Saturday Night Contest - Resolutions For 2017

[CaseyRudd]

Hey guys, hope everyone is having a great New Year's Eve! As 2016 comes to a close, we are reminded of everything we have done over the past year and where it has gotten us heading into the new year. It's always exciting to begin a new year, so first and foremost, happy new year from all of us at theory11!

We want to know - in your own words - what you feel you have accomplished over this last year (2016) in magic and / or cardistry. Some of you may have performed your first professional show, others may have come up with a cool idea or concept that found its way into your repertoire, or maybe you just discovered the art and want to share how it's impacted your life. The contest tonight is simple - tell us about it.

In addition, we want to know what your resolutions are for this next year - 2017. What are your goals? What would you like to see yourself accomplish in magic and / or cardistry over the coming year? We want to hear about it!

Because this is a written contest, everyone of you is free to participate. Submissions should be posted as responses to this thread - and all entries must be in by tomorrow, Sunday, January 1st at 11:00pm EST for judging. We will review the posts and announce the winner (selected at random) once time is up. Note that submissions can vary in length - but are limited to 500 words, maximum.

The winner takes home 1,000 Elite Member Points and ANY 6 Decks of your choice (of those that we have in stock).

We look forward to reading through all of your accomplishments, aspirations, thoughts, and goals!

 

[Gabriel Z.]

Good Luck Everyone!!

 

[Gabriel Z.]

First off I would like to thank Casey Rudd for enabling us to participate in these contests every Saturday. To sum up my year of 2015 , I would like to mention that without a deck of cards I would be completely lost. I wake up every morning with the intention of gradually improving my card handling abilities. I have been doing this consistently for about going on 4 years now. I suppose that would make me a toddler in the world of magic. However, I guess after a while it just sort of grows on you. For my New Year resolution I have already started to put one foot in front of the other. My up the ladder cuts are getting smoother, so I will continue at that. I want to keep reading the literature and find new effects make new connections etc... I also want to get into cardistry because that seems to be very popular. Thanks again to the Theory11 community.

 

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

Good luck to all involved!

 

[Elok]

I have only been in magic for a few years now, so there are a lot of things that I could say I have accomplished (that was a poorly constructed sentence). But I would say that the biggest thing that I have been able to do is reach out to people and bring happiness into their lives. This brings me joy as well and proves to me that magic is something I need to stay in.

As for my resolutions they are not as plentiful. Mainly I plan to focus on simple flourishes that I can throw into performances. Things such as one handed cuts, fans/spreads (these the most), and things like springs and waterfalls. I also hope to develop some of my own tricks.

Good luck to all, and a happy New Year!

 

[ProAma]

My resolution is to perform at least 3 times a day to any number of people. I would also like fellow magicians to reach out to me with knowledge just as I reach out to them.

 

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

2016 was a dumpster fire of a year in regards to my health. I went in-patient in April and I didn't get onto a good medication regiment until November. So for about 7 months, thanks to the meds, I had zero interest in magic or cardistry--or really anything. It was weird and not so fun. But I'm starting to get my head on straight and starting up again.
Before I went loopy, I did manage to create a cardistry flourish & perform for my first time for strangers in the form of Anna & Elsa at Disneyland. I wouldn't recommend doing that unless you have chops, but it was for my daughter. So there.
Also, after my new meds (in November) started to...work, I actually started performing for kids. I managed to perform a birthday show for my twins as well as do a sort of impromptu show at ye locale church. I found it to be a good starting point in figuring out how I want to do things for the children's hospital show when I get to that point.
I also performed at an assisted living home in December. While I didn't do very good there, I do want to go back and try my hand again. Which is where I transition into the resolutions:

- I need to get my health back on track. The VA here still hasn't done anything with my osteopenia. And getting anything done in the VA here is painstakingly slow. I'd like to have that looked at. As well as work on my never-ending mental health adventure.

- I want to perform at the assisted living home once a month. I at least saw a couple people enjoy it (despite how terrible I was), and that's enough encouragement for me to go and try it again. Up to this point, I've been geared pretty hard to perform for kids only. Elderly with memory issues is definitely a whole 'nother playing field. But it's one that I think is worth shooting for.

- My magic budget to acquire the props I need for the children's hospital show next year is going to be abysmal (trying to repair credit to buy a house in 2018). I highly doubt I'll be performing in the children's hospital next year because of this. However, this does give me the opportunity to practice sleights that I've been wanting to work on, but never made time for. Namely, the stuff in Ray Kosby's Impossible Card/Close-Up Magic. I want to be able to eventually do 'Raise Rise', 'Silver & Bone', 'Rubber Nightmare', and '1, 2, 3, 4'. And the Ray Kosby stuff is super-advanced mega hard stuff (even his 'easy' stuff is stupid hard). Plus, I need to get out and perform more just to get comfortable being in front of everyone and putting on a show.

- Finish my cardistry flourish tutorial (Triplicate Fan) and have it in the marketplace in January.

As always, thanks for the opportunity, Theory11 staff and crew!

 

[MikeK1]

In 2016 I feel as if I accomplished many personal goals in magic and cardistry. I learned so many new moves in magic and cardistry that I thought would take me years to learn and dominate. In this past year I learned that such moves in cardistry and magic can be accomplished if you set time and put your mind into it. This idea has given me much strength in many of my performances. Also this year I've became an elite member which was also another goal of mine in this industry. Overall, I can say 2016 was a real success.

In 2107 I can only hope for these goals I achieved in 2016 to be expanded. I hope in 2017 I show and inspire more people to do what they want to do in life because we only have so much time. Other than that I hope my magic becomes stronger and learn new things. Last but not least trying to be more active on these forums with this great community.

I hope everyone had a fantastic 2016 and a soon to be blessed 2017.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

In 2107 I can only hope for these goals I achieved in 2016 to be expanded.

I have no doubt that you will accomplish many things in the next 90 years

 

[DominusDolorum]

Despite being a member of Theory 11 for a number of years, I have only been active this past year. And it has been my favorite year in magic so far. I have interacted with so many of you and have made connections that have fostered my love of the art, and pushes me to do the best I can. Through the Saturday night Contests, particularly the performance ones, I have come out of my shell more and it paid off despite losing on many occasions. I will never forget the first contest that I entered and ended up winning. I decided to use half of the elite points I won to buy a Theory 11 bracelet, and ever since then I have worn it every single day to remind myself that I can do this. I can be a good magician. This site means a lot to me and I want to thank everyone on here for being a part of it. Tyler Scott, DeanMagic, Brett Hurley, Michael O'Brien, Gabriel Z. and RealityOne are amazing people to interact with and you guys have been an amazing part of my year.

For 2017, I aim to not only continue practicing my craft, but to put myself out there more, and push myself to perform more and more and grow as a performer. Here is to a new year! And thanks to Theory 11, it's staff and it's members, for making this an amazing year!

 

[JonathanK]

need to hold decks in my hand when I'm doing other things, so I can get a better feel for it

 

[JonathanSim]

Next year, I feel like I should learn more sleights and learn tricks that are more advanced than a few simple card tricks. I also feel that I should take more steps in taking magic as a profession and find a way to get the exposure I need to become more well-known for doing magic. And I'd like to thank the Theory11 community for being such an awesome group to interact with and participating in these contests has been extremely fun.

 

[__3V__]

Well 2016 was quite a successful year of mine in terms of magic. I've participated and several contests and had achievements. I moved from only street magic to stage and I love it! So in 2017, I hope that I can continue doing what I've done in 2016, get more shows, let people know more about magic and appreciate it. I will continue my study so that in 2018 I can graduate and live my dream life: Being an translator/interpreter in the day and a magician performing in the night Long way to go but I will try my best to reach my goal.

Thank you very much T11 and all the members here. You guys have been helping me a lot. Happy new year everyone!

 

[Maverick85]

2016 taught me to think like a magician. When a lay person sees a piece of cloth on a shelf, they see it as a possible tablecloth or perhaps some drapes. Thanks to the last year, I see that simple piece of cloth as being included in my work. If it's light enough and the pattern could hide stitching, it might be just what I was looking for. Someone else sees a shot glass as a receptacle for booze, I think of how I could use it if the inside were painted to make it opaque.

I learned how to think outside the box and think beyond the obvious. That coat that has a zippered breast pocket, it would be so powerful if used as a destination for a CTW. That fan is spinning fast, but I know how I could have a chosen card “appear” on the back of one of the blades.

It was a journey about learning to think outside the box and think like a magician rather than just learning how to do a few sleights. Being able to watch a trick doesn't tell the secret, but being able to think like a magician allows me to think of how I might do it even if it's not the same way.

2017 is a clean sheet, ready for everybody to write their year-long story. It's not even here and already I'm thinking like a mentalist because I'm thinking of a number. It's a three digit number, fairly unobtrusive and unassuming, and no duplicated digits. My goal for 2017 is to make sure I earn that figure in one day. In many ways it's an all-or-nothing bet.

Why all-or-nothing? If I earn that figure at any point in 2017 in one day, I'm thrilled. If I cannot, I maintain my interest in magic, but I stop focusing on it as a viable career option. If I can earn the “magic number” in a day, then I'll know this can be more than just something I'm seriously interested in: it can be a career. Few things motivate like a concrete goal and I have one.

Goals are not resolutions. For those, I have a few relative to magic. Second and Bottom dealing, I know precisely how I'd use them in a few tricks but my skill in them isn't where it needs to be. Drawing a pinky pulldown break isn't something I have the sensitivity for due to too many hand surgeries, so in the coming year I'll figure out another way to cleanly do that. My handling overall needs to look more like a magician and less like an amateur and I'll address that as well.

Every year is a blank slate. An opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the last year and avoid them in the next one. It is what we make of it. I hope to make this year my big year and I hope everyone else can do the same.

 

[MikeK1]

I have no doubt that you will accomplish many things in the next 90 years

HAHA dang didn't notice that!

 

[DominusDolorum]

2016 taught me to think like a magician. When a lay person sees a piece of cloth on a shelf, they see it as a possible tablecloth or perhaps some drapes. Thanks to the last year, I see that simple piece of cloth as being included in my work. If it's light enough and the pattern could hide stitching, it might be just what I was looking for. Someone else sees a shot glass as a receptacle for booze, I think of how I could use it if the inside were painted to make it opaque.

I learned how to think outside the box and think beyond the obvious. That coat that has a zippered breast pocket, it would be so powerful if used as a destination for a CTW. That fan is spinning fast, but I know how I could have a chosen card “appear” on the back of one of the blades.

It was a journey about learning to think outside the box and think like a magician rather than just learning how to do a few sleights. Being able to watch a trick doesn't tell the secret, but being able to think like a magician allows me to think of how I might do it even if it's not the same way.

2017 is a clean sheet, ready for everybody to write their year-long story. It's not even here and already I'm thinking like a mentalist because I'm thinking of a number. It's a three digit number, fairly unobtrusive and unassuming, and no duplicated digits. My goal for 2017 is to make sure I earn that figure in one day. In many ways it's an all-or-nothing bet.

Why all-or-nothing? If I earn that figure at any point in 2017 in one day, I'm thrilled. If I cannot, I maintain my interest in magic, but I stop focusing on it as a viable career option. If I can earn the “magic number” in a day, then I'll know this can be more than just something I'm seriously interested in: it can be a career. Few things motivate like a concrete goal and I have one.

Goals are not resolutions. For those, I have a few relative to magic. Second and Bottom dealing, I know precisely how I'd use them in a few tricks but my skill in them isn't where it needs to be. Drawing a pinky pulldown break isn't something I have the sensitivity for due to too many hand surgeries, so in the coming year I'll figure out another way to cleanly do that. My handling overall needs to look more like a magician and less like an amateur and I'll address that as well.

Every year is a blank slate. An opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the last year and avoid them in the next one. It is what we make of it. I hope to make this year my big year and I hope everyone else can do the same.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you more in 2017. Happy new year, friend.

 

[Toby Langdon]

2016 rekindled my interest in magic since I took about a year break from it.
I've become better at Magic, sleights and creating my own effects as well as increasing my general knowledge of magic and it's history. Creating my own effects has been difficult but i am starting to understand how to do so.

I kind of performed for the first time outside my family to an agent in an interview which to my dismay kind of failed. It was going really well performing Stand Up Monte when I got one of the moves wrong near the end and she saw the secret I was pretty embarrassed but I now know it happens to everyone and I shouldn't be too ashamed.

A big YES in 2016 was visiting Davenports magic shop. As there are no magic shops in New Zealand (which sucks btw, one store in my area stocks normal bicycle cards for 13 NZ dollars(9 USD) online for 10 NZD (7USD)) visiting an actual magic shop when we went to London was amazing.

2017 will be great. I will hopefully be visiting Davenports again. I plan on learning some flourishes, trying everything in my new books Bobo's modern coin magic and expert card technique and tackling the revolver by Ka Wang Chow. I also am going to put together some routines so that when I feel ready to perform I have something.

I plan is to keep creating no matter what it is. I want to create something practical, visual and clean. something i could put in my routines if I wanted to.

The biggest thing for 2017 however... I will win a SNC!!! It's nearly been two years since my last win with numerous honorable mentions.
Wining a SNC is a must.

Good luck to everyone for 2017 and good luck for this SNC.

 

[RomyC1]

So I haven't accomplished anything in magic or cardistry in 2016 but I would like to think I have supported my very talented 13 year old who has. I did not even know that he was interested in magic and cards until I left one of many doctor's visits that I have had over the year and was stopped by staff in the waiting room about my son. I was thanked for how my son was cheering up all the people waiting in that room by doing his card tricks and rubiks cube tricks. After asking my son how he learned how to do all of that he just said Youtube and practice. I told him how happy he had made everyone in the doctor's office and he smiled and said awesome and that he would like to come to all my appointments if he could. I was and am a very proud mother. I found this site in an effort to support my son and to give him some of the happiness he was spreading around with his talents and hope to do more of the same in 2017 and encourage you all to share your talents as well!

 

[HEYmish]

When I was 8 I first discovered magic and loved it but I went on and off for 5 years. 2016 opened my eyes to REAL magic, the community and everything in between. Magic helped me relax and after starting in semester 2 my grades improved by just having something that I could do everyday that I love. I practiced for at least half an hour everyday after school and learned everything from how to shuffle (yeah I was pretty bad) to the emsley count and Sybil cut (a big step for me).

It was around September I did discover cardistry and found the wonders of expressing yourself with cards (much to my family's annoyance!) and sharing your passion for the art form. I thenfound false cuts and controls and finally decided that i was a card magician not coin just good old sleight of hand.

I ordered my first shipment as a new member of t11 and waited excited and expectant for my two nph two monarch 1 ivory tycoons and 1 tally ho as well as the free rarebit. When I got them I was NOT disappointed they fanned shuffled and performed amazing to my surprise at their thinness. When t11 released theh holiday wheel I was excited and I have gained 700+ elite points n Christmas I got to my surprise a 5th and laurel deck and am looking forward to the email/deck.

Next year I plan to release my first video on the market place, I am thinking of a colour change. I also hope to have earned enough money to make some purchases on both the marketplace and some on tricks. I look to extend my skills in controls and false cuts and general handling. I want to research and build my own table to perform tricks on in the street and maybe perform my own show. I will immerse myself more in the community and participate more in every aspect of t11.


I would like to thank the t11 team for making this year, snc and holiday wheel. I look forward to 2017 with you all and have a great year!
Hamish

 

[The Magic X]

Despite all the craziness of life, 2016 will remain in my heart as the year of magic. This is the year that I started taking magic seriously. This is the year I started performing on the street. This is the year I spent way too much money buying decks of cards.

Every time I failed, I learned, and in the end I loved every bit of it.

I've learned much in my time, and I only hope to learn more, and figure out who I am as a performer. I'm going to try new things, get out of my comfort zone, and discover what I like best.

In 2017, I will learn the art of ring magic. I've just recently discovered Mr. Messado, and something about his skill and style draws me into this style of magic. It's different than anything I've done before, but I will learn it and practice it until I do it the best I can, and hopefully I well become my own performer in doing so.

/x