Too old for magic?

Oct 13, 2008
48
0
Hi there guys!

I'm 19 y.o. and have just started in card magic and flourishing. I am really into it, but one thing bothers me much. That may seem silly to you but the problem is - my age.

You know, i look at theory11 crew and all of these great people are in magic since they were 6 or so! Dan and Dave Buck, Wayne Houchin etc spent lots of time practicing at school as kids. Comparing myself to them I just feel like not being able to keep up from the beginning, as far as i start just now.
That's kinda similar to ballet where you have no chance if you didn't start off as a baby..

Well, please tell me guys, if i'm just bullsh***ing myself or i'm really a bit late.

Thanks.
 
Feb 1, 2008
32
0
I think it's more a matter of practice and hours put into it rather than what age you start. But if you want to compare yourself to Bucks or the other artists, you must be ready to put thousands of hours of practice, which means many hours, every day, for many years. That's the problem if you want to be as good as these guys, not the age.
 
I'm sure there are plenty of magicians who started as adults. Starting younger just gets you that much farther ahead. But starting younger doesn't help a whole lot becuase your hands are too small and you're not as smart(hehe). You definately shouldn't quit, if it's something you love, keep at it.
 
Sep 1, 2007
720
2
Sydney, Australia
Well now you have the maturity to actually practice your tricks before you show anyone. The magicians who started very young (under 10 years of age) tend to show their tricks the minute they learn them which may mess with their confidence when spectators say "It was cool but I saw what you did". Just remember to practice before showing anyone...
 
Dec 10, 2007
204
0
I understand what you're saying. Im 19 also (I'll be 20 on wednesday), and i used to think the same thing. As far as most of the kids online, i dont think many of them will still be around in a few years. As much as they say they will be, right now magic is a bit of a fad... but you will see that soon it will die down and there will only be the people that are serious about magic left. So you dont have to worry about most of the 12 year olds that are online in 5 years.

As for the pros like Dan and Dave, you also have to remember that they didnt have a "Trilogy" when they were practincing in their rooms for 12 hours a day. There were NO DVDs and very few VHSs not like there are today. So all that time they spent inventing you can completely bypass and go straight to learning. So you have that advantage. Of course you should try to create your own routines and variations, but you are way ahead of the curve as far as magicians that have been practicing since they were 10.

So if you are serious about your magic, you will be absolutely fine. If not then no big deal who cares. lol. Hope that helps, and take care.

PS no laymen will know who Dan and Dave or Jordan Lapping are. The only person they will be comparing you to is their 10 year old nephew that knows a couple of self working card tricks. And if you cant show that kid up, then you have problems.
 
Oct 13, 2008
48
0
Thanks a lot, especially DJDonkeyPuncher. That was damn convincing! :)
And kids indeed have small hands and lack patience to practice hard. Didn't think about it before.

Thanks again. Theory11 is awesome. :)
 
Sep 20, 2008
1,112
3
i started when i was 16- still going strong.

You're never too old for it if you ask me. Like any other things, Magic can be a hobby too. Like learning how to play an instrument. etc. =]
 
Oct 9, 2008
486
0
Gardena,CA
yo man keep at it if you really love it it will never die down you need to be true to yourself and have fun with it and remember practice practice practice to me it doesnt matter how old you are when you do it people that are young doin it get more applause than older people but then younger kids have much smaller hands and they tend to flash and tell there secrets more often so keep it up man peace
 
May 13, 2008
543
0
St Albans, UK
Many older magicians started late but that doesn't mean they don't entertain or love the art. If it makes you happy and you're 80 years old, who cares?

Marlo and Vernon were still going strong in their later years, yes they have been doing it throughout their lifetime but their love for magic clearly showed. They're probably performing in heaven right now. If there is such a thing...i'm an atheist so...back to topic.
 
Some kids are not mature enough to do magic. They're not respecting it and they "expose" magic all over youtube to get "popular" since they cannot perform properly. I almost went that way but I'm glad that I didn't know how to use the camera these days. So yeah, I guess that you are mature enough to do magic and you got hands big enough for palming:D
 
Jun 24, 2008
163
0
United States
Are you kidding!? 19 is young compared to half the older magicians i know! Im 16 and only got started a few yrs ago, but i know a bunch of magicians that didnt start till their late 30's! So no, your not too old haha, keep at it!
 
Nov 24, 2007
130
0
32
Hermosillo Sonora
aaron fisher, tom isaacson, mathieu bich (if you want a super creator) started at 15 if you want references from this site.
plus magic its not about skill, thats the last thing you need. Magic is about performing and let people to experience magic. let me tell you, al the effects that you see wayne, aaron, tom, mathieu, david blaine! are super easy! they barelly need sleight of hand. What the got... is experience. Years of performing. I started at 15 also and if i had started at 40, It wouldnt matter.
And dont practice trying to do better than them:

"Never mind what others do; do better than yourself, beat your own record from day to day, and you are a success."
- William J. H. Boetcker

Thats it...

P.S. Do not say crap to all the magic kids, some of them will kick our ass some day xD
 
Sep 2, 2007
47
0
Visalia, CA
Well I read that David Stone started magic when he was 19 and became a F.I.S.M. winner at the age of 23. So I guess you shouldn't worry about your age because its how much effort you put that counts
 

PTG

Jun 15, 2008
146
0
In a cave.
Well actually I started taking dance classes when I was eleven, and at eleven and a half I started ballet. Since I was naturally flexible, I moved up through the levels of ballet at a rather quick pace. Even though I didn't start when I was a baby, it doesn't mean that can't be good. Just another random fact Zac Efron started acting when he was twelve, so just last week (sorry HSM lovers :D), and he is one of the "hottest stars on the planet".

I think you can figure out what I'm saying about you and your magic.
 
Sep 2, 2007
1,186
16
42
London
Althought I'd played around with card tricks before, I was 21 when I started taking magic seriously. Although it would have been nice to have all the basic sleights mastered by that age, starting at that age meant I knew how to effectively practice, having spent twelve years playing the piano. I also had the maturity and understanding to grasp presentation and the ethics of magic.

I'm 26 now, and I'm always learning, both in magic and other areas. Even now, I wouldn't rule out starting something completely new...I've always wanted to learn a martial art, for example. Basically, what I'm saying is, at 19 you're far too young to be thinking about how old you are (if that makes sense).
 
Sep 20, 2008
50
0
Israel
Without reading the whole topic, these are my two cents:
I started about half a year ago, when I was 20, I have a few card tricks down at a decent level, and the main point is just to have fun.
Then again, I am not "a magician", I just do this stuff socially, or to friends or sometimes passers-by.
Bottom line: go for it dude!
 
Searching...
{[{ searchResultsCount }]} Results