Are We Ever Satisfied?

RickEverhart

forum moderator / t11
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Sep 14, 2008
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I was bored last night and so I seriously went to about 8 different magic websites and looked through EVERY single page to see what else is out there that I don't have that could make my act even better. I spent 3 hours drooling over the "next best thing".

Am I the only one like this or do many of us sit there and think, "If I just could buy a few more things....then my act would be top notch."

Every time I have a gig, I begin to think I need to purchase something else to throw into the show when I know darn well I have thousands of dollars worth of stuff in my basement that may have seen daylight once or twice.
 
Mar 22, 2010
32
0
I'm inclined to say, probably not. And honestly, I don't think I'd have it any other way.

As long as we are still looking for new knowledge, new wisdom, and new ways to better ourselves and our performances, we are accepting that we have not yet reached perfection, and are continuing to strive for it.

A probable fallacy here is to prioritize incorrectly, and you end up spending tons of money on ultimately useless (or, unused) stuff. I have to admit I find myself facing the same urges to constantly buy new material. Rather then give in to it however, I try to focus that feeling into buying more broadly applicable things, like books on theory.

Ultimately though, I don't think it's a bad thing. Never assume you have reached the end of your journey and that there are no more things for you to learn.
 
Oct 18, 2010
31
0
no, its how we get better and improve. by never being happy with what we have, we are constanlty trying to improve on it and make it better
 
Apr 9, 2011
43
12
I used to want new card tricks, card magic dvd's, books, etc... all the time. But the more i perform these days, I try to just limit myself to the strongest "bulletproof" effects. I constantly try to improve and master the work that i have now and see no reason to get something new. You are defined by how good your work is, not how many tricks you do.

-Jason Ladanye
 

Luis Vega

Elite Member
Mar 19, 2008
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Leon, Guanajuato Mexico
luisvega.com.mx
I was bored last night and so I seriously went to about 8 different magic websites and looked through EVERY single page to see what else is out there that I don't have that could make my act even better. I spent 3 hours drooling over the "next best thing".

Am I the only one like this or do many of us sit there and think, "If I just could buy a few more things....then my act would be top notch."

Every time I have a gig, I begin to think I need to purchase something else to throw into the show when I know darn well I have thousands of dollars worth of stuff in my basement that may have seen daylight once or twice.

Yes..I think that often...the last time was with "linking cigarrete"...god!!! I had daydreams of what I could do with that trick...in the end it`s an active part of my repertoire..but it didn`t change to much the way I do magic...

Anyway...I personally believe it`s a good think to feel like that...I love when I receive new magic in a box, it`s refreshing...but I feel also helps to see what material it`s good and what is not, it`s part of doing magic, sometimes stuf is not what you expect and make us think in creative ways to use it...
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
I'm right with you Rick. My most recent excuse is that I'm writing a show from the ground up and expanding my library. I've tried to stick to only buying props and routines that I will use in my show, but there have be a couple more things here and there that I've picked up.

I think the test has to be whether we actually use what we purchase in our performances. For me, the new show is going to be a dramatic improvement in the quality of the magic and the quality of the props. The funny part is that I am now using some effects that I purchased a couple of years ago but never really developed a presentation that I liked.
 
Sep 17, 2007
84
1
Great question. The answer is different for everyone.

I love learning new magic. But I don't buy magic simply because I was to perform it. I buy magic because I like seeing what's out there. I like learning new presentations and routines. It helps inspire my own work.
 

Sean.Cinco

Elite Member
Sep 2, 2007
683
2
Orlando, FL
www.seancinco.com
I made it a habit to stop looking at the "newest items" section on magic shops online none of the new products excite me. If I want to learn something new, I dig through my books. It seems like every time I look through my books I see something that I haven't noticed before because there's so many effects to dig through.
 
I must admit, I have just had a mini splurge on buying stuff, but that doesn't happen often. It was to buy things for my new stage show I am looking to put together. I knew most of the stuff I wanted to do, but just bought some more rope, a ring, a MASSIVE sketch pad and I think thats it. I'm using old principles that I know of and I have seen in action elsewhere and put my personal twist on them. Think in total everything new cost me £20, which is pretty good!

Simon_Magic
 

Justin.Morris

Elite Member
Aug 31, 2007
2,793
888
Canada
www.morrismagic.ca
Ha ha, I'm totally the same. Whether it's flipping through old magic magazines or surfing the net for new stuff, I love looking for new material. I has to fit in my show before ill buy, so that keeps me at bay.
 
Feb 7, 2011
362
1
I was bored last night and so I seriously went to about 8 different magic websites and looked through EVERY single page to see what else is out there that I don't have that could make my act even better. I spent 3 hours drooling over the "next best thing".

Am I the only one like this or do many of us sit there and think, "If I just could buy a few more things....then my act would be top notch."

Every time I have a gig, I begin to think I need to purchase something else to throw into the show when I know darn well I have thousands of dollars worth of stuff in my basement that may have seen daylight once or twice.

I think it goes both ways. Spending money on the next big thing is a slippery slope, because it seems there is a new next big thing every other day! Alot of excitement and anticipation is built up around every release on every website, and it then it dissolves and they have the next release built up already. It's just marketing. Credit where credit is due, theory11 seem to work the hardest on their releases, they hype everything of course, as a good business must, but everything on the website is top notch, that doesn't mean everything is for everyone, however i dont think a single release on this website has gone to waste, they've all made someone a better magician.

Im sure your act doesn't need serious revamping because you seem like a very professional guy, but it's also quite possible your act would be greatly enhanced by the next big release! Who knows. But not everything amazing is needed. I dont buy anything unless i think it would suit my performaces, because i like to be fooled, it's an awful habit to buy a trick you'll never use just to find out how it's done! The most important thing is that you gain satisfaction from your work, but no act is perfect, neither mine nor yours, nor penn and teller's or david blaine's, if they thought it was they'd be wrong. I guess im trying to say, we should always aim to find ways of improving our act, but we need to find a balance between refurbishment and satisfaction.

Great thread rick.
 

RickEverhart

forum moderator / t11
Elite Member
Sep 14, 2008
3,637
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Louisville, OH
Thanks Red! Yes, you are correct in saying that we do like to be fooled and sometimes when we get fooled we feel like we "need" to purchase the said effect because it actually fooled us and it made us feel great. Its tough to think like a layman once we are on this side, but when we get that inner childhood astonishment and we know that "astonishment" can be bought with money it is hard to say no....ha ha.

I completely agree with your statement on my act could possibly be enhanced by the next big release but then again it could also flop. That is a tough pill to swallow if you are dropping a few hundred dollards on a single effect.
 
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