Only one person gave a legitimate answer to the original question. Wow.
I'm not sure if you're referring to me as per the like on my post, but let me explain where I'm coming from and why.
I started magic some years ago; sometime in 2013-2014. Memory is a bit hazy. Two of the first people I ever started talking to about it were
@RealityOne and
@ChristopherT. In todays information culture, Youtube is a super popular go-to to get information. and I started looking there--and I'm not 14. But David and Chris both swooped in and directed me to books and made recommendations.
One thing that was a big factors for me is that both of them have been doing what they do professionally for quite some time. To drive the point home, they both have read and have enough books to give a fire marshall some concern.
You can go in two different directions with this information:
- Listen to the voices of experience and get your head into books.
- Go the other way in absolute defiance because you know better in something you just started in that day than the veterans do.
In the time I have been doing magic, I have never seen or heard of anyone that learns strictly from Youtube and has made any modicum of financial stability for themselves.
Big reason is that ANYONE can make a video of anything. Even borderline computer illiterate me has a Youtube channel. This means that ANYONE, while well intentioned, could go on Youtube and teach something, whether they are qualified or not. And that's a big problem (besides exposure): when you're starting out, you don't know the big names, you don't know the names of any tricks, and most of all you don't know where else to look; you are similar to a rat in a maze.
Books are the recommendation because it's been professionals who have penned books. Books are A LOT harder to write due to the medium (if you're a garbage writer, you don't get a book deal. If your content isn't up to snuff, no deal. Etc.) and they take A LOT longer and a lot more effort to do than Johnny Newshoes doing a tutorial of a French Drop on Youtube and flashing the entire time, inadvertantly showing you exactly how NOT to do it and simultaneously teaching bad habits.
As for me, I'm barely a step above armchair magician. I've learned quite a bit from books and asking questions and doing research, but I haven't been able to utilize much as I'd like to, especially in the arena of performing for others. I love magic as a hobby, but I don't think I'll ever perform and make revenue. The business end of magic is whole 'nother animal.
I'm just reiterating the information I have received in the past and it either legitimately works and makes enough sense that I can explain it.
But looking at the entire thread, every answer has something to learn from in here. It's that I have talked with David and Chris the longest which is why I'm mentioning them specifically.
Ahh. 14 year old magician.
Easy there, I was 30 and asking about Youtube when I first started out. It's hard when you don't know what you don't know. It's our job to put
@lolaras7 on the right path