What motivates your choices in magic?

So today I attempted Healed and Sealed in private. After wasting half a can of Cherry Cola (which is not made in Australia, and costs a pretty penny to buy here as an imported drink) and winding up with a sticky face and clothing I thought "#*@$i it, I am sticking to cards!'. As comical as this scene sounds, and as imprudent my impulsive choice to save the can to try the trick rather than have it with lunch as I intented to, it did make me think.

My choice of cards as my main focus did not have any significant thought behind it. I was looking for activities I could enjoy with my friends face to face, and card games seemed like the obvious choice. I bought a book of card games that had some card tricks and cardistry skills included. I largely ignored these, and went on to use the book to learn new games. Incidentally, I bought an instruction book on magic several years prior, but I felt intimidated by the level of subtlety required. I felt too clumsy to even attempt it.

Not long after I started experiencing pains in my right index finger while performing everyday tasks. Opening taps, pulling on door knobs, using knives and potato peelers etc caused me some grief. My doctor told me it was 'a bit of arthritis' and sent me away. The who consultation was rather surreal, but I did mainly come in for a flu shot and didn't think much of the pain. Then it hit me. Arthritis is permanent. Arthritis is hurty. It is incurable, but can be managed. So to exercise my joints I started learning card sleights. Doing it by yourself is not much fun, so I tried it out on my partner and housemates. It blew their minds. I have very poor fine motor skills, and it is something I struggled with all my life. However, I love performing. I've always been into drama and music performance and I love talking in front of people. Getting close to people and amusing and amazing them is precious to me. The mind blowiness + good exercise sealed the deal.

After some bloodwork and very puzzling xrays, my doctor conceeded that I probably have some sort of injury rather than arthritis. Phew. I've decided to keep on going with cards as they are easy for me to handle (palming coins or smaller items gives me grief, cards are a-okay), sexy, are good exercise, are sexy, widely available and familiar to most people, sexy, and I can pull off nice effects even with my clumsy, hurty hands. However, choosing cards as something I like to learn and practice with was not entirely a matter of taste for me. I have restricting physical factors that both motivate me and hinder me. I seems that a lot of people choose one area of magic to concentrate on. It seems to be sort of like learning a musical instrument - very few can play many well, but dedication to a single instrument pays off for a lot more people. What motivated your choice? Is it a matter of taste or practicality? Are you so awesome that you're good at everything? I want to read some long stories please :p

(Sorry for the lenght of this, I am a rambler in real life as well :eek: )
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,879
2,945
How I started magic is pretty mundane. I was living with my girlfriend, and she went to Mexico for a semester of grad school. I got bored so I decided I'd learn a couple magic tricks to show her when she got home. I chose card tricks because I knew I could get cards from Target for cheap. I learned Chicago Opener (which I still perform) and Jumping Gemini (which I don't) and practiced them for about two months. I performed a couple times for coworkers over that time, and then for her when she got home. I got good reactions, so it was fun for me.

I've done a fair amount of performing before, but never this up close and personal. I never interacted with audiences like this, so it was new.


I stick to cards and mentalism mostly. I like cards because they are cheap and portable, and there's a lot you can do with them. And, really, I just like card magic. It's fun for me and I have a bit of a knack for it. I like mentalism because it's the only magic that I think seems like it maybe, possibly might be real. I know there's no way that Michael Ammar can actually make a bottle materialize from nowhere, there has to be a trick to that. But Derren Brown telling some girl a pickup line she heard once .. well, that's probably some kind of trick .. but .. damn, where'd he come up with that?
 
May 2, 2010
207
1
37
New York, New York
Well my choice to go into cards was 2 factors for me. One is that I always loved playing cards. Second was when I was young. I dont remember how young but I think I was 11 or so. I saw Ricky Jays 52 Assistants. I was outstanded with what he was doing with a pack of cards and his patter was out of this world. I wanted that type of skill with cards.

Soon right after I saw a tv as for larry andersons jrawdroppers. Had my parents get it for me and started right away. I got discouraged quick. The tricks sucked, I wasnt getting any better. I didnt know where to purchase books or effects. I havent heard of tannens yet (I live in NYC) so I gave it up.

I got back into it last yr when I saw Rickys special again on youtube. Then Darwin Ortiz, Richard Turner, Martin A. Nash, Jay Ose, Charlie Miller clips that I saw breathed more fire into me. Found my local magic shop and picked it up again.

When cards are handle properly which is somthing I dont claim to do lol. They haye a certain elegance and prestige to me. Also because the idea of the cheat/hustle with cards if gone that route.

I always been interested in things that took skill Pocket Billiards, Playing cards, throwing a football, etc. Hell I remember following along with Painting with Bob Ross on PBS lol.


Mike
 
May 19, 2010
239
24
My local magic shop got me started into coin magic. I walked in for the first time with my friend and was amazed by all the merchandise. The guy that owned the shop showed me a trick with scotch and soda and I was immediately hooked. I guess I perform coins mostly because it always brings me backed to that time when I was both amazed and fooled.
 
Apr 5, 2009
874
1
29
Illinois
i was lost with no direction. just kind of blindly doing stuff. usually books from borders. i bought two gems and one really lame one. one gem was so good i didn't even use it.

but then adam grace told me to get royal road. and thats when it all started!
 
Feb 27, 2008
2,342
1
33
Grand prairie TX
Sticking with just one small aspect of magic(card tricks) because you failed at one general magic effect seems real lazy in my opinion. I started off just with cards but after years of doing that it felt like i was stuck in a rut. It seemed so mediocre to me. That there was all this different types of magic out there to do and cards was all i could do because it was safe. My comfort zone of sorts. I would make excuses that coins were to hard or that gaffs were too bulky. Later that same week I realized everything I said or thought was pure BS. After that my audience took me more serious as a magician instead a guy who only does card tricks. Now I mix muay thai displays with my shows to my audiences. Teaching them about buddhism,energy,destroying your weaknesses,etc. And I have maybe one card trick in my show. And the trick itself isnt a pick a card and ill find it trick.
 
Sticking with just one small aspect of magic(card tricks) because you failed at one general magic effect seems real lazy in my opinion.

Dude, it was a self-deprecating joke to evoke an image of a person dripping in soda as a result of failure. I intend to try the trick again tonight, after I buy more cans of cheaper soda. In fact, as soon as I bought the can I thought "this is a great chance to try Healed and Sealed!" (I seldom buy soda). I have given other reasons for my choices, especially in the last paragraph. While it makes perfect sense for someone to branch out eventually or even initially, I just wanted to know why people did what they do, and that might not necessarily be one thing. Personally, I want to stick with one thing until I get quite good at it. I do know some bits of coin/note/table magic, but I've not the time to practice those to the point of excellence. You just contributed a great and very relevant post while trying to call me lazy. :(
 
Jul 12, 2008
192
0
Kendal
Anyway - back to your original question: personally my choices in magic were first controlled by my own ability because that was the main thing that was limiting me. When I got better I found it to be my own inability to see past a trick that someone else had devised and see the principle behind that I could, myself, use in order to construct an even better trick. Now I think it is just my imagination. I think my magic is manipulated by my own ability and opportunities that make themselves available to me. I daresay most people have a similar experience, but this caused me to work solely with cards for probably more than the first year when I was in to magic. I find I still do mostly because that is what I am most familiar with, but I do aim to do less card magic and more situational and geek magic.
 
Jul 13, 2009
424
0
Edmonton, Canada
I was always into "Card tricks" for as long as i can remember ... but the first card trick that I remember was performed by my Dad, who forced a card on me (a force that i believe he created on the spot), and found it and i was totally amazed ....

THEN after a few months, when i was about 11, i bought a book abroad, teaching card tricks. I still remember that things like the Pinky break and DLs didnt' make sense to me at the time, i was like who is stupid enough to not notice that ... lol

I then dropped card tricks for like 4 years ... but then a close relative of mine got into the art of illusion, and performed some card effects for me. At this point it was no longer card "tricks" i was seeing but card "magic" because he was doing things that seemed impossible to me at the time like transpo. and the "Do as i do" routine is the one that amazed me the most ... and this is what got me back into learning card effects. I went immediately on Youtube and learned some card tricks like "Abduction" and "the Chicago opener", practiced like crazy and performed it for that close relative. He knew i was interested in card magic and he gave me a deck of bicycle playing cards to replace my old crappy plastic bridge size cards i was using ( at that time, i didn't notice the difference between the two ) and he taught me several sleights and easy card effects to get me started ...

Since then, i've been mainly into card effects. I've learned a lot and i mean a LOT of materials over the past 3 years, and this is when i came across Theory11 which also helped me ...
 
I feel bad for you mate. Cherry cola is one of my preferred drinks out here in the states. If you're old enough where you live, I recommend a shot of rum with it too over ice. Stirred gently, and a twist of lime.

Thankfully I have been old enough to drink for a couple of years now, the legal drinking age being 18 rather than 21 here. I think that makes up for the lack of cheap cherry coke, hehe. :D

Interestingly, the first magic trick I ever saw was done with coins. However, the magician didn't choose my ear to produce one. I hope that one day someone does, even if I know now how it is done and it is not that uncommon. Just to make up for that time when I got passed up as a child, y'know :rolleyes: Though I admit to laying cards out carefully one by one to imitate the ribbon spread before I could even read, so I could turn them over all together. Card games and chess were a huge part of my childhood, heh.
 
May 23, 2010
157
0
Singapore
So today I attempted Healed and Sealed in private. After wasting half a can of Cherry Cola (which is not made in Australia, and costs a pretty penny to buy here as an imported drink) and winding up with a sticky face and clothing I thought "#*@$i it, I am sticking to cards!'. As comical as this scene sounds, and as imprudent my impulsive choice to save the can to try the trick rather than have it with lunch as I intented to, it did make me think.

My choice of cards as my main focus did not have any significant thought behind it. I was looking for activities I could enjoy with my friends face to face, and card games seemed like the obvious choice. I bought a book of card games that had some card tricks and cardistry skills included. I largely ignored these, and went on to use the book to learn new games. Incidentally, I bought an instruction book on magic several years prior, but I felt intimidated by the level of subtlety required. I felt too clumsy to even attempt it.

Not long after I started experiencing pains in my right index finger while performing everyday tasks. Opening taps, pulling on door knobs, using knives and potato peelers etc caused me some grief. My doctor told me it was 'a bit of arthritis' and sent me away. The who consultation was rather surreal, but I did mainly come in for a flu shot and didn't think much of the pain. Then it hit me. Arthritis is permanent. Arthritis is hurty. It is incurable, but can be managed. So to exercise my joints I started learning card sleights. Doing it by yourself is not much fun, so I tried it out on my partner and housemates. It blew their minds. I have very poor fine motor skills, and it is something I struggled with all my life. However, I love performing. I've always been into drama and music performance and I love talking in front of people. Getting close to people and amusing and amazing them is precious to me. The mind blowiness + good exercise sealed the deal.

After some bloodwork and very puzzling xrays, my doctor conceeded that I probably have some sort of injury rather than arthritis. Phew. I've decided to keep on going with cards as they are easy for me to handle (palming coins or smaller items gives me grief, cards are a-okay), sexy, are good exercise, are sexy, widely available and familiar to most people, sexy, and I can pull off nice effects even with my clumsy, hurty hands. However, choosing cards as something I like to learn and practice with was not entirely a matter of taste for me. I have restricting physical factors that both motivate me and hinder me. I seems that a lot of people choose one area of magic to concentrate on. It seems to be sort of like learning a musical instrument - very few can play many well, but dedication to a single instrument pays off for a lot more people. What motivated your choice? Is it a matter of taste or practicality? Are you so awesome that you're good at everything? I want to read some long stories please :p

(Sorry for the lenght of this, I am a rambler in real life as well :eek: )

I understand you pain mate.I myself have broken one of my right finger and now my sleights look kinda akward.Maybe you should do the finger excercises taught in The Trilogy haha.

My girlfriend motivates me to do magic because she was the one who taught me that one simple trick that spurred my interest in magic.
 
celebracadabra really sparked my interests not the show its self but the free trick that brad would teach at the end of each show. practiced those tricks each week showed them to my girlfriend she was amazed and bein learning since then
 
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