I need help
- Thread starter dominicdevitis
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Heavily consider doing something else for a while. I don't know what magic is to you, a hobby, a profession, or something you do for any other reason, but if you don't enjoy what you are doing you need to change what you are doing. You only have so many days in your life wasting even one on something you are feeling meh about is not worth it. So you are really left with one of two options.
1. Find a way to make magic fun for you again. If all you do is gimmicks and self working tricks, maybe dedicate the next stretch of your time in magic to sleight of hand or vise versa. Perform for a different type of audience, go outside of your comfort zone and shake things up.
2. if you tried all that stuff in 1, or you just don't feel it, go try another thing. Drop magic for a while and come back in a year or three with new eyes.
I hope this helps in any way, but I've been where you are in other aspects of my life and these are the only two things that helped. Good luck whatever you decide to do.
1. Find a way to make magic fun for you again. If all you do is gimmicks and self working tricks, maybe dedicate the next stretch of your time in magic to sleight of hand or vise versa. Perform for a different type of audience, go outside of your comfort zone and shake things up.
2. if you tried all that stuff in 1, or you just don't feel it, go try another thing. Drop magic for a while and come back in a year or three with new eyes.
I hope this helps in any way, but I've been where you are in other aspects of my life and these are the only two things that helped. Good luck whatever you decide to do.
I hate that feeling! I've been doing magic for about 4 years as well but have had quite a few breaks throughout. I kinda always get annoyed about this as I still love it and want to do it but I lack motivation. After a while, though something somehow will get me back into it. I agree with justinquill, just try other stuff and maybe just take a break from magic. If you truly love it then you will end up with cards in your hand in no time!
Everything these guys said
Just take a little break and come back to it. If you need some motivation, go look at people who do stuff that intrigues you or is completely different.
Also, if you have an extensive idea for a trick or performance, go ahead and work on it. I got fed up with Magic for a few weeks, decided to start modeling an idea or 2 that I had. I am actually really happy with how far it has come along.
Just take a little break and come back to it. If you need some motivation, go look at people who do stuff that intrigues you or is completely different.
Also, if you have an extensive idea for a trick or performance, go ahead and work on it. I got fed up with Magic for a few weeks, decided to start modeling an idea or 2 that I had. I am actually really happy with how far it has come along.
Indeed, take a break. In the 20+ years I've studied and performed magic, I've taken a few months, sometimes a year, without a single mention of magic. What typically got me to those points was constantly being asked to perform, almost everywhere I was. If I was out a dinner and a friend spotted me, it was almost immediate "Hey show so in so that trick...." Things like that, kill the drive for me.
As said though, just take a break and get your mind on other things. You'll still have the skill any time you want to use it but it will give your mind a rest.
As said though, just take a break and get your mind on other things. You'll still have the skill any time you want to use it but it will give your mind a rest.
Do you perform very often?
I find I have a sort of see-saw thing going, where when I perform a lot, I get antsy and want to study new stuff and learn more. Then when I've spent too much time just reading theory and writing theoretic routines, I need to get out and perform the work to keep things fresh.
I was kind of going through this recently. I've been doing a lot of thinking about where I want to go with my performance career and if I maybe wanted to move away from the idea of it being a career at all. Then I did a gig and had a ton of fun and it reminded me why I put the energy into booking those gigs.
So maybe it's time to flex those performance muscles?
Another thing that often remotivates me is exploring different genres or styles than what I'm used to. I rarely add it to my repertoire but it has often inspired me to create new kinds of routines I wouldn't have thought about before. I am primarily a hypnotist and bizarre performer. Dark story telling styles. But I'll randomly pick up, say, Mark Wilson's and see something intended for just average parlor magicians and it gives me an idea of something I've been working on in my own style.
And last suggestion - read fiction or unsolved mystery stuff. Or legends or esoteric lore. I love reading the book American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I have three different copies, and I also buy copies for friends semi-regularly. The way magic is used in his stories is very "realistic" and can be really inspiring for performances. Same for Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and also The Magicians (mature themes throughout, in case you're a youngin'). I have two volumes of "Mysteries of the ..." that I've read periodically for most of my life because it always inspires me to re-experience those stories.
I find I have a sort of see-saw thing going, where when I perform a lot, I get antsy and want to study new stuff and learn more. Then when I've spent too much time just reading theory and writing theoretic routines, I need to get out and perform the work to keep things fresh.
I was kind of going through this recently. I've been doing a lot of thinking about where I want to go with my performance career and if I maybe wanted to move away from the idea of it being a career at all. Then I did a gig and had a ton of fun and it reminded me why I put the energy into booking those gigs.
So maybe it's time to flex those performance muscles?
Another thing that often remotivates me is exploring different genres or styles than what I'm used to. I rarely add it to my repertoire but it has often inspired me to create new kinds of routines I wouldn't have thought about before. I am primarily a hypnotist and bizarre performer. Dark story telling styles. But I'll randomly pick up, say, Mark Wilson's and see something intended for just average parlor magicians and it gives me an idea of something I've been working on in my own style.
And last suggestion - read fiction or unsolved mystery stuff. Or legends or esoteric lore. I love reading the book American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I have three different copies, and I also buy copies for friends semi-regularly. The way magic is used in his stories is very "realistic" and can be really inspiring for performances. Same for Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and also The Magicians (mature themes throughout, in case you're a youngin'). I have two volumes of "Mysteries of the ..." that I've read periodically for most of my life because it always inspires me to re-experience those stories.
That was going to be my question. I think if you do perform often maybe you should stop for a bit then try again later and it will shock you how refreshing it it is. If you don't perform often, go perform for someone! It may rekindle that love.
When ever I get sick of one genre of magic I change gears. Usually this consists of me wanting to become the best at some sort of very difficult aspect of magic. I'm kind of an obsessive person, so when I see something I like I jump in head first and learn everything possible about it.
In magic I focus on one thing at a time. I usually go all in for a couple months to a year on each aspect. When I get bored I shift interests. I suppose others might shift interests outside of magic. For me it is always tangential.
I am not much expert on this matter. But I think practice makes a man perfect. So you should to revise your tricks again and again.
I think, you should definitely take a few steps back.
What attracted you to magic in the first place? Like, at the very beginning?
The 'woah's a boy from your class got for performing? The applause a stage-magician you saw got? The mystic of a fortune-telling lady? The attention YOU got after performing a simple 'think of a number' in your first grade?
Imagine that.
See the performances of magicians you like, whoever it is. Don't think about the tricks. Even if they do a really obvious DL, ignore that. You are an ordinary spectator then. Am sure you will love the magic performed by the experts in this field! Check out there performances. Again, don't even try to think about the tricks later. Even if you want to perform them, don't. Just don't.
You will definitely find that hard...and after a few days, or I guess, even after a few weeks, you will definitely want to find out how some trick was done.
PRESTO!!!
You are in love with magic again. But remember to put conscious effort in not trying to find out the secrets then and there.
Do something else during that time. Maybe listen to some great music and follow the music world? Maybe check out cool T.V. shows? Just keep looking at some magic performances now and then.
I think your second problem is an effect of the first, so it should get solved easily.
Or is it that because you are forgetting tricks, you feel you don't enjoy magic anymore?
Something to think about.
The only thing I can suggest here is...do not perform complicated effects. And learn everything you can,but hone your skills on only a few 'specials'. Honestly, I don't remember every trick I have learnt in the past 6 years! So there
Finally, even though I don't think it is a very good option, maybe magic is not for you? Maybe you liked magic for something else? Like people said my acting was great, but I never felt any love for acting, but I felt a great attraction to magic. See the connection there? It is completely your call...but have the guts to admit to yourself IF you feel magic, is and was never for you. Maybe your love for magic was an indication of your talent in another field? But I think you will be able to answer that question only after a few months...
Good luck!