Dedication :: Making A "Game Plan"

[Krash]

I was laying in bed fiddling around with the linking rubber bands effect taught in Chris Kenner's "Totally Out Of Control", when all of a sudden one of my rubber bands snapped and gave me a small lashing on the hand.

At that moment I put the book down and looked into my box of magic stuff, and realized something..."Man, I've got a ton of stuff..."

At this moment, I also realized that I've maybe worked on...seriously worked on...maybe 20% of the things that I have. That is counting my DVD's and books. I'm definatly thinking that I need to chill out with buying things for a while, and really work on the things that I already have.

Here's another thing that I'm trying to work around. I truly do not want to be a "one trick pony"...meaning that I don't want to limit myself to being a card guy, or a coin guy, or a mentalist...I hope you're understanding where I'm coming from. I understand that this will be a tough thing to accomplish, but I really want to be well rounded.

I guess that I really need some guidance.

Can somebody point me in the right direction?

Thanks,

Shane K.

 

[darosa.justin]

Although I myself is mostly a card guy (Im trying out coins & Spongeballs) the best way i'd go about it is to start and master one type first. Most pros specialise in one field i.e. cards or coins, before spreading out and getting better at other types of magic.

I'd suggest specialising in one type and then branching out.

 

[sourboarder]

I was in the same scinario only no kenner book, no bed, no rubber band lashing, just me and my same fantastic trick done really well. My ambitious card routine. Then i figured I need to show this to someone other than friends or family. I did so and was sadly disappointed on the reations. The reactions themselves on the effect were awesome ecpetially shapeshifter, laymen love that one. the part it goes sour is where they wanted more. I did biddle trick and was done with the fork sticking out of my neck! I then thought alright, you want some compinsation in the art of magic. I need money sad to say.... But I started a regement Day one, practice a full show routine from effect 1 to the end just like someone was watching. Day 2, practice card sleights. Day 3, coin sleights. Day 4, non card and non coin magic like rubber bands or dice. Day 5, learn a new effect. Day 6 starts over with day one practice the routine. Soon enough you will progress into a well rounded magician and if six days is too much you can switch it up but for me that worked well for a while just keep with it!

 

[copperfield 14]

If you watch the Theory11 video for begginers Lee says that you should work on three things. A good magician does three things good and a not good one does a zillion and none are good.

 

[lachomagician]

My friend I know how you feel. I personally think that we, as young magicians have our work cut out for us. We have the internet bombarding us each day with "Revolutionary" magic that we think is amazing. Listen, I recently did a short sponge ball routine for my mom, because she was sick and I wanted her to smile. She was so amazed! She loved it and smiled, and that filled me with happiness. Then I thought: man, the simplest thing can bring so much happiness to someone. I would advise you to look on your dvd and book collection and find the slights you would like to learn. Then go ahead and learn and practice them until you cannot get them wrong, until they come out automatic. Once you do that, then figure out what you want to do: Make cards transpose, make objects float, make coins change... whatever! you can do this in backwards order also (think what you want to do and then learn slights to accomplish it) but more important than anything are two aspects: YOU have to have fun and YOUR AUDIENCE has to have fun. I will tell you this, I have bought all the effects that came out from this site. Was that wise? perhaps, there are 2 that I use all the time now (Panic and Witness) for crowds and I always do DD for close up. I also mostly always do 3 tricks from the trilogy that use the 4 aces. But you know what? I also love making tricks my own. I like talking about different things, learning new stuff. I have volumes 1-4 of card college and both of david stones dvd's on real secrets of magic. That could be a career there. Don't every forget that inspiration should come not from freaking people out, or from a sweet change that is invisible, but from your relationship with your audience, from the audience wanting to see more of you, to enjoy your company. The fact that you do tricks should be a bonus to hanging out with you. And that will show. Don't worry about buying or not buying stuff. But I can almost promise you, there are gems in the books and dvd's you have, you just have to polish those gems with your personality.

Juan Martinez.

 

[Krash]

If you watch the Theory11 video for begginers Lee says that you should work on three things. A good magician does three things good and a not good one does a zillion and none are good.

I took that to heart too, at first. But then it started feeling like a limitation. Do you think there is a way to break the mold? Or am I being overly enthusiastic about this?

Shane K.

 

[lachomagician]

I took that to heart too, at first. But then it started feeling like a limitation. Do you think there is a way to break the mold? Or am I being overly enthusiastic about this?

Shane K.

yeah, you can always break the mold. Lee's point is that you have to have "three" pieces of magic down pat. These three pieces should always be ready to go, if anyone asks you to do a trick, or two or three, you are good to go, you do them, immediately and without thinking. I would add to Lee's advise that these three pieces should work stand alone and also go together in a routine, maybe with a running theme through them. Do you want five? good, five it is, but remember, if you have a core (I would say from 3 to 6) tricks that you know like the palm (terrible pun) of your hand, then you are ready always, and you will look like a master, because you will be a master of those 3-6 illusions.

Best of luck

Juan


ps. This is a great topic btw

 

[Krash]

yeah, you can always break the mold. Lee's point is that you have to have "three" pieces of magic down pat. These three pieces should always be ready to go, if anyone asks you to do a trick, or two or three, you are good to go, you do them, immediately and without thinking. I would add to Lee's advise that these three pieces should work stand alone and also go together in a routine, maybe with a running theme through them. Do you want five? good, five it is, but remember, if you have a core (I would say from 3 to 6) tricks that you know like the palm (terrible pun) of your hand, then you are ready always, and you will look like a master, because you will be a master of those 3-6 illusions.

Best of luck

Juan


ps. This is a great topic btw

Ah, I see where you are coming from Juan. (I like using peoples real names unless they aren't comfortable with their names being online.)

I've started a notebook to write down all of the DVD's and books that I have. Being a child of technology, I have way more DVD's than books. But, anyway...what I'm going to do is I'm going to watch a DVD, and while watching it I'm going to take notes. Sort of like if I was in class. (I'm a college student, I can't get away from being a note taker.)

I found in school studies that I soak up information like a sponge if I take to things in this fasion.

Do you think this is a feasible way of going about it? By the way, thank you for the advice and the nice comment about the topic.

Shane K.

 

[lachomagician]

Do you think this is a feasible way of going about it?

Shane K.

Shane:

Yeah, this is a great way of going about it. Look at the effects and see if it fits you. For example, E touts their "Street Magic" package as the best beginner DVD. I personally only use one effect in the DVD. However, I took some of the ideas and made them my own. There may be some stuff on the DVD's that you may think: "Boy this is dumb, I will never use this," which is true, you may not. However, take it for what it is: it is someone else's trick. So look at it and say: "ok, how can I make that more practical?" "how can I improve this, make it easier on me, but more impossible for the audience?" "can i change this effect by using better patter?" and so on. Your imagination and creativity, coupled with your note taking can make some "old" effects be new and great again.

have fun!

Juan

PS I love using quotes if you hadn't noticed..."

 

[dasuprememep]

Knowledge is power. I agree with the three trick idea, but if the three tricks are all you know, what's the point? There's no way to expand on them. If you are going to buy something, buy a book or a dvd with lots of tricks and sleights in it. the more sleights you know, even if you can't do all of them, the better. Then you should pick out the ones that you could use to devastating effect.

As an example (for those cynical types) after I learned the force from Jay Sankey's Sweet Suprise, I think the Frank Garcia push out or something or other, I thought, "What am I supposed to use that for? I can always just use a classic force!"

I use that force every single time I want to force a card now. It just works out with me right now, but it didn't work out earlier, and there's probably going to be period where I wouldn't really want to use it. But since I had the knowledge of this sleight, then I knew I could turn to it.

IN A NUTSHELL

Learn a lot of stuff, but don't master it all.