It almost as appears if you believe that any beginner should stay away from trying to create their own magic, until they are properly equipped with the experience, knowledge, and fundamentals to do so successfully. I see this as being very flawed.
Not at all, the student should “dabble” and learn as they create, keeping notes throughout the process. The problem is, every newbie will reinvent the wheel dozens of times, believing their epiphany is something earth-shattering and unique. In truth, very few magic lovers with less than 5 years of solid study and direct experience have the ability to do this – there is no path to instant gratification. What there is however, is a notebook (when things are done “properly”) filled with personal experience and experiments; a tool created by the students own mind and effort that will allow them to cultivate material that is unique to them. It might just be a move that they’ve changed a bit or changed where and how certain actions are or aren’t taken, but all these little things are stepping stones toward the greater destiny; the one I know for fact, every serious & focused student WILL reach.
Let us make another example, separate to R1's cooking example. Take a children's dance class for example. Do you believe a dance instructor will tell their students to not try and choreograph their own little dance on the premise that they lack the experience, know-how, technique, and knowledge of what makes a good dance?
Actually, some of the highest paid dance instructors & studios will do exactly that; a student is allowed to choreograph routines until they’ve had well over a year to as much as 6 years direct study and practice – they must prove themselves capable. This was quite normal in the magic world until the loss of the old styled Brick & Mortar stores.
The kids will create, and the finished product will be something that matches their level. It may be seen as extremely low level in the eyes of much more advanced dancers, but the creation process was successful in that it 1: challenged the students to think differently and create on their own, not just absorb what is given, 2: perhaps lets them see that they have a long way to go before they create anything of high level, and 3: most likely gave them a fun time and good memory.
While you are correct, there is likewise the fact that certain top-end “Masters” if you would, will not allow the student to demonstrate what they come up with as part of the class (though some exceptions obviously exist, just as you have in Martial Arts and graduation from one level to the next by trial or skill level competition). Yet again, using your analogy of dance, there are those instructors that will not allow students with less than a given number of years worth of study with them, to do any form of public exhibition. Just two short generations ago certain masters would discipline those that broke this rule in some rather “harsh” ways, sometimes crippling the student.
The creative process is not only to aim for success. Now I don't believe someone will purposefully go out and aim to fail, but there is much to be learnt from someone trying to create something themselves and come up short.
Correct, this goes with what I said previously.
Understand, my “directness” in this sort of situation stems from the plethora of young people that have studied the art for less than 5 years, have little to no practical experience but believe themselves worthy of pooping out an eBook or new effect for “the market”. This has resulted in an overly saturated market rife with redundant brain farts. Very little of what these folks produce has been thoroughly tested on the streets by working pros of merit, let alone being properly researched so that credit goes where it MUST. I’ve pointed this out recently in regards to Paper Crane and a heck of a lot of their products but they aren’t alone.
Another side of this problem is what I call the “clique marketing system” in which a group of individuals pat one another on the back with quotes and thumbs up reviews while in reality, no one outside a given forum has any idea who these Bozo’s are. There’s a rather large forum in the UK that’s outrageous for this, not to mention a certain green monster that serves as a café to various bottom feeders. Things are so bad when it comes to the butt kissing practice at that latter forum that top end talent deliberately exploit the membership and its willingness push material for their “chums” or the VIPs they want to have a connection with, when it comes to marketing their products.
As a white belt in Karate, when I was 5, I had to create my own Kata... do I believe it was great? I did at the time yes, but slowly but surely learned it was extremely limited. I worked hard to progress.
Why can this not be so for magicians? Perhaps the OP knows a double lift, and say... the tilt? Perhaps he only knows the glide... Should that stop him from trying to utilize those tools in a new way, to accomplish something on his own? I believe no.
I think I already stated this and I agree. Sadly, with the internet situation today’s aspirants no longer have access to those old dogs that hung out at the Magic Shop. While they do have access to a great number of amazing people they must weed out the arm chair experts in order to find the guys that really do know their stuff, few of whom don’t have a firm hand. Part of the reason is because they need the student to prove themselves first. I’m bombarded by those wanting me to mentor them and while I’m receptive up to a given point, it’s ONLY those that can prove to me that they will put themselves into the task of learning; actually digging into the materials that will give them the foundation needed that I will finally accept them as an actual student . . . ask William Draven, David Gamut or Robin Pendranti here and at E, while I’ve always been in their corner it took a few exchanges before they impressed me enough with their knowledge and initiative.
Given my experience in the Martial Arts world, I know of more than a few “Masters” that do the same exact thing. . . the student must be ready before the teacher comes. . . so to speak.
I would hope that experienced magicians would try to nurture this idea. R1 did clarify that the all caps "DON'T" might have brought about the wrong impression, and that is mostly what gave me doubts to his advice, so I am glad we cleared that up.
I’m not certain why R1 uses caps; I use them to emphasize specifics. It might seem dogmatic, and to a certain degree it is, but at the same time such emphasis is based not just on personal experience but what my teachers as well as my peers believed and still teach.