Saturday Night Contest - What Magic Means to You

Sep 30, 2009
272
0
50
Elkhart, IN
My name is James and I live in northern Indiana near the Michigan state line. As a young kid the only magic that I was exposed to was what I had seen on TV. I don't remember who the magician was but after seeing him pull cards out of thin air, I knew that I wanted to learn how to do that. Having little to no resources to learn from at that time in my life magic slowly slipped to the back of my mind and life went on as it always does.

Years later my Dad showed me the only card trick he knew and told me when my hands got big enough to do the secret move he would show me how to do it. Well, he kept his promise and that's when I learned the "glide" move. (Not sure if that's the real name or not) but I was able to show you the card on the bottom of the deck but not give that card to you. So, after that I had been at a book store with friends and saw a hard back copy of "Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic" and I bought it. I learned a few new things from it and still have that book to this day. But with all things in my life at that time, once again magic slipped in behind other stuff going on. Never forgotten just put away for awhile.

Many years went by and the only magic I would do was the simple French drop and the coin comes out of your ear. Until one day after getting married and having two boys. We went out to dinner one night at a local food place. Ryan's Steak House and that is where I met my new friend Steve Vaught. He was doing walk around magic and did some for my boys (and me too). Steve got me thinking about my magic like never before. I got on line to look up what I could on magic because now I wanted to do what he was doing...allowing people to enjoy themselves by performing magic for them. That's where you guys come in here at Theory11. I found your site and have learned so much from not only the stuff I bought but from the forums too. I may not write much in the forums but I read a lot and learn a lot from all of you. I would also like to mention that Steve introduced me to a (let's say younger person then me) Nick. To see what he can do with magic has inspired me as well.

So, in all...thanks to Steve, Nick and ALL of you here at Theory11 for bringing magic back to my life in full swing. Also want to thank my loving wife for putting up with being my go to person when I'm ready to show a new trick.

(As a side note I should have mentioned that I used to keep to myself. As Dan Sperry put it "Loser" but now you all are helping me break out of my shell with my magic.) Thanks for the opportunity to share my story.
 
Jul 16, 2009
6
0
Wow, i don't know if i can remember that far back. i picked up my first magic trick when i was 7 or 8 yrs old. it was the "Rising card". i know my hands were small to try to handle the pack of cards, especially the gimmick, but i continuosly wrestled the deck to milk every performace i could out of it. Whether i was performing for the school talent show or my parents and thier friends, magic gave me the greatest feeling in the world. i felt that i was a completely different kid and; that i could do anything i wanted and act however i wanted. David Blaine once said "You dont get into magic, but that magic gets into you." thats exactly whats happened to me. day in and day out i constantly practiced. one the bus ride home from school i would skip my usualy stop to go to the library, which coincedentally had a magic shop right next door, so was alwas reading and always learning.
i didn't have the money nor the luxury that my friends had. while they were getting toys or ipods, i was reading a new book and learning who alll the greats were, and aspiring to be like them. as i got older, magic gave me an out-source for my creativity. i would see somthing in nature, or daydream, and it would shoot out a spark. when i was 13 i created an imprompt book test from listening in on a conversation a couple had about guessing numbers in a Barnes & Nobles. after that i realized that i could turn magic into somthing, turn it into my career.
A year later through prep, i was performing; i was at home and i didnt want to leave. but i also grew bored of the textebook tricks i leaned growing up. i seen Criss Angel and David Blaine and i thought to my self "that is some of the sickest **** i had ever seen! i have to learn how to do it!" somwhere around that same time i found out about Theory 11. after a few monthes of practicing stuff from T11, my whole repuitoire had changed. i took on the "rockstar" look and changed up my patter. i was performing magic that was closer to reality. a whole new era and style in my career was born. im a junior in high school right now, and i feel like a celebrity as far as school goes. i cant walk down the hall w/o someone asking me to do a trick. im always happy to bounce over and blow some minds. just recently i have freshman come up to me who havent been doing it as long as i have asking me for tips and pointers. im not a magician, im THE magician in school. Then theres the bonuses. I owe it to magic for almost all the number, dates, and girlfriends that i've had so far;)
My desire to live eat, eat, sleep, and breathe magic is always pushing me further and further. so much that i am performing an homage to houdini with an upside down straight jacket escape inspired form Wayne Houchin. My push is to be the best, and i will. i currently perform professionallyand the feeling i get is the same as when i perofrmed my first trick, if not greater; excelerating, and i love the feeling. it is nothing short of the best fun i ever had.

Nick Lakey
Newport News, VA

bacf2011@yahoo.com
 
Jun 5, 2010
15
0
Rachel from MD-- My Story and how Magic has helped me

Hi, I’m Rachel from Maryland

I’ve always been the kind of person to want to be able to do ANYTHING anyone else can do. There’s probably a reason for that … So let me share that with you. I was born completely deaf. But, at 18 months I got a Cochlear Implant, which enables me to hear normally. (I recently turned 15, so I’m very used to it.) But, sometimes I don’t hear as well as other people. I’ve always wanted to be like other people. Like, around water, I can’t wear my Cochlear Implant (a really advanced kind of hearing aid.) I’ve always hated that, because I feel lost and can’t understand what anyone is saying! In addition, when I go to sleep, I take off the Cochlear Implant. So, it gets really weird at sleepovers. (Now I leave it on, but when I was younger I didn’t.) My differences from other people really annoyed me. I just wanted to be like everyone else. I was never very popular in school. I had a great circle of friends, which I’m very grateful for. But, I still longed for more. This desire to be like other people existed throughout my exposures to magic, and this is truly the reason why I started with magic, and refuse to stop.
I saw my first magic show when I was in first grade. My friend had a birthday party, and the entertainment was a magician! He performed miracles, and I remember being captivated by his performance. After performing, he even taught us a few tricks, and gave us some gimmicked tricks. I used to love performing them. In addition, my grandfather (now deceased) had given my brother a magic set. He never took to it, so he gave it to me when I was about 8 or 9. It was really frustrating for me, because I had a hard time understanding. I had given it up by the time I was 10, that was around the time my grandfather died.
But, I continued to see people perform simple magic tricks, and I continued to be intrigued by it. Sometime in middle school, I started to take to coin magic. Being able to do magic with coins really intrigued me. So, I went back to the magic kit my grandfather had given my brother, feeling that the kit should be put to good use. I only found one coin effect, and it wasn’t even amazing. I gave up again. But then, at tennis camp one counselor performed the “Slap That” trick, I’m not sure of its proper term. He called it a family secret, and wouldn’t reveal it. I spent all of that week trying to figure out that trick. By the end of the week, I figured it out! After that summer, I discovered YouTube. I’ll admit it, for awhile I was a “YouTube junkie.” I lived off YouTube tutorials, and craved magic exposure. By the time I was in 8th grade, I started to post my own coin performances. That was the year I began to take my magic seriously. I eventually merged to predominately card magic, and I’m okay with that. The performances I saw growing up pushed me to do that myself.
Why magic? Why not something else? Well, I do other things too! Magic has just intrigued me the most. That ties back to my hearing loss, because I’ve seen people go from being completely deaf, to well-functioning members of society. I almost view this as magic, like making a blind person see. I know that the magic we do, as entertainers, is different. However, I still feel like I should give some miracles back. So, my ambition with magic is to entertain and give back to the society that has helped me hear, and be more like other people. I hope that this made sense, I think my thoughts might have gotten a little muddled.

Thanks for reading
Rachel
 
Apr 5, 2009
874
1
29
Illinois
I'm Webster from Illinois, and magic has changed my life. in magical ways.

for me, magic has made me more unique, more independent, and it broadened my friend base. it really did make me, who I am.

Theres nobody, i repeat NOBODY in my town who performs regularly and does the stuff that I do. There are a couple of magicians who do crummy magic, that was cool when i was little, but wouldn't fool anybody over 6. So I'm something special, I'm the magic kid. Half my school knows me because of my magic. I'm unique, its kinda like being the one kid who can run spaghetti out his nose, only cooler. There are kids in choir who are known cause they can sing, or athletes for their athleticism. and me for my magic, I'm the only one. I'm unique.

Up until I learned magic. I relied heavily on my best friend Jake, he was my guy. then we hit high school and we started to spread apart, not big but there were more people we could get along with, and he wasn't there to hang out with all the time, he had other friends he would hang out with. stuff like that which is all cool, but i felt kinda out to dry, then magic came along. and I didn't need Jake to be funny, i didn't need Jake to start a conversation with some cute girls. that kinda stuff, i could do on my own with magic. I really needed magic to make me more independent. and it did.

For the reasons listed above, i started to meet new friends, hang out with new people. Magic made my circle of friends broader, it opened up new worlds to me, i met band geeks, choir kids, gangsters, honors students, jocks, everybody was within reach because with magic i could reach out and befriend people. Then i found theory11 i cant possibly begin to tell you how much theory11 has done for me. I've conversed with older more knowledgeable magicians who taught me the important things in magic. Theory11 has been more than generous for somebody who doesn't buy from them too often, I love the stuff sold here, but i'm focusing on the basics and lets face it, crush wont make me any better at my classic pass.

so in short, magic has made me into a more unique, independent guy with a well rounded friend base, and a great online magic family. i love magic, and truly believe God used it to make me into who i am.
 

Luis Vega

Elite Member
Mar 19, 2008
1,838
278
38
Leon, Guanajuato Mexico
luisvega.com.mx
My name is Luis Vega...and this is my story

looking back some years back..

my name is Fabian Vega...I remember some time ago...I really don´t recognize myself anymore, I was an average guy with an average life in an average town...I study in high school and that was pretty much everything I was doing in that time..I can hardly express myself in class,with people, with friends and family, I felt that things are the way everybody else said...and not anymore...

I have fear...fear to change, fear to voice my opinion and getting rejected, fear of talking to somebody different to my circle of friends and even to try new things that going from A to B...I really don´t think in the future or what I am going to do next day..I just lived for today...then my brother showed me the first trick I ever saw...some prediction using the slip force...then something clicked in my head

Looking back to today...

My Name is Luis Vega...and I am a magician and an architect

I am confident with myself and everything I say and do...I am an architect and I am confident into showing a client a project...I am confident into defending my ideas to a group of clients and I am capable to expose a work of mine to a group of people..

I work out everyday in the gym because I realized in magic and in bussiness in general you need to have an image that people can relate to it and feel confortable...and to be healthy...

I am Luis Vega and I have a lot of friends and I keep doing friends every night I perform in restaurants, gigs and shows...I am confident into introducing myself to a group of strangers and perform...or sometimes just talk...

I am Luis Vega and I am a known magician in my town and a very capable architect that has winned some important projects because of my hability to convince clients that my idea is the best....and connecting to them in a visceral level...

I am Luis Vega...and this is how magic has changed me...
 
May 15, 2010
493
3
28
With Gerard Way
Magic saved me.

What magic has done for me…? I might not have such a wild story as many other people and I may not win this contest but I don't care. I just want to be heard. Although I have done magic for years I have just gotten started with Theory 11. I have worked hard to be where I am at and I recently got to a point where I thought that with my resources I wouldn't be able to get that extra big push that I needed but then I found Theory 11 and they gave me a good hard push just when I needed it.
As a kid or a teenager, of course when being a teenager it seems to be the worst time in life. The silliest things matter to you and mostly it is conformity. It is easy for me to say that I don't get along very well with other kids in my school. I don't really conform to what I am supposed to wear, being a tomboy and all. Creative differences, I like to say for the other stuff.
But…magic has kind of taught me that…it doesn't matter. I can walk up to someone on the street and get a life connection with someone through my magic. And it is inspiring, especially with other kids going through rough times and like myself and many others I can say I haven't had the smoothest childhood, magic gives me a reason to keep going and work hard. Prove something. Especially prove that even though you are a teenager you can do something.
What I like to leave people with is, and this being kids my age, younger or even adults is…don't listen to reality. It will just push you down. You can make something levitate. You can walk on water. As long as you can see something and see yourself doing something, no matter how crazy it is or how impossible. You can do it.
Magic has changed my thinking on life and reality. Before magic at all I thought "Oh, you can't do this, you can't do that" because reality stated that you can't. And magic has broken the boundaries of that. And broken the boundaries of my thinking to allow me to do this. Theory 11 has also helped to expand my creativity to allow these walls to stay down and help me discover more. I am able to take my life and break down all the barriers that stop me from doing anything. I can break everything down and do the impossible.
I don't know what I would do without it. I would most likely be in school, getting the same grades as now and struggle to be normal. I need to be different, that is my ticket in life. WIth out magic I would be normal and without Theory 11 as my resource I would be Youtube. :(

Magic and Theory 11 has taught me how to be me. I appreciate that they know that the future of magic is the kids. And I really appreciate that they take their time to help others, the future of magic and the current state of magic to be brighter and have no walls or boundaries.

Thank you

-Anna
 
Apr 25, 2010
12
0
Magic is something that has literally changed my life. Its taught me to be yourself, and follow what you truly love to do, forget about what others have to say, if there is a dream you truly want, go and chase it. Truth is, your the only one who can make it happen. With that being said, here's how it started.

Two years ago a friend of mine showed me a David Blaine trick, and instantly I got hooked. I needed to know how the trick was done, cause it seemed like a miracle. The more tricks he showed me, the more it pulled me into the magic community. He would do tricks, that I would never dreamed of doing now, (Tivo 2.0, Queens, Half Vanish, Greed, Etc). As the years gone by, I would sit in my room for literally hours and practice until I couldn't no longer. Its gotten so serious, that I have lost social time with my family, and friends. Magic was my number one priority. Unfortunately my family has not been the greatest support of my magic. They tell me that what I do is a waste of time, and pointless. It is hurtful that they would say that to me for all the time and effort I have put in into this art. But I take what is said, and apply it to my cardistry, and use it as motivation to help me become better. Now I preform tricks that I thought was literally impossible to do, for friends, students, family members, and random spectators. Magic has been a great adventure for me so far, and I know I'll be expecting a lot more to come. With that being said, I hope you enjoyed reading this. Take care!

Chad- CA

I don't dream for fame and riches. I dream about shuffling a deck of cards one time, and in that action controlling and locating every card in the deck.

-Brian Tudor
 
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Magic and cardistry, since I began learning it about a year ago, has been so much more than a hobby. It’s an addiction, and a muse. To me, magic embodies everything that I am. I love to make people react, laugh and think. I often visualize and daydream, the inside of my head is often like a trippy art film. Magic and cardistry is the perfect outlet for these traits and the perfect metaphor for my thinking. It’s a distraction and it’s something I can take with me everywhere, something I can do anytime. I get bored easily and often, but magic is something that I never get tired of, because there is always something that will refresh me and motivate me to do it better or differently.

I’m typically a quiet person, more of a listener, save for the occasional joke or relevant addition to the conversation. It’s during the lacking or dull moments where I can show people something amazing, bring life back into the party. When I want to get out, experience the world and new people, I’ll just walk around the city and show random people something new, and add something they won’t forget to their day.

If I’m alone and I feel stressed or un-centered, just standing around and practicing some card flourishes and effects will always bring me down to earth. Magic is both my escape and what keeps me grounded more than ever, whenever I need it. Hell, even now, I've stopped while typing this and picked up the deck of read Bikes next to me and practice a couple flourishes while I think of what to write next. It helps me understand people, as it is my philosophy that a person shows their true colors when they are witnessing something that cannot be explained. Shock, laughter, sometimes even fear, all comes out when someone sees an amazing piece of magic.

I feel amazingly privileged to be in an art form such as this, as it sets me apart from most people and sets me closer to them at the same time. I’m reminded of the effect magicians had a long time ago, people like Merlin and other historical figures were regarded as gods, prophets, anti-christs, and other titles. While magicians don’t hold such a title now, it’s cool to think that we are a part of it and we can do these things, real or not. And it’s places like this, Theory11, that modernizes it and brings it to the new generation. Magic is amazing to most all people, but Theory11, for people like me, makes it amazing for the performer. I know I wouldn’t be performing anything other than card magic if it were not for Theory11, as the majority of effects I had seen were simply not my style. But releases such as Crush, Pressure, and others have motivated me to branch out and learn new styles of magic, so nothing will ever get old.
-Eric, MA
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Hope it's not too long (TWSS), I'm a writer and I could have gone on forever but I did my best to condense it. Thanks for reading,
 
May 31, 2010
18
1
I think...

Why not the paint? Personally, painting for me, compared to magic, is nothing. I think that magic is the only art that you can improve to the infinite and always get better. You'll NEVER have the same reaction with another art than magic. A magician do not always impress other people, he impress himself too. When a magician look at his own trick, sometimes he isn't able to see how the trick is done! It depends also on how you define the word "art". We can say that everything that we do is an art; dance, sing, make magic, paint, eat, music, etc. Why magic is the best art? Because, for people, magic is make something impossible happen for real. This is why, for people, it is so impressive and this is why we have to continue this, and make it better. This "art" is rare, it's not everywhere that there is magicians. Where I live, I am the best magician that people ever seen, and the only one. I have some "students" that I show them some little tricks and stuff. What they does is repeat what I show them. For people it's impressive, but the real art between me and them is that they repeat and me I invent. The base of art is invention, not copying. So, some "magicians" aren't magician, they repeat what they see. I am a magician and I can tell you that it's the best thing that I got in my life. Like if me and the deck were one, and only one person.

Thanks,

Raph.
 
Jan 5, 2008
41
0
Hello all. I'm Brian from Ohio.

Magic is one of the greatest and most rewarding things that I have ever been involved in. It is always interesting, ever changing, and just blows my mind day after day. The feeling of seeing something new and having it completely baffle you is incredible, but the sensation you get when you give that same feeling to someone else is even better!

However, even though the practice and performing is absolutely wonderful, magic has taught me something even more useful: to just go for it! Let me give an example. A few months ago I saw a video of James Brown perform a routine that won him the title of close up magician of the year and it was spectacular. ( If you haven't seen it go on youtube now and watch it for something you will never forget) Everything he did was amazing, but the thing that really blew me away was the card under watch effect. I later bought one of his DVDs and he talked about card under watch and said, "just stick it under there." I just kept thinking, "there is no way that will fly." And I thought that way for some time

Then a few months after that I had been aching to just try it out, depite my nerves, and one night while I was doing walkaround magic at a gala I decided to try it. I did a few tricks for a guy that was pretty shrewd and he was impressed. Then I decided it was time to just do it. So I finally did what I had been wanting to do for months and stuck his card folded under his watch....AND TOTALLY BLEW HIM AWAY!!! Not only did he call over tons of people to watch me do tricks, he gave me a substancial tip for the entertainment. Needless to say, for the next few hours I was walking on air.

I felt so good that I finally overcame my nerves and tried soemthing I never thought would work and was rewarded in teh knowledge that it was possible, easy, and so so so fun. So now I stick cards under peoples watches like nobodys business and am secure in the knowledge that whenever i think something is impossible, I should just go for it.
 
Jul 12, 2008
24
0
pennsylvania
My name is Jonathan from a little place called Waynesboro in Pennsylvania, where to start with this... well when i was 5 years old my dad was in the hospital because of lung cancer and during that time i had trouble trying to keep it off of my mind, even at 5 years old i knew what was going on. So after a year had passed and i turned 6 i was watching a tv show as you all probably know called worlds greatest magic. I was astonished with all the tricks and performers, i just had to know how they did it and i knew it would keep me going with my dad being in the hospital and all.

So eventually i got my first magic set, your basic beginners kit. I practiced all the tricks and when i got my favorite i showed my dad at the hospital, it was the coin to matchbox. He was amazed and told me that i can be whatever i want to be. About a month later he had passed away. He was very supportive and because of him i am still doing it today.

When i perform a trick to someone, i love to see their reaction, it puts a smile on my face when i know that i have done something for someone to enjoy, I also enjoy seeing reactions from people. I enjoy receiving questions.

I think theory 11 has really helped the magic communtity, it is a great site and has alot of nice things. Forums where you can discuss your magic and other things, and of course they have great people and i really enjoy just everything about this place. They have inspired me and i am always learning new things from peoples advice.

Thank you
-Jonathan
 
Jul 8, 2008
443
1
As I flash back now onto a (most likely) boring story to some of you, I can depict a time of "personal hardship" in my life. Ever since I was just a wee lad, I have never been a social person. I know it seems like something most people will turn the other cheek at and say "Oh, well that's not that important". But, it was important to me. I never had any real friends and I was pretty left out. Nobody invited me to parties or sat with me at lunch or acknowledged me in a line. It really hurt. And then, as if the world collapsed and I was the only person standing, Magic hit me like a brick (I'm sure that happens quite often). David Blaine's special, "Drowned Alive" stuck out to me one night while flipping through the TV channels. After being blown away by it, I realized that Magic was what I wanted to do. It astonished me how this strange man could make people LOVE him from just sitting with him and doing a magic trick for a few minutes.

In essence, I realized that Magic is about performance. It's about performing. I was in Trick Zone Philly a few months ago and a young boy asked the store clerk (Who happens to be one of the friendliest guys I've ever met) what magic is about. I'm sure what was running through his head was "to trick people". But this guy responded with "It's about performing". Again, it was like being struck with a brick (I must have some crappy Karma, man)

So in conclusion, to me, Magic is a way to break the shell and find the pea. Escaping from our little boxes with flashy lights and getting into people's hearts. To find what makes the world tick. Think about it. During the depression, if the ENTIRE world stayed so negative and nobody was there to give us that one cheap laugh to break the tension, we would all be dead. Now, go break your shells.

-Mark Tirone
Jackson, New Jersey
 
Oct 17, 2009
35
0
My name is Louis Mailhot and I live in Quebec, Canada. First, I started magic at 7 years old. I found the art to impress the world and to live their new sensation, in short, I immediately fell in love with this art. I ask for Christmas books and I was served. But unfortunately I stop. Fortunately, 2 years ago I found everything I had begin again. I work on technique and everything that people thought impossible, realized my hands. Later I go to the library looking at some book to continue working. Then the magic shop, I saw the magician community in my town to help me continue to learn, even in the slightest devotion of my parents, I managed to work the magic box.

In turn Theory11, Theory11 to improve my magic, but not only magic, cardistry too. With the purchases I made on theory11 I managed to greatly improve my magic, not just with the DVD but with the forum and that we share their professional knowledge for magicians like us. Theory11 greatly help me in learning the magic, not only with art but with the psychology that is adhered just below a routine.

Now I'm not a young novice magician who put the tutorial on youtube, I'm THE magician at my school and my family while jealously guarding its secrets. Now the magic helps me with everything else in my life. His support has to focus and make me a little under to continue to advance my magic.

Finally I love the effects of holding cards in their hands and mix them as I do, people are like OH MY GOD ... Just keep a pack of card mechanic grip is a feat for them, so imagine their to reset how they roll over. Then for the rest, we'll see later :-D

Sorry if some word or sentence are incoherent, i just speak english so....

I hope you enjoy my text :)
 
Nov 10, 2007
1,706
1
Magic has affected me and so many ways. It was 3 years ago, I was going into high school, this is a big day for anybody, and like anybody, it is common to be nervous. You don't know how kids are going to act towards you. After about 2 weeks of high school, I was not very social, and realized I need something, that is going to make me stand out. Prior to high school I had been doing magic for about 3 1/2 years I decided I would quit, for some reason. Well the next day of deciding to do magic again, I brought a deck to school. After school in the parking lot, I showed a few quick tricks, after people realized what I was doing, everybody crowded, after 4 or 5 minutes I must have had about 2 - 3 hundred kids around me. They were cheering for me and stuff, it was an amzing feeling. This then happened after school everyday, for about 2 weeks. In January I decided I would join the talent show, they have been doing the talent show at my school for 50 years. I went up on stage did my thing and received 1st place, I was the 1st freshman in the Schools history to EVER win 1st place. That was a great feeling, sophomore year rolls around I got 1st place again, that made me the 1st person to ever win 2 consecutive years. My junior year I decided not to do the talent show, but next year my senior year I plan on putting a spectacular show on. So not only did I finally break out of my shell, I also started to get a reputation, what an awesome feeling.

Magic challenges me everyday, whenever I see somebody better then me, it makes me want to sit down at my table and practice all night long, which happens very often. I don't see the point in having a profession, if you are not going to be the best or at least try to be the best. At the table where I practice I have several items, these remind me of my long term in magic. Some of which are Bee Erdnase playing cards this reminds of The Expert at the Card Table ( I want to be an expert ), Guy Hollingworths' Drawing Room Deceptions this reminds me that when perfoming magic you must be smooth and confident, and my last item Dan and Daves AndthenSome this reminds me of the visual aspect of magic and the type of magic I would perform to other magicians showing the skill I have aquired of the years. Everyday as I practice I look at these items hoping to get inspiration and motivation to keep practicing.

Magic has also given me lifetime memories and amazing friends. When attending conventions, you have such a fun time showing effects and staying up in the late nights. These are things that have changed my life forever.

Thank you for taking the time to read my submission
- Donald
United States Florida
 

CaseyRudd

Director of Operations
Team member
Jun 5, 2009
3,393
3,801
Charleston, SC
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You know that feeling when your parents say to you, “You’re going to do it for maybe a month then you are going to forget about it and do something else.” Then you say, “No I won’t.” Then a month later you forget about doing it and head onto something else? Well, I have done it a lot in the past; except for MAGIC. Nothing ever hit me hard enough after my brother showed me a card trick when I was 12. I was stunned; my mouth drew open, very wide, just a blank stare in his eyes. He looked back at me, and smiled. Nothing could ever describe how wonderful I felt after seeing that. NOTHING. He just handed me the deck, and told me that there was nothing else to see except for 52 cards. I didn’t believe him, so I scrolled through every card, examining it all. And he was right, there was nothing to find. I felt a weird sensation you get, when you just saw something impossible. The blood rushed through my veins, a new type of energy entered me, and I KNEW I had a passion for magic.

I was talking to some friends a few days later, and they introduced me to YouTube. Once I got home, I searched for tutorials on how to do card tricks. I was introduced the Key Card Principle, Slip Force, and the very basics I needed to know to do more amazing tricks. I didn’t know they were called sleights or anything technical, I was just fascinated to learn, and learn, and learn. I took all that I knew to school and showed my friends a card trick. They literally ran out of the classroom and told other friends what I did. I had all the attention, and I was absolutely excited. I gained a good reputation for blowing people’s minds, and made me feel the best that I have ever felt in my life. I knew what I did was real magic, and I will never forget that memory.

Unfortunately, I had a downfall in my social life. I wasn’t that popular at my new school “School of the Arts”. The school is packed with rich snobs who think they are top dog of the school; I didn’t have many friends there. So one day, I thought I could boost my reputation like I had done at the other school with my magic. Well, it turned out the complete opposite. I didn’t screw up the tricks, or do anything wrong. They just looked at me, acted as if nothing happened, and laughed at me. They spread around the grade that I was weird for doing magic and they thought it was geeky and dorky. Soon everyone started laughing at me for no reason, just to be cool with all the other rich snobs. I thought that I couldn’t do it anymore, because they all laughed at me. But then I thought what the feeling of doing magic made ME feel. I felt excited when I performed, I was THRILLED by the reactions, and what I felt was REAL MAGIC.

Magic means more to me than getting in front of a camera, like most of today’s generation. It also means more to me than getting money. Honestly, I could care less about the money. Magic to me is seeing the reactions. When they are happy, I am happy. When they are astonished, I am astonished. I love interacting with other people, getting them involved in every way I can. I just wish other people at my school saw the happiness in me, and today I still wonder why they are acting the way they are. But nothing about that really hits me. As long as I am happy with what I’m doing and what makes me and others feel happy, I will always see the magic in spite of everything.

Casey Rudd
Charleston, SC
 

ATH

May 1, 2010
150
0
Magic.

Here goes...........

I can't really say that magic has changed me; rather, it is changing me. When I watch someone do magic, I am instantly transported to a new world of wonder and excitement. Every time I get that feeling, I am reminded of why I do it - I want to give others that same feeling. I don't want to be that narcissistic magician that takes all of the spotlight and has fame and worldwide recognition - I want to be that guy you saw on the street who showed you something that blew your mind and made you feel awesome. That's why I do magic.

When I was a kid, I was always interested in magic, but I never thought that I could do it. The moment that I realized that I could do magic was the moment that new doors were opened in my life. I was able to create things that could change lives. I could do something that few people could do or understand. From that point on I am a different person. Once magic got a grip on me, I could not escape. I never wanted to live a conventional life, and with magic I didn't have to. Magic is what separates me from others and makes me feel unique. I am free to create and share my ideas, and Theory11 has opened the door to that.

Magic has changed me in a HUGE way. It has made me a better person in general by allowing me to see that life isn't about me. That's the thing about magic. It isn't about the performer. It is about the audience. You, the magician, are giving someone an experience that will change them personally and hit them at a deep level, WAY past the surface. It will open the doors to new possibilities, in your life and theirs. It puts people in a better mood and heals people emotionally. That is why I do magic. I want to give someone an experience they will never forget, something that inspires them at a rough time in their life.

I didn't write this for the sole purpose of winning the contest. Whether i win or lose, I will continue to do magic. I just hope that people read this and are inspired to persist. Magic is more than a business, it is a channel in which you can express your emotions and change people's lives. Sure, it takes practice. LOADS of it. It is something that will consume most of your life. But it is 110% worth it. You only live life once - do what YOU want to do, no matter what other people say.

Cheers to Theory11 for reminding me of why I do magic and for being more than just a business.

Change the world,

Austin from California
 
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