If you have mastered the basic techniques of disguise,
learned to recognize the image you present to the world
as well as how to alter it at will to suit your own purposes,
and if you have developed the ability to see others
accurately, then you are ready to test your skills on an
unwitting audience.
Start small; for your first disguise attempts, an ordinary,
non-threatening persona is best. You will find that in the early
stages brief excursions into a different identity will be
enough to get your adrenaline flowing. Practicing in the
privacy of your room is one thing, taking your new self into the
street quite another. Don't worry if you feel foolish or shy
in the beginning, and don't be hard on yourself if you
stammer or find yourself seized with uncontrollable laughter.
Other people won't think too much about it; they are more
concerned about themselves than they are about you. Unless
someone has just seen you rob a bank or hijack a plane, he
won't be inclined to study your appearance.
After you have paid the utmost attention to every detail
of your disguise, you will probably be amazed, possibly even
disappointed, at how unobservant the average person is. The
new you will be accepted at face value; people will tend to
see you just as you present yourself, and act accordingly.
Let's say, for example, that you generally dress and act like
a respectable member of the community, then you disguise
yourself as a bum. You will feel strange as pedestrians look
the other way and make plenty of room for you on the side-
walk, as if your penniless condition were contagious. "Wait
a minute!" you may think. "Can't you tell this is me?"
The answer is no. Of course they can't. You are used to
having people react to you as a respectable sort. That is how
you have presented yourself, albeit unconsciously, by your
choice of clothing, manner, and speech. When you present
yourself as a derelict, why shouldn't people react to you as
a derelict just as naturally?
Experience will increase your self-confidence. Just like
the new kid in school, your disguise personality will slowly
open up and find his own footing, gradually feeling more
comfortable in his new world. Your experiences will bring
you many surprising revelations, not only about the art of
disguise as such, but also about the way others think, feel,
and act, about how society operates, and about yourself and
who you are. Putting yourself in the shoes of a different kind
of person will teach you a great deal about what it is like to
actually be that person, and this knowledge will help you to
further develop your skills.
Ironically, as you become unrecognizable to others, you
will come to know yourself. Through diligent practice of the
art of disguise, you will embark on a voyage of self-discovery
that will continue throughout your life. Even after you have
become a master, there will always be more to learn. So have
a good trip—and good luck!
