Georgie Silvarole

georgie.silvarole@independentmail.com

It's not magic.

It looks like magic, but it's not magic.

"It's not magic — that's a big thing," Sam Gordon said. "That's about the biggest thing people on the outside don't realize."

Gordon, a 19-year-old freshman studying communications at Anderson University, is what you'd call a cardist: someone who is skilled at playing card flourishes and tricks. Cardistry — unlike card magic, Gordon said — messes with the observer's vision rather than their mind.

"That's the differentiation between magic and cardistry — magic is a mental astonishment and then cardistry is a visual astonishment," he explained. "That's why I don't do magic, because I found out how to do everything and I was like, 'Oh, that's not very fun.' It's better to do stuff that people can see what's going on but they're still just amazed by it."

Though he said he went through a brief phase of magic obsession as a kid, it wasn't until his sophomore year of high school when someone showed him a few card flourishes (cutting, fanning, shuffling or displaying cards in a beautiful or captivating way) that he fell in love with the art.

"I learned that flourish and I could use that in a magic trick, so that's just meant to show the magician's skill," Gordon said. "But then when you go more into cardistry, which is what I've sort of merged into completely and I don't really do magic anymore, that is all flourishes and trying to come up with the best way to cut cards."

The cardistry community spans across the globe, Gordon said, so social media serves as the best way to meet other people with the same passion. Gordon's suitemate, Daniel Newton, helps shoot the videos on Gordon's Instagram page.

Newton, 19, is a freshman from Woodruff majoring in graphic design, and said helping Gordon with his passion project has its benefits.

"I'm pretty into videography and hope to get into film-making at some point," Newton said. "I'm not very good at self-motivating so having a project like this to really put myself behind is good to improve my skills."

When they decide to make each video, Gordon will compile a list of tricks and flourishes he wants to record and the two will venture through AU and Anderson to find a good spot to film. They'll shoot for an hour or so, Newton said, and then Gordon will edit the footage later on for his Instagram page.

"It still fascinates me," Newton said. "It's definitely cool to see all the new moves that he's learning. It's something I've never experienced before."

Though Newton knew Gordon first as a roommate and later as a cardist, he admits many know Gordon by his love of cardistry.

"I think he definitely embraces that, and he enjoys that," Newton said. "He's definitely passionate about it."

Gordon admits it's a passion — he's got around 200 decks of cards and said he can easily spend 10 hours each day with a deck in his hands, often flipping and shuffling them mindlessly (and quietly) during his classes.

"For me, it's like a big source of identity. This is all I do, and all I've done for three years now," Gordon said. "I pretty much always have cards in my hand."

Follow Georgie Silvarole on Twitter @gsilvarole