Expensive Hobby

[blahblah]

I was kinda forced not to buy much lol.

im only 13 and get £10/$20 a month so Im not exactly able to buy the newest dvd or book.

but what I do have is extremely good and its been proven by lots of people, so when you see somthing like panic, which is a utteraly awsome looking book I wouldnt buy it but think how yo could do it, I wont tell you what you could do (exposure) but it means that normally the effects become YOUR effects, and their unique, which means its easier to make your own style.

also check out the libary and guess what I found. pure effect by derren brown! thats worth about $100/$200 now and I have it for free.

it sounds like you already have more stuff than me so just practice it, also watch the "beginers" video on t11, its a very good video.

if you need any help just pm me and ill try and help you

 

[Infected]

A deck of cards and a book can give you alot.

 

[Randomwrath]

My magician friend and I recently took (in our opinions) a really bad effect (cut the deck in four piles, take three from the top of each pile then put them to the bottom, then deal a card on top of each of the other three piles - ace on top of each pile, sure you know which one I mean) and completely reworked it. Now, it's much more like a dream of aces I've been trying to find/contemplating buying for ages. Best of all, the trick fits me perfectly. I don't intend buying anything for a long while. You get the idea. Just take old tricks and ask yourself what you could do with it. Works wonders.

 

[Wallmott]

I dont think magic is expensive at all, there really is no need to buy allot of stuff.

If you buy say Royal road to card magic and bobos modern coin magic to learn the basics, Then maybe a dvd set like Ben Earls past midnight which has allot of strong card magic, one or two dvds which has some really strong effects like Thread and Distortion and a book like The art of astonishment. Thats maybe 200 dollars. If you get all that and master it, you will never need to buy anything new and you could be and extreamly talanted magician, working and getting paid well for your magic.

 

[MattTarrant]

Magic can actually be quiet cheap, you really only need a couple of books and perhaps a few dvds then some cards, or a shell etc.

It can actually be quiet a cheap hobby, you just have to be careful not to go to crazy for the hype.

I cant talk though, 500 or so decks, 50 or so dvds and about the same in books. Aswell as a 40l Box of Gimmicks, Manuscripts and Items. I have enough to last any magician several items.

Might have to create a library one day haha!

 

[CaseyC]

I dont think magic is expensive at all, there really is no need to buy allot of stuff.

If you buy say Royal road to card magic and bobos modern coin magic to learn the basics, Then maybe a dvd set like Ben Earls past midnight which has allot of strong card magic, one or two dvds which has some really strong effects like Thread and Distortion and a book like The art of astonishment. Thats maybe 200 dollars. If you get all that and master it, you will never need to buy anything new and you could be and extreamly talanted magician, working and getting paid well for your magic.

Yeah once you have a foundation there is no point to keep on buying stuff unless it will seriously help your magic. I personally haven't bought a DVD since almost a year ago and am doing just fine perfecting all the stuff i already have.

 

[StevenLevitt]

Spending money is not the key to be a successful magician, however, spending time is the key to everything.

 

[sebishungry]

I work and pay for all of my magic.
I allow myself to make around 3 $300 purchases a year, I make a long list of stuff i've had my eye on for a while and once it adds up I treat myself usually once each season.
It is expensive but the joy it brings to others is priceless, main things on my list now are a few $40-$50 books... or maybe the True Astonishments dvd set depending on the reviews it gets...

 

[MagicPros]

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

Buy about a book/DVD that has a whole bunch of tricks for about $40. Then practice every single one of them until they are miracles in the hands of an angel. Then move on. Then they should last awhile.

 

[.BMAC.]

I feel that magic as a hobby can either be expensive or inexpensive depending on how you go about learning and using it.

Some buy the DVDs, books, cards and such just because they want to know how it's done or for individual enjoyment. Then, there are others who buy to perform for family and friends. Lastly, you have those who incorporate the effects they buy into their routine to be used professionally, whether it be for their show, or just for a side job to make a little cash.

This subject has actually crossed my mind a lot lately - I'm investing so much into these effects, but I'm not making anything in return. Though nothing can take away the personal enjoyment I get from learning these effects, there is still a missing part of me that wants to be able to turn this hobby (a possibly expensive one) into a well-paying and profitable one. I'm not saying magic is all about making money, it is far from that. But being able to make money off of magic, which many can do would make this hobby great in even more ways.

I'm currently trying to get a job at a restaurant doing some table-hopping, because that's what I'm good at, and that's where I feel is my next step in magic lies. We'll see how it goes.

 

[ramosynthesis]

Well, I don't really have a monthly "spending" but I have spent some $ into it.

First thing I ever bought was E's "How to Do Street Magic" DVD which in my opinion was more of a waste of money. The "Stigmata" DVD however, was cheaper and extremely better and much more worth the money. I have also bought "Mercury", "Ninja" and "Dan&Dave's Trilogy". My latest has been "Beleive". Between these and a BUNCH of card decks I have probably spent about $350

LOL

 

[Mugicano]

Recomend the trilogy?
Anyway, you can have great magic with just a deck of cards, with the right speech, you can make a simple trick look like a real miracle.Mentioned before, but really recomend Marc Wilson's complete course in magic.