Expensive Hobby

[GBORN]

I am very new to magic, in fact, have only been practicing and reading (everything I can get my hands on) for about a month now. The one thing I am noticing (as is my wife when she looks at the receipts) is this might be an expensive hobby between purchasing tricks, books, decks, gimmicks, etc...

Between books and purchasing 1on1 tutorials here at Theory11 it is adding up. A lot of tricks I can figure out myself after some thought, but some blow be away, so I will purchase them, only to find out how basic the sleight/gimmick is. I am glad these tutorials are here, and the magicians can get some royalties.

That being said, how much do you guys spend on magic gear/ideas in a month?
I am around $150 in the past four weeks. My wife has informed me to slow down.

Greg

 

[blahblah]

ummmmm lol, okay well I spend about... £0 - £5 ($0 - $10) ever month, just think about what type of magic you like (lets say cards), and you see a great trick (lets say indecent) and you think wow, also think - will this seriously improve my magic? - if the answer is no then don't buy it, look for something like royal road to card magic - will THIS seriously improve my magic? - yes it probably will.

and you can take a LONG time with those types of books - ive had j.b. bobos book for about 1 month, and im still doing the first thing in the entire book (classic parm), but not like sit down and do it, I will just hold a coin in classic parm... try it like that, then when you think you have your sleight down good maybe start thinking about how you could use it in a trick - then when ever you perform the trick you are

1. being creative
2. pactasing (sp.)
3. learning how to perform so that when you do buy somthing like indecent, you know how to perform.

 

[GBORN]

look for something like royal road to card magic - will THIS seriously improve my magic? - yes it probably will. and you can take a LONG time with those types of books - ive had j.b. bobos book for about 1 month.

I am currently working through both books, Royal Road and Modern Coin Magic. Both, excellent reads and hands on practice.

 

[blahblah]

well then your sorted for at least.... 5 months (if you can practice and if your patient)

tell me/us what dvds/books you have at the moment - I/we will tell you what is good/bad.

 

[StevenLevitt]

Right now? £0

I do not need to keep buying magic, I am advancing what I have already.

 

[blahblah]

and also, dont buy any more tricks/dvds for a few months, learn a few sleights from your books, and create your own stuff - if I was starting magic again thats what I would do, I find it much harder to create now with magic - but with flourishing, I only ever learned one flourish from my one flourishing dvd, but I create new ones really really fast.

 

[white_lynx86]

@GBORN
great for you then
learning from books is more difficult, yet makes you more creative
sometimes you'll find moves that seems can't be done by just reading books (like pivot on car manipulation)
The best part is, you'll find thousands infos more than any DVDs
nowaday people prefer DVDs

I see that you're concerning for close up magic...
Those books are very very great for start

For me, it's just like starting your new hobbies
First you'll need many things to buy, cards, books, pads (for table magic), coins (half dollar ans stuff).
but later on, with knowledge and skill you've got, you'll only need cards and coins when watching tricks on youtube.
you'll figure the sleight by yourself

i'm spending max about $15 a month for new decks, and props

tips for me :
try avoiding gimmicks for now
try learn the hard way... only sleights
it'll push you more to be creative...which is good

this is what I recomended
Books :
Paul Harris : art of astonishment (3 series)
Dai vernon : Vernon Chronicles (3 series)

DVD :
Michael Ammar : easy to master card mirracles (9 series) <-- Very2 great for your foundation
Brad Christian (Ellusionist) : Crash Course 1 (cards) <-- for begginer, great stuffes
Michael Ammar : easy to master coin mirracles (3 series)

Try searching for classic magician, such as Michael Ammar, Daryl, Max Maven (for mentalist), Rocco
Try L&L or A-1 Multimedia DVDs

 

[TheDarkMagic]

All you need is few basic tricks that are amazing. Practice those and you'll be golden. then you can add on to that. There is no reason to go overboard on magic. However, if you really would like a great book with TONS of simple effects that are geat try: Mark Wilson's Complete Course In Magic.

TheDarkMagic

 

[FadedTemp]

$10-20 every other month, which is just used to purchase cards. I have plenty of reading material and other things to study right now so I don't need to buy a lot of stuff. Then again, I did just shell out $300 for True Astonishments.

 

[GBORN]

However, if you really would like a great book with TONS of simple effects that are geat try: Mark Wilson's Complete Course In Magic. - TheDarkMagic

Yep, I added that to my library the first week.

 

[louis]

i don`t buy soo many trick but i waste so much money on cards..

 

[GBORN]

Thanks guys, all great info.

I will probably stop purchasing new magic for awhile, master the material I currently have and create my own twists with it. It is sometimes hard watching the teasers at Theory11. It's like, I gotta have that, and boom...impulse buy.

 

[FadedTemp]

Thanks guys, all great info.

I will probably stop purchasing new magic for awhile, master the material I currently have and create my own twists with it. It is sometimes hard watching the teasers at Theory11. It's like, I gotta have that, and boom...impulse buy.

I had that issue for awhile but it eventually gets to the point where you impulsively buy an effect and when you get it and learn it, you realize. "I would never perform this" due to the method, being impractical or not fitting your actual style like you may have thought.

 

[Donald C.]

I used to buy so much stuff when I first started but now I really research what I am buying to make sure it is truly worth it.

 

[tomohamano]

well I've been waiting to buy stuff for like 4-5 months now, so my list is stacking up. I usually do this though...I wait a couple months to see what else comes out and then when i can't hold it in any longer, i buy the stuff i want, which usually exceeds 100 bucks.
and i agree it is an expensive hobby.

 

[FadedTemp]

I tend to have a deck purchasing addiction. I'm exceeding 120+ decks right now (unopened)....

 

[MitchellStafiej]

I remember the first time I walked into a magic shop to buy my first trick the owner told me to be careful because magic is VERY EXPENSIVE. I took that to heart and remembered to always practice what I have and not spend my money like there's no tomorrow.

So I never spent too much on magic for that reason. There's no point in spending another 400$ on magic when you have a pile of DVDs and books that still haven't been practiced sitting in your closet.

Mitch

 

[romeo sierra]

Every time I go to a brick and mortar magic shop, I always tell myself I'm not going to spend too much. And then I spend hours rifling through pages of the book display and end up shelling out around $500 in books. It's inevitable. Needless to say, I have a pretty extensive library now-- more than 300 books. I love it-- and thankfully, I think it's money well spent. Books have so many hidden gems that I'm finding the transition to DVDs a difficult one. To each their own, I guess.

In any case, aside from my book shopping sprees, I rarely spend anything on new magic. I just buy the supplies needed for the performances I know I'll use-- sharpies, notepads, decks of cards, etc.

RS.

 

[GBORN]

I tend to have a deck purchasing addiction. I'm exceeding 120+ decks right now (unopened)....

good grief!?!

 

[FadedTemp]

good grief!?!

I know, it's crazy. I'm sure it will only expand from there haha.