Can purchasing magic (books, dvds, downloads, etc.) be addictive?

[nayost]

i think so (or is it just the human nature's thirst for knowledge?). because i think i am addicted. i can tell you right now, out of all the things i've bought in the past year, i can only do a small portion of it well. however i still have strong desires to purchase more and more material. i once said to my self, after the purchase of TA i will not buy anything for a while. but i continue to buy 1 on 1's and other downloads. not big ticket items, but in the end it all adds up... i need to stop, i don't know how much i've spent in the past 6 months, i dread calculating the total......

i'm sure there are others out there knows how i feel, right?!

 

[Jeremy C.]

The good thing is, you're not the only one. The bad thing is, that it's hard to break the habit. I used to have a problem with this, but I've matured and realized that you do NOT need tons of tricks and you should practice the ones you already know.

I assuming you are new with magic, yes? You just have to resist, stop cold turkey!

Beginners still form this habit because technically, they're still laymen that's learning magic. So you partly just want to know the answer to the trick and partly want to actually learn it. Buy magic to LEARN it and PRACTICE it.

 

[Randy]

It's not hard to break the habit. I have a big list of things I still need to go over and another list of things I plan to purchase. I did make an oath to myself that I wouldn't get any new DVD's or books till next year (which is when I'll be finished with TA.) By then I'll start working on each of my DVD's and also am almost done with Card College and then going to work on things like Larry jennings book and all.

The thing to do is to set a goal and stick to it. Write down and tell yourself that you are not going to buy anything new (besides maybe a few decks of cards) till you finish what you started. Also to save on decks. take the ones that are old and put them in the closet and leave them there for awhile and just go through them again and again. You'll find that the old cards will end up feeling like new cards and etc.

 

[Gui42]

ok... so stop buying things... ok buy th ANDTHENSOME.... but that is it hahahaha
but seriously... stop and go over some old dvds... such as The Trilogy... i stoped to go over it last week... and men... i still learned a lot of things... perfected others... i had a teacher that used to say ''reviewing is living'' and i agree... you will stop a see how well u can respond to the techniques u r familiarized with and how easy it will be.... like TODAY i went ober my smooth operations pdf and just learned Collectors Relux... rly just now... and saw how easy it is and beautiful...

my point is... you know those things you didnt pay much attention? go over it and you see that you have a LOT more matterial then you think... especially if you onw pdfs and dvds...


now for the downloads of 1 on 1s.... know u have a lot of utility moves a techniques... now u will come across situations where idk... you wish u had learned AF strike change because damn... i just went thru a perfect situation for it... you c my point right???

so.. go over the old stuff... i know u can still learn a lot

 

[lunatic core]

I found that if I force myself to work items into my routine and real world setting before purchace, I end up dropping lots of effects that don't fit my style, or don't work well for my location.. etc.. Really work the pro's and con's of an effect before purchase. It can be done without knowing the secrets. I recently talked my self out of getting Flow because I work indoors mostly, and it's winter. I am completly in love with the effect, and I nearly had it next in line, but it just doesn't work for me.

 

[senchi]

I don´t think it is a beginners thing to be obsessive with buying new magic. I find myself buying things which I´m pretty sure of how they are done, just to prove myself wright.
Anyways, we are so exposed to new products through the internet and love for the magic makes us thirsty for knowledge and easy victims.

I think the habit should be broken not because of the money spending but because it is inhibiting our own creativity. We loose our selves due to constant exposure to other peoples magic and opinions. That´s the biggest problem...

 

[nayost]

ok... so stop buying things... ok buy th ANDTHENSOME.... but that is it hahahaha

that's the problem!!! hahaha, there's always something new coming out that i know will be just awesome! and yes, i am fairly new in magic. started in 2007 as a hobby. i'm nowhere as hardcore as some of you out there (e.g. a thread i read about practicing double undercut 500 times a day) . over my short exposure in magic i've also learned to appreciate the art form and the hard work behind each slight.

sometimes i feel like i buy the dvds/books/pdfs/etc. simply out of my admiration for the artist producing them. i guess one other way to solve my problem is just to........ MAKE MORE MONEY!!!

thanks a lot for your inputs.

 

[nayost]

I think the habit should be broken not because of the money spending but because it is inhibiting our own creativity. We loose our selves due to constant exposure to other peoples magic and opinions. That´s the biggest problem...

that is a really good point. i have never though of it that way. i'll definitely keep that in mind.

 

[Toby]

Everything that one person enjoy doing, can be addictive. Junkies enjoy the drugs, adrenaline junkies enjoy X games and bungee jumping, gamers enjoy video games, basketball players has lot's of different types of snickers and basketball balls, etc. I know I'm just stating the obvious, but that is how it works.
We, as magicians, enjoy magic tricks and sleights, so we tend to buy them...

I have a girl friend, who has 30 pairs of snickers because she plays basketball... I have a friend who has his whole body tattooed, because he likes tattoos... A friend with 15 different hand watches... It all comes down to what do you enjoy...

 

[JDENredden]

Just go back and the stuff you have, then create.

DONT BUY FOR THE HELL OF IT.
Buy it if it will advance you in magic or cardistry.

JDEN

 

[praetoritevong]

Magic is so rich, and there's so much to study and learn, I can understand that. I guess all I can say is, try to translate that passion for learning into the realisation that we must try and do justice to what we learn also. But yeah, it definitely can be addictive.

 

[Zeedub81]

It is simple.

DON'T BUY ANYTHING ELSE!

 

[b+w]

Whenever a new trick comes out, I usually think it through a lot, over whether I should buy it. Can I see myself doing it? Does it suit my style? You need to ask yourself these questions, so you can make a suitable descision, rather than "omygod, omygod something new! Gotta buy it!"