Is it too late to seriously get into magic?

[Bobbyroberts310]

Hey i just turned 19 a couple months ago and i have always loved magic since i was born. Me and my dad used to watch Criss Angel, David Blaine, Penn and teller and even the masked magician (i know i suck) and i even got into doing magic for a little bit but after a magic show gone bad in first or second grade i put it down forever (pretty petty of me). I just got back into it like early this year and im learning so much more than i ever did. Card flourishes and False Cuts and all these crazy tricks and people i perform for actually dig it.
I dont think im gonna take it to a professional level and perhaps in the far far future i can make a small business of performing for small parties.
I was wondering since i got into it so late in the game that if i do decide to take it to a next level (which i probably wont) then i wont do as well as some others who got into it since they were four or something.
Its a stupid question since its just gonna remain as a hobby for the time being and probably for life but its a question i wanted to ask anyways.
Also i never had chipotle. is that a crime around these parts?

 

[Gabriel Z.]

The answer is NO. it's never too late to get into magic, weather you are a hobbyist or a seasoned professional, you will always be able to challenge yourself in some way with magic. Card magic is probably the richest branch of magic, which is why I stick to cards for the most part. The best piece of advice I can give to you is read all the material on card that you can get your hands on, this should give you a start in the right direction.

 

[Fox13]

It's never too late to start anything. I started learning card magic seriously in 2013, at age 37. Then got mostly into cardistry about a year and a half later. I'll never be as good as those teens that started out a few years ago, but I am better now that what most laymen have seen in their life.

As adults, we don't see ourselves learning new things because that means sucking at it at the beginning. In magic, that means learning basic tricks, basic theory, that we often find cute of a young starting magician. If a kid were to mess up a trick, the audience we would find this cute, smile, but still encourage him to continue and get better. When we see an adult mess up a trick, why should we feel sorry for this person, or laugh at them? This is part of the fear when starting to learn at an older age. The adult is also a beginner, but we think as adults that we need to perform well instantly, we fear of messing up. We except the adult magician to be seasoned and impressive. We put that pressure on ourselves. And that puts a lot of pressure on the beginner that might be tempted to quit. Failing, and then learning from it is necessary in any discipline to get better. We learn more from failures than from successes. However the older you are, more you should be realizing this, and the more strong-minded you will be in pursuing your dream.

I did try to learn a few magic tricks while being young. But I never had the patience and persistence I now have. So when I started learning magic a few years ago, I knew I could work on sleights for months perfecting it before showing it to anyone. When young I wanted the results right away, but now I enjoy the practice process as much if not more than the reactions you get at the end, that last a few seconds.

Being older is not a handicap to learning. Being older gives you tools young ones do not yet possess. Use those tools.

So. Do what you love. Dedicate yourself to it. Make yourself happy. Whatever your age.

 

[Justin.Morris]

.....
Also i never had chipotle. is that a crime around these parts?

Whoah there. Careful with that chipotle talk. You might get JB fired up...


(I didn't really start learning until I was 20-21)

 

[RealityOne]

I started when I was... almost twice as old as Justin.

 

[Bobbyroberts310]

Whoah there. Careful with that chipotle talk. You might get JB fired up...


(I didn't really start learning until I was 20-21)

I started when I was... almost twice as old as Justin.

It's never too late to start anything. I started learning card magic seriously in 2013, at age 37. Then got mostly into cardistry about a year and a half later. I'll never be as good as those teens that started out a few years ago, but I am better now that what most laymen have seen in their life.

Wow didnt really expect that. I figured most magicians got into it at really young ages and it was harder to get into in the later years.
Shows how much i know. Thanks for the replies everyone![/QUOTE]

 

[Khaleel Olaiky]

A 4 years old magician won't learn how to make gimmicks or do a second deal or buy stuff like Smoke (you have to be 18 or older to order it) so technically he will start practicing the good stuff at the same age as you and most other people, he doesn't really have that big advantage on the other magicians who started as you said "late" which is not.

The only advantage he got that he could put his photo as a kid performing when he is at a TV show (it's just a nice story to tell)

 

[Furrukh]

Started at abt 25, and six later still in love with this art, though am just a hobbyist right now