So... I have been trying to progress.. I am still very new. been doing this only for a few months. Working through Royal Road to card magic. Also got Card College 1, and tried to work through that, but just not progressing.
I feel like I am not getting the concepts, and every time I practice for ages, then show someone and they can basically see exactly what I am doing. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this?
I also got Mark Wilson's Complete course and tried working through that, but I work through it a bit but it feels tedious and then I stop...
Any ideas how I can progress / be more motivated?
Like many have recommended, self working tricks would be the best now. They help magicians focus on the presentation more and thus, I feel they are good enough for magicians of any skill-level, although for some reason they are thought as a beginner's cup of tea, I don't think so...
Anyways, I think there are some REALLY great videos by Rise Magic on YT for motivation. That should help, as should many videos by magicians themselves who tell you what to do when you feel de-motivated.
But the strongest piece of advice I can give is, DON'T practice until it feels tedious, because it should not. Learning magic is not a do-or-die situation, it should be FUN, and if it is the opposite, something's wrong.
Also, I'd say, go ahead and watch people performing magic. I had always shied away from learning the classic pass, because, well, double undercut was easier and achieved the same purpose...
But when I saw how magical it looked when there were NO cuts or shuffles, but a card was controlled to the top, and when I saw it can be employed for purposes other than controls, I became determined to tame that beast. And when that happens, boredom does not exist, because you have a very clear idea in your mind how good you want to be at something (as gppd as the performance you saw, usually). Performances sometimes teach more than tutorials.
However, if it is a PURELY progressing problem...maybe you are attempting something too hard? Or just doing something wrong? It's amazing how a simple correct finger placement can improve you drastically overnight. So re-read the instructions and keep practising...there are some moves out there that just click in place, sometime or the other.
And when that happens, I feel like running out on the roads nude screaming,
"EUREKA!!!"
Have fun!