I learned a very valuable lesson tonight

S

S3al

Sep 1, 2007
407
0
To many times, I look for the new trick that everyone is talking about. To many times I buy things and never learn or master what I already have. Instead I go off, and buy the new thing, because it must be better! its new! Well, I was looking to buy "The Devil’s Picturebook from Derren Brown" (no its not new, but the point is im always looking for something new to buy)

And I read how people said that he is the king of misdirection. Now I'm not really new to magic. I am working on stuff on the trilogy, so you know my skill level.


But I'm stupid some times, I really am. Because tonight, for some reason, I tried to do something that has a lot to do with misdirection, well sort of. It's card to pocket. Simple yes, but for someone like me who thinks everything needs to be hard, and very complicated to be respected, its something I really never tried before.

So I did it, I palmed the card and got it in my pocket and did the trick, and they liked it and called me a freak (in a good way). They enjoyed them self. And to me, this is something I am most proud of. I learned a very valuable lesson tonight. Its about the magic, and the wonder, not the new shiny dvd case the trick may have came in. Or the word "NEW!" on the site to buy it from, its the magic. And thats all you ever need.
 
M

MANDARIN

Sep 14, 2007
8
0
Seems it's always more fun to "graze" the new stuff than to engage in the repetition of perfecting. And the "new" frequently isn't - I've bought lots of effects only to find them to be no more than a glittered rehash of ages old magic. I've also watched better magicians than I perform serious magic with effects I passed over as not good enough or too simple. Lessons to be learned...
 
K

Kolisar

Sep 1, 2007
30
0
Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S.A.
It is always tempting to purchase the "latest and greatest" effects out there. I believe you have just discovered one of the reasons those of us who are not new to the art often recommend the "classic" books. If you really look through books like The Royal Road to Card Magic, Modern Coin Magic or 13 Steps to Mentalism (depending on your chosen focus) you will find plenty of excellent, workable material. You also mentioned that they enjoyed themselves. For the working professional (which I am not), that is the key. While it is fun to spend hours perfecting a knuckle-busting sleight, if your goal is to make money performing, your time is best spent learning and perfecting items based on the effect and the entertainment value (this is not saying that difficult sleights have no place in professional performances, but there has to be a reason for them to be there other than "it's fun to do").
 
Rev

Rev

Aug 29, 2008
492
270
Jersey, Channel Islands
www.youtube.com
All so true. it's all very well knowing seventeen million incredibly flashy ways to control a chosen card to the top to impress you magician mates, but in the real world a double undercut is good enough.

Also, a lot of really easy stuff is often to referred to as 'beginner tricks' by more experienced/technically proficient magicians. In my experience, there are no such things as 'beginner tricks', only easier tricks. People assume that because they are not a 'beginner' any more, there is no point in them doing these tricks, they must do the harder stuff. Not true. I'll still use tricks I learnt when I was 13 years old, and I'm 23 now. They are super simple, but as i've got older my confidence has increased as well as my presentational ability, and these simple tricks have become great pieces of magic, without the method changing whatsoever. How hard the trick is means nothing to the average person, only how impossible it looks.

I ofte compare magic to guitar playing. As people learn more scales etc, the guitar parts become more and more elaborate, eventually turning into mental widdly widdly guitar solos. This may impress other guitar players, but in the real world, people are more likley to remember and ENJOY a couple of simple chords.


Just my thoughts.


Rev
 
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