When Opinions Get Loud
How to keep creating when other voices are in your head.
September 2025. It’s 12:45 in the morning, and I’m twenty minutes from my apartment, driving back from a last-minute gig filling in for my buddy TJ at Magic Unlocked. I performed alongside Mark Clearview and Charlie Phillips. Two performers I really enjoy working with, and after the show, we all went out to dinner with a few other magicians.
The show itself went great but the real thinking came afterward.
The Weight of Other People’s Opinions
Sitting around the table with other magicians is one of my favorite things to do. These are people who have strong opinions about magic, about what works, what doesn’t, what makes a routine great. And a lot of the time, I agree with them. But here’s the tricky part: when I’m around other magicians with strong voices, it can be hard not to let their opinions take over my own.
The Comparison Trap
I try to surround myself with people who are better than me. It helps me grow. And the magicians at this dinner knew their magic. And their magic was good. Really good. And it’s hard not to look at my own material and feel like it comes up short in comparison. I know that magic gets better the more you work it. Every show is a chance to refine. But being exposed to other ideas sometimes makes me wonder if my starting point was strong enough in the first place.
It’s that feeling that pushes me to constantly work on new routines. To dig deeper into books. To look for hidden gems that no one else is performing.
Tonight, I was talking with my friend Max about what makes a great piece of material. I’m always blown away when someone shows me a trick that’s not just clever, but something I haven’t seen before. Those moments are rare, but they’re inspiring. They remind me why I keep searching, why I keep creating, why I keep tweaking my own stuff.
Other magicians’ opinions can be valuable, but they can’t be the final word. It’s going to come down to your own opinion.
Final Thoughts
Being surrounded by strong opinions can be both inspiring and intimidating. It can make you second-guess your ideas, but it can also push you to make them better. The key is to use that outside input as fuel, not as a replacement for your own voice.
Because at the end of the day, the magic I do has to reflect me, not anyone else. Til next week, keep driving.
Jason
Helps to have awesome people around. I’m in KC with very little magicians and even less are actually practicing. So I don’t know what it garbage sometimes!