# Not enough artists do this

*your art is boring, here's how to fix it*

By [Nahiko's Bookmarks](https://paragraph.com/@nahiko) · 2024-08-25

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![](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/callout/information-icon.png)

Estimated read time: 2 minutes 10 seconds.

A few months ago I boarded a long-haul flight from 🇫🇷 Paris to 🇸🇬 Singapore, and lucky me, **_The Prestige_** was one of the movies available !

It is a must-watch movie about two magicians battling for fame.

Beyond its amazing story, is is also **the perfect guide on how to be a better creative.**

**Here are 3 lessons I learned from The Prestige**

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/598afbd73e9ebd6ef88e7511e6e643b6.png)

**1\. Preparation makes the impossible Possible**
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Magicians and artists both bring the imaginary to life.

In this scene, an old magician pretends to be handicapped **daily**, just to perform a trick involving squatting a heavy fishbowl:

[![](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/youtube/play.png)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8ZXT2HTxqE)

Angier can't figure out the trick because **he doesn't understand the value of time**. Great magic involves work done long before the performance, creating awe when revealed.

**It's because it blurs the line between magic and sorcery.**

_As an NFT example, In my artwork "BitRot," I pair personas with famous buildings, like Musk and the US Dept. of Treasury. This is a bet on the future, I'm certain many of these news prediction will eventually happen._

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/7a2076dd3282bb98521aad24a2521c9b.png)

**2\. Art should be Performed**
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Cutter's legendary intro outlines the three acts in a magic trick:

*   **The Pledge**
    
*   **The Turn**
    
*   **The Prestige**
    

I realized someone in the NFT space was already applying the 3 steps , In fact he even tweeted:

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/1311bc31387562f668a3bf6d37161308.png)

Pak sees his art releases as a performance and there's no debating that this is a large part of his success.

I once thought visual art couldn't evoke emotions like music or movies, which can deeply move and change your life.

Now I understand why: **musicians see their work as a performance**.

**Visual artists need to perform their work too.** Artists like Pak, Jack Butcher and many more understand this.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/06e3382889b20660eea2e1a56d61d3a6.png)

**3\. Good art needs stakes**
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This is the most valuable lesson I learned from The Prestige.

See how both magicians perform the same trick: **_The Transported Man_**

The first (Borden) **throws a ball on the ground, teleports further, and picks it back up**

[![](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/youtube/play.png)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phusjuBT8mw)

But the second (Angier) **throws his hat, and the audience visually gasps as it falls**.

Only inches away from the floor, he finally catches it !

[![](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/youtube/play.png)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etsiRLgSrsA)

Angier understands what the audience craves to see: **something is at stake.**

**I think every artist should learn how to implement stake in their artworks.**

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I'd like to finish with another great quote from this movie (please watch it):

> Cutter: He is a wonderful magician, but he's a dreadful showman.

Like many of you, I'm a terrible showman.

**Let's change that.**

See you next week ✌

Nahiko

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*Originally published on [Nahiko's Bookmarks](https://paragraph.com/@nahiko/bookmarked-23)*