Magic's Big Secret

Juliana Fay on stage at Intrigue Theater

When does magic happen? Is it when the assistant vanishes from the box? Or in the unseen moment—the sleight of hand you missed while your eyes were elsewhere? Magic doesn’t live in the explanation. It lives in belief—in the audacity to imagine what others call impossible.

And here’s where I let you in on a magician’s greatest secret:

A magician begins with the “what,” not the “how.”

This hit me like a freight train when I first teamed up with Sean-Paul. He changed how I think. One day, he asked how I could see something happening—what I envisioned. I said, “Well, I see this… but there’s no way it could work because…”
He stopped me right there. “Don’t tell me how it’s not going to work,” he said. “Just tell me what you see.”

That moment flipped a switch. We’re often trapped in a box of our own doubts, fixated on the obstacles instead of the vision. Magicians don’t do that. They live outside the box—starting with what they want to create and then reverse-engineering a way to make it real.

They don’t ask, “Can this be done?”
They ask, “What do I want to show?”

This mindset isn’t just for stage performers—it’s for anyone with a dream.

Think of something you want. Not a vague wish like “be happy,” but something specific: opening a coffee shop, writing a book, moving abroad, switching careers. You’ve probably talked yourself out of it, saying it’s “impossible” because you don’t know how.

But that’s the secret: you don’t need the how—yet.

If you can see it—if you can name it—you’ve already taken the first step.
The how comes later.

Magicians don’t let logic or limits dictate their starting point.
They begin with imagination and belief, crafting paths where none seem to exist.

That’s the power of magic—and it’s yours.
Start with what you see. Then build the path.