I made a big mistake, now I need help...

[Sh4d0w]

well i have been into magic for a while

and I made a big mistake.

I have bought a lot, a lot, a lot
of tricks.

lI always preformed for friends at school or family, but i want to take it to the next level,
I am intermediate, and do mostly cards.

I have so many tricks, i don't know what to put in my street magic act.
I will list all the tricks and DVDs and books I have, and it would be great if someone helped me, and showed me what the best show out of all my tricks would be.


here are my tricks


DVDs

Believe- Joes Paschall

5 Speed- Chris Kenner

Criss Angel Master Minds Volume 1 and 2

Daniel Garcia- Fraud

Daniel Garcia- Greed

Daniel Garcia- Warning

Daniel Garcia- Project ( All 3 DVDs)

Daniel Madison - Blood

Daniel Madison- ID

Daniel Madison 1-3

Daniel Madison - Dangerous

Daniel Madison- Outlaw

Daniel Madison- Wrath

Daniel Madison- Crunk

David Stone- Real secrets Of magic Vol 1

Derren Browns- Devils Picture Book

Daniel Garcia- Torn

Ellusionist- Crash Course 2

Paul Harris- Flow

Jay Sankey- Real Work on restaurant and Bars

Jay Sankey- Wrap it up

Jay Sankey- Fire Starters

Wayne Houchin- Indecent

Wayne Houchin - Stigmata

Wayne Houchin- Distortion

Wayne Houchun- Control

Jay Sankey- Anytime Anywhere

Jay Sankey- Super Natural

Jay Sankey- Secret Files, 1 and 2

Tom Isaccson ( I think) - Prophet

Ultra GAff Vol.1

Dan And Dave- Trilogy

Sean Fields- 1337

Sean Fields- Saw

Robert Smith- Wounded

Aaron Fisher- Panic

Lee Asher- Witness

Ellusionosist- Guerilla Guide to using loops Vol. 1,2,3




Books

5X5 Japan


Gimmicks

Ultra Gaff Deck


Ultra Gaff

Loops

Ultra Smoke 2000





well thats all.

I feel really stupid.

This is my first post here.

Any help would be appreciated,

Have a great day

 

[Rmana]

Stigmata is definitely a good one...

As far as what else, I think you need to just watch what you have their and see what's most practical. Whenever I just do stuff I don't come prepared with gaffs or set up decks so I say do impromptu stuff mostly.

Also, work on your presentation as much as your tricks themselves and to help you with that just map out an ACR for yourself and figure out the type of character you want to project.

Dangerous has a lot of stuff I'm sure you could learn, which I will probably be doing soon in walkarounds... and I think a great trick to learn would be "The Queens" off of the Trilogy. It's amazing piece.

 

[adjones]

Hmm... I find it disappointing that you only have one book. Here's an excerpt from Royal Road to Card Magic that may help you:

Many years ago David Devant, the great English conjurer, was approached by an acquaintance new to sleight-of-hand with cards. "Mr. Devant," said this young m an, "I know three hundred tricks with cards. How many do you know?" Devant glanced at the youth quizzically. "I should say," the magician responded drily, "that I know about 8."

Devant was making a point with which all professional magicians are familiar. To perform card tricks entertainingly, you must not only know how the tricks are done, but how to do them. There is a vast difference between the two, and if proof were needed, one need only watch the same feat performed by a novice and by an expert card conjurer. The novice knows the mechanics of so many tricks that he cannot do any one feat really well; the professional performs a smaller number of tricks which he knows how to present in such a way as to create the greatest possibly impression upon those who watch.

Just something to think about while thinking about routining and all that. Just make sure your effects flow and build upon each other, but even more important than those, that you perform them well!

Hope I was able to help.

 

[VladiD]

I dont think you have made a big mistake at all. Having all that is valuable because you know many slights and stuff you can use in your own creationg and stuff. And now, you have a large selection of what you can do and what routines to make.

So my suggestion is, see what you know best, gather three or four of those that you do very well and connect them with interesting patter. Then go try it, see how it goes, and modify that routine based on what happened.

 

[sjsawyer]

Are you rich?

Anyhow, considering you have so many tricks, you could probably test them all out individually and see which ones fit your style the best and get the best reactions from people. Then forming your street act shouldn't be a problem.

I also suggest investing your money.

 

[CardGuy90]

I would just pick a few that i like the most.
Practice them alot nonstop, perform them and see how they feel to you.
If you like it, you will know.
And take those you truly love and make a routine for it so that they somewhat go together.

 

[tokyoUW]

You are an online magic shop's dream. You either have very generous parents, or a very high paying lawn mowing job.

Adjones hit it on the head. BUY MORE BOOKS.

I have done a 20 minute small close up show before, where I only did 2 tricks. The audience was floored, and I was paid $200. Do you know why? not because I purchased the tricks off of some site a month prior to the show, but because I knew the two tricks inside and out. I had peformed them for years, tried variations, knew different patter for different types of audiences, learned how to judge an audience and find which perormance style would floor them.

You can only do this type of thing, if you really dedicate yourself to learning the material.

I agree with you, you did make a big mistake. However, your mistake wasn't just that you bought too many tricks, your biggest mistake is that you took the wrong approach to magic. Magic isn't just performing tricks, its learning the tricks, learning the theory, learning the slights and everything you can do with the slights.

With the right patter, performance, knowledge of the tricks, you could do an amazing show / routine with just a single deck of cards, and 1 of Michael Amar's old videos.


Thus, my advice for fixing / solving your "mistake," is, Get a big locker, or storage bin, preferably one with a lock, put ALL of your tricks / DVDs etc... cept for one (any is ok), into the box and lock it, and then give the storage box to your parents to keep. Tell your parents to only allow you to get out a new trick once a month (at first, then maybe once every three weeks). Tell them to hide the key too, so you cant cheat and go get a new trick.

This way, you will truly LEARN how to do the trick, learn the theory behind it, learn different ways to perform it, and learn how to use it in a routine.

 

[Pavan R]

Dude you need more books man. Try the Art of Astonishment.

 

[dd-toronto]

You're not the only magic shopaholic out there--I bought too many tricks and books and decks right off the bat and overwhelmed myself with them...but then went through a process of examining them and figuring out which was right for which circumstance and which audience, and which would naturally flow together into small routines of two or three effects, which could then be combined into longer routines if required.

It's true, you do need more books. Books are an economical way to get instructions for ten, twenty, thirty or more tricks for a reasonable amount of money--plus they can also provide invaluable insights into the theory of magic, suggestions for presentation and directions you may want to take your magic, or have your magic take you.

The Art of Astonishment books are great, but I think the best book to start with is The Royal Road of Magic. It's not expensive, it's easy to find, and it's filled with a tremendous amount of information. If you made that your only new purchase for a while, you'd be doing just fine. Another terrific book is the first volume of the Card College series. Don't go crazy and buy all five volumes (yet)--the first one is plenty for now.

I don't think any of your money is wasted--you've chosen some very good material--but I can tell just from taking a brief look at your list that a number of the effects you've purchased are not suitable for street magic. Just put those aside for now, and don't let them distract you. Then maybe work on developing specific skills that are employed in a number of effects (forcing cards, controlling cards, palming cards, false cuts, false shuffles, etc.) and using those skills to help you group effects and create flow from one effect to another.

The one trick a month idea is also an excellent one, but I'd still sort them first so that you're learning the effects that you plan to make use of before the others that you're just curious about.

 

[dejavu05]

Perfect the tricks you like the most. If you perfect a bad trick and make a great patter, it will still be good. Basically, pick what you think you can handle and make a good patter out of. You really have a large selection to choose from. Good Luck!

 

[bugula]

When I've felt overwhelmed with the number of effects I have at my disposal, I pick my favorite (and this changes weekly if not daily) and then build my routine around it.

That favorite effect may need gaffs, gimmicks, etc. Whatever it is, I just build down from it to get a smattering of effects that work well and don't require me to carry too many other items.

 

[Eddie]

Son of a...

Quality not quantity.


I recommend selling some of the stuff you don't need or use and buy something that is really worth it.

 

[darosa.justin]

Dude you need more books man. Try the Art of Astonishment.

Errr...No he doesn't.

He's already got enouh material to last a lifetime. 150 more effects aren't going to do anything but make his make worse.

 

[dejavu05]

Errr...No he doesn't.

He's already got enouh material to last a lifetime. 150 more effects aren't going to do anything but make his make worse.

Very true. Even though you should have more book, don't make up for that now. You have enough material and who knows, maybe you wouldn't like books nearly as much as DVD's.