Saturday Night Contest - New Year's Resolutions for 2021!

Aug 29, 2020
21
18
This year has marked the beginning of my interest in cardistry, and collecting playing cards in general. It started as something to fidgit with while at my desk while working from home, and has become much more consuming than I would have ever guessed. From only knowing how to riffle shuffle (poorly) to a perfect farrow felt like a big accomplishment at the time. Charlier, scissor and revolution cuts gave me confidence, and being able to string them together at least semi smoothly feels really good.

2021 will be the year of 2 hand cuts I think. Then hopefully I will be able to string enough together to put a video up for a SNC.

Best of luck everyone! Both in the contest and they year to come.
 

Gorzynski

Elite Member
Dec 4, 2018
22
13
2020 has been a year to realize all that I am thankful for. Magic has been an incredible hobby of mine to escape the stress of life. Its always fun to show friends and family a new illusion. And even more fun to teach someone who is curious to learn magic as well. A resolution id like to try to follow is to revisit so many of the tricks I have learned but haven't practiced yet to add to my short list of everyday carries.
 

Sleck

Elite Member
Nov 26, 2017
123
98
2020 has been a crazy year to say the least. Though being stuck at home and working from home did give me the opportunity to have more time to practice my cardistry moves, silver lining for sure. This year I focused a lot of time on one-handed moves, notably L-cuts and bullet, I can say with confident that I have finally mastered those moves. As well as getting pretty good at other moves such as ATM and LePaul spread. This meant a lot to me because I got into cardistry back in 2015 but gave up for more than two years before picking it back up in 2018.


For this year, I am going to challenge myself to create a minute long flourish without messing up. A combination of moves that I already know and/or learning plus a couple new ones that I already have in mind.


I hope things will get back to normal soon enough and hope everyone is staying safe! Happy new year, everyone!
 
Jul 1, 2014
181
167
2020 a crazy year. I live in Vietnam, and we were able to control the pandemic to a certain extent. Therefore, I still had the chance to perform in person. Even though I'm only a hobbyist, I still found a lot of fun performing mentalism for people and I could make a lot more friends, which is amazing, given the crazy situation.

For 2021, I will focus on reading more books on mentalism to improve my knowledge in general, as well as polishing my performing style and skill even more.

Happy new year everyone :)
 
Apr 18, 2020
9
10
Since I started cardistry/magic this year, everything I've achieved has happened this year. It's been pretty cool to be part of a community and with all of the giveaways I've won as well as some purchases, I now have about 30 decks in my collection. I've also created some pretty cool original cardistry moves and magic effects that I've shared on my Youtube channel. On Youtube, I've been able to gain more than a 100 subscribers and do collaborations with some very talented magicians. My New Year's Resolutions are to expand the number of cardistry moves I can do and make better quality videos on my channel!
 
Dec 6, 2019
34
30
This has been the year I have began to explore cardistry. I have bought a few extra decks and have started to educate myself a little more about the hobby. I am trying to use my new found time to be able too educate myself and read, read, read. I certainly am a beginner in this hobby but feel with the right amount of passion I can progress and be one day confident enough to do a card show. Even if it is only to friends and family.
 

SudarshanSorcerieS

Elite Member
May 15, 2020
149
96
Boston, MA
Hey guys, hope everyone is having a great weekend! As 2020 came to a close, we were reminded of everything we have done over the past year and where it has gotten us heading into the new year. It's a year that has certainly not been like any other, but in the bad we can hopefully find some good. It's always exciting to begin a new year, so first and foremost, happy new year from all of us at theory11!

We want to know - in your own words - what you feel you have accomplished over this last year (2020) in magic and / or cardistry. Some of you may have performed your first professional show virtually online, others may have come up with a cool idea or concept that found its way into your repertoire, or maybe you just discovered the art during the pandemic lockdowns and want to share how it's impacted your life. The contest tonight is simple - tell us about it.

In addition, we want to know what your resolutions are for this next year - 2021. What are your goals? What would you like to see yourself accomplish in magic and / or cardistry over the coming year? We want to hear about it!

Because this is a written contest, everyone of you is free to participate. Submissions should be posted as responses to this thread - and all entries must be in by tomorrow, Sunday, January 3rd at 11:00pm EST for judging. We will review the posts and announce the winner (selected at random) once time is up. Note that submissions can vary in length - but are limited to 500 words, maximum.

The winner takes home 1,000 Elite Member Points, a deck of Gold Artisans, and 6 Decks of your choice (they have to currently be in stock).

We look forward to reading through all of your accomplishments, aspirations, thoughts, and goals!

My 5 year old self



2020 has been a growing year for me in spite of COVID. Theory11 has made me what I always thought I wanted to be. It all started when a party Magician was doing some very interesting Magic. I was so keen on learning how the Magician did his tricks. I looked through the footage, over and over. It was so clean. The next time a Magician came, I took his Mic and cards and started doing little tricks my grandma taught me. (I was only 5!) When I finished, my whole life was now going to face a twist, I saw many people looking at me, clapping!!! I heard whistles in the air. It felt like the most powerful thing in my life. I loved Magic! But then, I discovered more about Theory11, and followed the beginning guides. I was now starting my journey of Magic. Once I found out that kids my age or younger were doing Magic too, I asked one of them, where they learned it from. They said they learnt it from Youtube. I was wonderstruck! Why would people reveal Magic Tricks on Youtube so that people can learn these precious tricks? I didn’t want those cheap tricks to be learnt. I decided to learn Magic from Penn and Teller’s Master Class: Magic. After all of the lessons. I was inspired to create more and more tricks once I learnt the main moves in Magic. I learnt card, rope and coin Magic. I became an intermediate Magician now. I came back to Theory11 after so long, I decided to take Magic very seriously then. After signing up for Theory11, I was able to buy many tricks from them! I learnt so much terminology, I learnt different type of Magic Tricks such as Quantum, Omega, Zodiac, Zandman Book Test, Phone Vanish, Akkelian Envelopes, Healed and Sealed, Scarlet, Lit, Bend, 52 to 1, Verbatim, Insane, Departure, Position Impossible, Animation, Double Agent, Cyber, Tarantula 2.0, Rhine's Dice, T-Rex and Rapture. I LOVED Theory11 that I bought these many tricks. Sooner, I became an Advanced Magician, I was able to create different card tricks. It was time to create a quote. “The more and more magic you do in front of a whole group, the more and more smiles you get back”. This year was so successful. I performed on Talent Show and in front of many and when I say many, I mean hundreds and hundreds of people! In the future years or late 2021, I plan to renounce most of my time to Magic and give the people the support they need. Who would've thought that my 5 year old self was the reason for all this?
 

CaseyRudd

Director of Operations
Team member
Jun 5, 2009
3,390
3,798
Charleston, SC
www.instagram.com
In 2020, I stayed in. Like, you know. Everyone.

Read. A lot. Spent a good chunk of my time diving into the library I've acquired over the years, so many books bought that I thought "Oh, this will be great, once I have the time." Well, 2020 gave me that time. I've deep-dived into magic history, learning a lot that I want to use, and take into performances in the future.

In 2021, assuming (?!?) the world at some point gets back to normal, I want to get a job at a restaurant. There is one in downtown Detroit that I won't say the name of (lest another local magician read this), but I've LONG thought would be perfect for a restaurant magician. They don't take reservations, and we've waited over two hours for a table (they've got a huge, covered "patio" with a bar for wating, which would be perfect for performing), and it's always, always been worth it. The food is SO good. And the wait is SO long.

So, assuming we get back to some semblence of a "normal" world (and I'm not 100% sure we will; this might wind up being my resolution for 2022, too), that would be my goal.

I'd also like to perform/volunteer in one of the many senior centers in my area. That's something Jamie D. Grant wrote about in his wonderful book, The Approach, and a way that would be win/win. I could perform more, and do something good for people who are no doubt at times starved for entertainment.

Apart from that, I'd also just like to take a moment and say "thank you," to the entire community that regularly contributes to these boards. I've learned so much from so many of you, and returning here to regularly "catch up" on magic discussions has been a wonderful "distraction" in a hard year filled with difficult lessons.

I'm truly grateful. Thank you for reading, and I hope all your 2021 goals and ambitions and dreams come true.
Congrats Will! Your entry was randomly selected as the winner for this week's contest! Pleas reach out to our support team so we can get your prize out to you ASAP!

We hope you all have a wonderful year ahead, and make good on your resolutions!
 

willtupper

Elite Member
Apr 28, 2009
282
335
Oh, wow. I am stunned.

Thank you all so, so much.

Friday, New Year's Day, the day before this Saturday Night Contest, just happened to be my birthday.

And this is by FAR the best (and certainly most unexpected!) gift I've ever gotten.

Happy New Year, everyone. I'm going to do everything I can to make this year a good one.

And I know you will, too.

Congrats Will! Your entry was randomly selected as the winner for this week's contest! Pleas reach out to our support team so we can get your prize out to you ASAP!

We hope you all have a wonderful year ahead, and make good on your resolutions!
 

PeterC9

Elite Member
Jun 2, 2017
126
97
For me 2020 has been a good year. My hands dont work the way they did when I was young so I have concentrated on working with my magic collection and bringing together all the items I have collected in my life and placing these into various categories so my oldest child will have a collection that he can be proud of when it is time for me to leave this mortal plane. In 2021 I will continue to purchase selected items throughout the year to add to the types and named categories I have decided to concentrate on. For me too much magic sometimes is lost to the past and while I cant purchase expensive items I hope to find those little gems that may be missed and lost to history to keep and add to a small growing list for my son.
 

PeterC9

Elite Member
Jun 2, 2017
126
97
Didn't realize contest was over..never mind at least I will have something I can refer back to if 2021 continues in a downward spiral and I can take heart and remember exactly why magic is a big part of my life...have a great birthday Will and also congratulations also ..Peter in Oz
 

willtupper

Elite Member
Apr 28, 2009
282
335
Hey, Friends!

Thanks so much for the congratulations and birthday wishes. It's been a stellar one thus far, thanks in large part to all of you.

I have messaged TPTB (and this is probably super "Midwestern" of me, but I'm totally counting getting my prize correspondence from Ms. Christen Gerhart as my first "celebrity interaction" of the year #starstruck), and, with the help of a WHOLE pack of Post-It notes (each deck written on a seperate note, my bedroom looked like I was trying to prove a conspiracy theory) let them know which decks I wanted.

And a thousand Elite Points, to boot?

Best. Prize. Ever.

OH!

AND I ordered myself a new ch*p cup last month, and I honestly thought it had been lost in the mail for good. But it wasn't!

It took 27 days by First-Class mail to make it from basically Cleveland to Detroit, but so what?

IT SHOWED UP TODAY.

Hope you're all having an amazing day / week / year so far. It can only get better from here! :)
 
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