Magic or Cardistry

[coffeeparamedic]

So.. I am a beginner learning Magic. Started about 3 weeks ago and working my way through Royal Road to Card Magic. Also got the Card College Book 1, but have not started that yet.
Aside from working through that, I have also obviously looked at a few YouTube videos and learned a couple of things there - like the Charlier Cut and Double lift.(these were more out of curiosity and as fidgets with cards)

I was wondering what your thoughts were regarding Magic and Cardistry? I am mainly interested in Magic, but thinking that learning Cardistry can give me more control of the cards as well as possibly opening me up to other performance options with cards.

Is it advisable to just stick to magic, or is it OK to also learn Cardistry in tandem while learning Magic?

 

[Gabriel Z.]

Try to learn as much as possible given your skill level.... Always try to push yourself. It's all about repetition and getting that muscle memory down. I know some tricks but not all. I'm not big on flourishing but I wouldn't mind learning it because it seems like a beautiful art form. It's great that you started reading The Royal Road to Card Magic, it's a great place to start. I would recommend starting at the very beginning with the first overhand shuffle section and working your way through the entire book. Card College Volumes are also very in depth. Might I add, that flourishes were originally designed to accentuate certain parts of a magic trick. Then I believe Dan & Dave took it to new heights. Don't worry about getting to that level at least not yet. Sometimes I have a problem of where I am at in magic and all I can do is move forward with the next sleight or trick. It's a hard road but definitely well worth it. Hope this helps.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

Go ahead and learn both if you want. It's all personal preference. Learning cardistry wont necessarily help your magic, but it wont hurt it either. They are 2 very different things that occasionally overlay.

 

[Ziad Khayat]

I don't think cardistry skill translates well to magic. It is likely they will develop similarly as your dexterity improves, but learning, say, Sybil isn't really going to help your pass or stuff like that. Ultimately, just go with whatever combination you prefer.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Personally I'm not into Cardistry. I think the props are not actually well suited to the idea of performance. Cards are too small to be able to see very well from a distance of more than a few feet.

I have seen some stuff more recently that caught my interest, though, so I may put some effort into it.

That being said - do what makes you happy to do. If you enjoy flourishing and cardistry, have at it. If you want to develop a style that mixes the two, go for it. Understand what you're delivering to people (It will be a demonstration of a skill rather than magic in almost all cases), but do what makes you happy.

 

[DisasterTheory]

That being said - do what makes you happy to do. If you enjoy flourishing and cardistry, have at it. If you want to develop a style that mixes the two, go for it. Understand what you're delivering to people (It will be a demonstration of a skill rather than magic in almost all cases), but do what makes you happy.

Couldn't agree more. These things are really about enjoying yourself and being happy with what YOU are doing. We can make suggestions all day but if you're not happy with what you're doing, you'll never fully be into it anyway. So do what you love.

Do keep in mind that, as Christopher said, most cardistry flourish do not really lend themselves well to magic. There are some flourishes that do. However, I'd personally stick to the ones that do unless you can come up with a nice performance that combines them both.

 

[Timewise64]

Since I primarily do shows for kids, I limit my card work to some very simple tricks that are generally 'self working'! I use these on parents and family members that are with the kids...usually before or after a show for the kids....cards are fun, but learning slights and handling takes lots of practice....

 

[coffeeparamedic]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

I am currently really enjoying learning and practicing sleights and card magic in general.
I like the idea of Cardistry and I really enjoy seeing a great looking flourish. I think that there is a place where you can combine elements of Cardistry into a routine, and that is probably where I will lean in the future. Right now, I think I will stick to learning card magic and once I am comfortable and natural there, then I can start learning cardistry...