Hey guys,
I see a lot of magicians and members of this forum who seem to think that learning magic involves reading it in a book (best case scenario) or watching a tutorial (more common) on YouTube or the like, playing with it for an hour or so, and then posting a video of themselves performing it online poorly. Often, they're just exposing the method through their posted videos.
Maybe we would do better as a community if we took a moment to look at how to properly learn something. If we spent the time that we should on each trick that we learn, we would be less likely to rush through the process and saturate the internet with poor magic.
So, how do you learn things?
You consume information in a combination of three ways:
SELF - LEARNING
You learn magic tricks through sources like books. Often, these are just written to be a presentation, method, and credits, followed by another trick, and another, and another. Or maybe you learn them from YouTube, where you are immediately bombarded after one video with another, and another. Well, here's the thing- you aren't going to properly learn something if you move on to the next thing after a single viewing.
You then learn through trial and error. You've read the trick and you're running through it. The problem is, you don't have the experience or knowledge with the effect yet to see what mistakes you're making. You're running trials and the only feedback you're getting is from yourself- so the more you run through it, the more likely you are to actually catch your errors.
ARTICULATION
Through your practice of magic, you encounter the "real work". You start to understand why the trick works, what misdirection it's going to call for, and how the patter helps to enhance the routine. Speaking the patter out loud as you practice teaches you about the pacing, tempo, and direction of the sleights. This is a true rehearsal.
Your first performances are still a part of the learning stage. You are getting the first real feedback of how strong the magical effect is; how your patter and performance is received; and what you need to do to improve it. You also learn if it's just the wrong trick for you, or the wrong method. Maybe it just isn't right for you.
Here's a quote for you: "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking." - Joan Didion. The act of doing can be an exploration, and not just the expression of a final result.
The last part of articulation in the learning process is understanding what it is you're letting go of. As you add new information or ideas, are there ideas or beliefs that you had before that are outdated or surpassed? What of what you've learned is replacing an old thought, and what is truly an addition?
CRITICAL THINKING
Once all that is done, turn to the community and debate what you've learned. Is there a better way to accomplish the effect? Why is it constructed the way it is? Look for the objective truth.
Question whether or not what you've learned is logical and/or consistent with what you already know. Have you seen something similar before? Look for correlations and connections to things that you already know, and decide on what parts of the routine you want to mash up, change, reconsider, or examine further.
SO FAR, THIS IS ALL JUST "INFORMATION CONSUMPTION". IT'S LEARNING IN THE MOST BASIC, SELF-GRATIFYING SENSE OF THE WORD.
After you consume the information, there's more to do!
REFLECT
Take the time to sit and think about the routine. Don't be so quick to move on to the next thing or consume something more until you've really digested the trick. This could take a long time, and that's okay! Most professional magicians and magic creators I talk to get obsessed with one plot, and work through multiple variations of the theme until their research runs its course.
Ask yourself, "what was the most useful to me?" and "how can I apply this to who I am and what I already do?"
IMPLEMENT
Simple - take what you learned, and put it in practice. You are always learning, even when you're performing a "finished piece"!
SHARE
This is not just about teaching others, but putting it out there that you learnt something! This social aspect is often missed by those who think they need to hoarde their knowledge. Others will be able to offer their input and suggestions to you when you share, opening up space for new recommendations, critiques, etc. Then the cycle begins again!
ONLY THEN SHOULD YOU THINK ABOUT putting it on YouTube.
-Scott.
I see a lot of magicians and members of this forum who seem to think that learning magic involves reading it in a book (best case scenario) or watching a tutorial (more common) on YouTube or the like, playing with it for an hour or so, and then posting a video of themselves performing it online poorly. Often, they're just exposing the method through their posted videos.
Maybe we would do better as a community if we took a moment to look at how to properly learn something. If we spent the time that we should on each trick that we learn, we would be less likely to rush through the process and saturate the internet with poor magic.
So, how do you learn things?
You consume information in a combination of three ways:
SELF - LEARNING
You learn magic tricks through sources like books. Often, these are just written to be a presentation, method, and credits, followed by another trick, and another, and another. Or maybe you learn them from YouTube, where you are immediately bombarded after one video with another, and another. Well, here's the thing- you aren't going to properly learn something if you move on to the next thing after a single viewing.
You then learn through trial and error. You've read the trick and you're running through it. The problem is, you don't have the experience or knowledge with the effect yet to see what mistakes you're making. You're running trials and the only feedback you're getting is from yourself- so the more you run through it, the more likely you are to actually catch your errors.
ARTICULATION
Through your practice of magic, you encounter the "real work". You start to understand why the trick works, what misdirection it's going to call for, and how the patter helps to enhance the routine. Speaking the patter out loud as you practice teaches you about the pacing, tempo, and direction of the sleights. This is a true rehearsal.
Your first performances are still a part of the learning stage. You are getting the first real feedback of how strong the magical effect is; how your patter and performance is received; and what you need to do to improve it. You also learn if it's just the wrong trick for you, or the wrong method. Maybe it just isn't right for you.
Here's a quote for you: "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking." - Joan Didion. The act of doing can be an exploration, and not just the expression of a final result.
The last part of articulation in the learning process is understanding what it is you're letting go of. As you add new information or ideas, are there ideas or beliefs that you had before that are outdated or surpassed? What of what you've learned is replacing an old thought, and what is truly an addition?
CRITICAL THINKING
Once all that is done, turn to the community and debate what you've learned. Is there a better way to accomplish the effect? Why is it constructed the way it is? Look for the objective truth.
Question whether or not what you've learned is logical and/or consistent with what you already know. Have you seen something similar before? Look for correlations and connections to things that you already know, and decide on what parts of the routine you want to mash up, change, reconsider, or examine further.
SO FAR, THIS IS ALL JUST "INFORMATION CONSUMPTION". IT'S LEARNING IN THE MOST BASIC, SELF-GRATIFYING SENSE OF THE WORD.
After you consume the information, there's more to do!
REFLECT
Take the time to sit and think about the routine. Don't be so quick to move on to the next thing or consume something more until you've really digested the trick. This could take a long time, and that's okay! Most professional magicians and magic creators I talk to get obsessed with one plot, and work through multiple variations of the theme until their research runs its course.
Ask yourself, "what was the most useful to me?" and "how can I apply this to who I am and what I already do?"
IMPLEMENT
Simple - take what you learned, and put it in practice. You are always learning, even when you're performing a "finished piece"!
SHARE
This is not just about teaching others, but putting it out there that you learnt something! This social aspect is often missed by those who think they need to hoarde their knowledge. Others will be able to offer their input and suggestions to you when you share, opening up space for new recommendations, critiques, etc. Then the cycle begins again!
ONLY THEN SHOULD YOU THINK ABOUT putting it on YouTube.
-Scott.
