Creating

[JNGmagic]

hey wazzup

i love to create effects, i get heaps of ideas but they don't work over one small problem. however i have created an effect that i think that the gimmick is quite clever but i cannot do the trick due to a small problem and it's quite frustrating, is this normal? what should i do? leave it? continue on with it? im not sure :s (i've been working on this since october last year :s)

tips on creating would be awesome too :]

thanks

 

[FPS.]

Continue working on it. Try every possibility there is to accomplish this effect, but one day the method will hit you! Also, don't force yourself to create an effect, just let your imagination run. Try to come up with something original and ground-breaking - something that even magicians "never" seen - well, you know what I mean. And most of all, good luck! Hope I could have helped!

 

[JNGmagic]

p.s i've been working with this effect since october last year >.<

thanks fps

 

[chriswiehl]

yea just take a break from it and come back to it in a while. you'll work it out
or you'll see a method for something else and apply it

 

[Jenai]

This should help you out. Some great tips in there.


http://cdn.theory11.com/RoundtableBlakeCalenCK-021911.mp3


- Jenai

 

[RealityOne]

hey wazzup

i love to create effects, i get heaps of ideas but they don't work over one small problem. however i have created an effect that i think that the gimmick is quite clever but i cannot do the trick due to a small problem and it's quite frustrating, is this normal? what should i do? leave it? continue on with it? im not sure :s (i've been working on this since october last year :s)

tips on creating would be awesome too :]

thanks

How long have you been studying magic and what resources (books, DVDs, etc) do you have? I often find that attempts to create fail because people don't have the necessary foundations and knowledge.

My advice would be to seek out someone with a strong knowledge and collaborate with them.

 

[CaseyRudd]

How long have you been studying magic and what resources (books, DVDs, etc) do you have? I often find that attempts to create fail because people don't have the necessary foundations and knowledge.

My advice would be to seek out someone with a strong knowledge and collaborate with them.

Great advice. I would also suggest that, if you feel very strongly towards this gimmick you've created, don't let it go. Put it aside a bit, like Chris Wiehl suggested, and come back to it. You will be surprised how much better you can think about your gimmick after you've spent some time away from it. Try everything you can to make the gimmick work. Don't be afraid to fail, as you learn from every mistake you make. You find all the wrong ways to do it until you hit the jackpot!

 

[Michael Moore]

One tip I learned about creativity is that you should always look at all creative problems with the philosophy of "There are more than one solution to the same problem." Even if you think you found a satisfying solution to a problem, than you stop being creative, so me personally, I always think of how an effect that I thaught of can be accomplished using different methods. Always a good idea to come up with a simlar impromtu handling of an effect that normally uses a gimmick just to cover yourself, in case you run into someone who has seen the trick & wants to see it again & you dont have the gimmick. So ask yourself, can I figure out how to do it impromptu? Can I gaff any of the props that are entailed with this effect? Can I use pure sleight of hand? PLus, it also helps to be familiar with magic principles, so here's something I found- a helpfull list of magic inventor's principles-

http://www.magictricks.com/insider/leary.htm

of which has helped me come up with with a lot of ideas. & read as many books as you can & watch as many videos as you can that relate to what your trying to create. If its coins, read JB Bobo, David Roth Expert Coin Magic, etc etc etc- cards, Royal Raod to Card Magic, Encyclopedia of Card Sleights, etc etc. Also, be patient. Sometimes it could take weeks, months, or even years to hit it, so dont get frustrated if you cant think of it now. Sometimes it will hit you when your not even thinking about it, which this has happened to me. Good luck.

 

[saborfang17]

Great advice. I would also suggest that, if you feel very strongly towards this gimmick you've created, don't let it go. Put it aside a bit, like Chris Wiehl suggested, and come back to it. You will be surprised how much better you can think about your gimmick after you've spent some time away from it. Try everything you can to make the gimmick work. Don't be afraid to fail, as you learn from every mistake you make. You find all the wrong ways to do it until you hit the jackpot!

To me, the idea of learning no matter what is a dumb one. Use your head. If you're afraid it's probably not going to work, analyze it logically. Don't fall to that stupid hype of "try it, no matter what". It's time consuming.

Just think things through before trying it. Don't blindly add things without thinking in-depth about it, because that's how the creative process turns into the guess-and-check process.

 

[CaseyRudd]

To me, the idea of learning no matter what is a dumb one. Use your head. If you're afraid it's probably not going to work, analyze it logically. Don't fall to that stupid hype of "try it, no matter what". It's time consuming.

Just think things through before trying it. Don't blindly add things without thinking in-depth about it, because that's how the creative process turns into the guess-and-check process.

I meant if he tries it after thinking it through and it still doesn't work, he learns not to do it THAT way again. I agree that you should always think things through before actually trying it. But even if that doesn't work after thinking it through and testing it out, you still learn from it.

 

[saborfang17]

I meant if he tries it after thinking it through and it still doesn't work, he learns not to do it THAT way again. I agree that you should always think things through before actually trying it. But even if that doesn't work after thinking it through and testing it out, you still learn from it.

Ah, I misinterpreted it.

I'm just trying to say... Think of the problem you're trying to fix, or the clever addition you're trying to add. Then, think about WHY it'll work better, and HOW. Then set about doing it. Of course, some people interpret that as a trial-and-error process, when in reality it doesn't have to be so.

Don't just add things because you think it's cooler.