The Third Kind of Magic

Letter Zero 32

Dear friend,

I’ve been thinking about the three types of magic this week.

There’s the cheap tricks that amused us as kids but lost luster once we realized there wasn’t any point to the deception. 

Then there’s the magic of technology, the type that Arthur C. Clarke described when he said “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

But the third type of magic is the simplest of all. Penn Jillette revealed that “The only secret of magic is that I'm willing to work harder on it than you think it's worth.” 

One is amusement. Two is technology. Three is hard work.

Some people spend their entire careers repeating cheap tricks. Many more rely on software, satisfied to let the computer do the magic for them. But the thing that gets closest to real magic is the one few are willing to do. Thank you for showing up, for working harder than any reasonable person should, thank you for your magic.

I'll write again next Sunday. Stay creative. 

Your friend,
Adrian