What character traits does a mentalist need?

Mentalism is a mysterious and captivating sensory art that has actually existed for hundreds of years, but became widely popular in the entertainment world over the past few decades. Like in many other areas in entertainment and life in general, a sensory artist and mentalist needs to have a few basic character traits in order to succeed in sweeping away audiences into an enjoyable, surprising, and unique experience.

When we look at the most successful mentalists in the world, from international sensations and entertainment leaders such as Lior Suchard or Derren Brown to young entertainers who are trying to follow in the footsteps of these giants and pick up some of their fairy dust and success, we see certain character traits that most, but not all, of them share. Today, we will examine – out of all of the important traits for a good sensory artist and mentalist, which three character traits are really crucial in order to succeed in this competitive, difficult, and captivating field.

It’s not all about the personality!

Before we begin to delve into these character traits, it is important to emphasize that on their own, they are not enough to turn a person or an entertainer into an excellent, captivating mentalist. As we have said again and again, mentalism and sensory art is not magic, and developing as a stage entertainer in this field does not happen on its own or because of various character traits.

Alongside the appropriate personality, in order to succeed in the competitive and harsh world of entertainment, it is necessary to learn a ton, to practice endlessly, to fail and get back up again, to prepare precisely and obsessively for every show, and to constantly continue to develop, move forward, and feel the audience – these are the ingredients in the recipe that made Lior Suchard the leading, most familiar, and popular mentalist in Israel and worldwide!

Creativity and the ability to express it

First of all, creativity is a character trait that is essential for a mentalist to have. An entertainer in a unique genre needs to be capable of thinking outside the box and being original, in order to develop new tricks that will amaze and mesmerize the audience, rather than doing more of the same thing. This includes, for example, taking a familiar and common topic or concept and adding a new, surprising twist, involving the audience in the show and causing them to want to see and experience more.

In this dynamic and popular field of entertainment, a good mentalist is constantly thinking creatively and initiating ways to express that creativity by developing new and surprising mentalism tricks, some of which will come to fruition after a lot of preparation and practice, and others that will be shelved. The main thing is to constantly continue to develop, create, renew, and strive for originality and innovation.

Charisma that sweeps the audience

In every type of entertainment, but very clearly and prominently in mentalism, charisma is a character trait that is really a must. In a mentalism performance, the entertainer on stage takes the audience on a journey, and he needs to constantly draw them after him, captivating them and leaving them in anticipation of what’s next, with surprising and inexplicable high points throughout the show.

This charisma means being a performer and keeping the audience and the stage under your control, but it also means the ability to read the audience and the atmosphere, the power to send messages and create an entertainment experience that is both intuitive and structured, and surprising and original at the same time. The performance of a successful and charismatic mentalist must cause the audience to feel as if they are an inseparable and essential part of the show, that they are part of the “magic.”

A passion for entertainment and the stage, and a lack of stage fright

Naturally, a good mentalist also needs to lack stage fright. But it is deeper than just not being afraid to stand on stage, speak in front of people, and lead a performance. The stage artist in this specific area must have a sincere and genuine passion for entertainment, the stage, and the audience – as can be experienced and seen, in all of its glory, during Lior Suchard’s shows.

Of course, before every new round of performances or the first time that a new mentalism trick is done, there is a sense of excitement and concern. This is natural and even expected, but a professional entertainer will harness these feelings of nervousness to a positive place that motivates him to provide the viewers with an unforgettable, breathtaking performance.

To summarize, creativity, charisma, and a passion for entertaining an audience under the spotlights of the stage are the three character traits that a successful mentalist or anyone interested in entering this field must have.