(1) Real Magic - A supernatural occurrence, such as - really moving things with your mind, really making a quarter disappear, really floating a few feet in the air

(2) Magician's Magic - Using sleight of hand, psychology, and illusion to make people believe you are creating "real" magic

So does "real" magic -- the first type of magic -- actually exist?

Most people don't believe so.

So if it doesn't exist, then magicians are mimicking, echoing, or pretending to do something that doesn't even exist, which is somewhat odd.

Therefore, in my opinion, "real" magic is a feeling. A feeling of wonder and curiosity. A feeling of you just saw something that you thought was impossible become possible.

This could be a group of people coming together to achieve a goal. This could be the newest technology. This could be you getting that promotion you never thought you would get.

In my opinion, the irony of being a magician is that most magicians are trying to demonstrate to their audience that they can do something supernatural -- even though most people in the audience believe that supernatural magic doesn't even exist in the first place.

With this philosophy, I've learned over the years that I don't want to be that type of magician trying to prove I can be supernatural. To me, magic isn't about tricking or fooling people -- I simply want my audience to have an enjoyable time and walk away with a feeling of inspiration.