is a masturbation of hopes and people that admire the so-called ‘celebrities’ while they get a glimpse of the type of magic being done by them. I will not deny that I haven’t been in one of those tables before, seeing everyone around us in hopes they get to see the most amazing type of magic they have seen. Feeling uncomfortable while others put you on a fake pedestal like if you were their idol. Yes indeed respect your elders and those who are more knowledgeable that you are, but for the love of God don’t stand there like you don’t belong! If any of the ‘top guys’ is reading this, I must say that you should always invite people into the table no matter what. If you don’t want to be joined by strangers and perhaps people that are less experienced in magic, then don’t session at conventions that offer that.

Why do I like to visit The Second Deal convention? Because in a way it is filtered of all of the ‘idol worshippers’ and I can session not only with strangers but also with some of my best friends that I have known for years. Believe me when I say that a session with friends is a lot better than a session with strangers. I’m sure you know this.

There are many types of sessions out there:

• The ‘table of the gods’, which I’m sure I’ve already bored you to death with
• The session with friends
• The session with strangers
• The session with people that don’t do the same type of magic that you do
• The session with the less knowledgeable magicians

All, like I have mentioned before, must be full of trust and free of egos.

Should you session in order to grow in magic? Yes and No. Like Einstein said ‘it is all relative’. It is relative to the person and the level of skill/imagination, the type of sessions, and the people you session with. I remember going to conventions when I was starting in magic and learning a lot of new sleights and things of that nature. It is, after all, the melting pot of all the creative work around the country. But I hardly learned to be creative, original or for that matter innovative. All I got were things I didn’t know about but were already around. Other things, such as the personalized work of some people, were original to the world of magic but did not help give me a spark of imagination. It did however show me what is the structure of routines that magicians like to play with, what is boring to magicians and what to aim for when trying to improve something I created.

So, to sum things up:

Yes, sessions are good because you get orientated into new material.
No, sessions are not good because you get trapped into what magicians think is magic. You learn to memorize the world as it is, thus you are not able to make the world as it should be. (I forget whom I’m quoting there, sorry).

Is visual magic supposed to be ‘the best magic’ According to some magicians yes it is. Do you have to do visual magic to make the best kind of magic? No, but some magicians disagree. But whom are they to decide what is good in magic and what is not? Magic is an art, a way of life, and perhaps a mere hobby, so shouldn’t you be able to take your own opinion on how magic should be like?

I session around four times a year and continue to proper in magic. I have learned, the hard way, to be able to brainstorm and formulate ideas without any support from other magicians. Some are more comfortable with sessions, feeling immediate respond from their creativeness as soon as they finish the session. Others find it that during the session their minds are more focused on magic. Finally, some like me don’t frankly care anymore about what I get magic wise during a session since I am there to enjoy the company of people that share the same passion as I do.