I started doing magic about 4 years ago. I started because my Grampy was big into cards, and he showed me a trick. Of course, I was amazed.
When did you start doing magic, and why?
- Thread starter DaCardRuler
- Start date
I've always liked magic since I was about 6 or 7. The first trick I saw was my grampa who would hold a rope, one end in each hand. What he would do was tie a knot in the rope without ever letting go of the ends. I've always enjoyed watching magic like on tv or in person but didn't start performing until about 2 years ago when a friend introduced me to websites like these and a shop that had recently opened at the time.
Well I started magic when I was like 7 years old (2001), my cousin made a birthday party and Harry Potter was the theme, because the movie was coming to theaters that month, of course there was a magician and he made a chicken appear in a plate I was quite amazed I used to really believe in magic when I was a kid so my interest for the magic started in that moment but I didn't know how to do magic, then in 2005 I saw Criss for the first time he was floating and after watching that my magic was more serious I found some forums on internet and methods to levitate (like balducci) and the rest is history. (sorry about my english)
Did it as a kid, after seeing a local TV kid's show host o magic at school. Quit for 30 years to be a musician, got back into it to help quit smoking. Needed something to do with my hands, and coin magic was it.
It was the Christmas of 1963 that my mother made the horrid mistake of getting me a Mark Wilson ALAKAZAM Magic Kit... while we didn't have much in way of money when I was young, I did wear out a couple of library cards getting all the books I could that were age appropriate as well as few that were far more challenging; learning how to make my own props, develop my own tricks and (thanks to the puppet masters of the day) make and work my own Ventriloquist and traditional hand-puppets...
My earliest shows were at age 6 and twenty years later when my folks came out to visit me in L.A. and they saw the warehouse for the first time... well, they were wondering when I've finally come out of this "phase" I was in... That was about 25 years ago and though the collection is significantly smaller, I've still not grown-up and my mother still curses the day she bought that blasted magic kit.
My earliest shows were at age 6 and twenty years later when my folks came out to visit me in L.A. and they saw the warehouse for the first time... well, they were wondering when I've finally come out of this "phase" I was in... That was about 25 years ago and though the collection is significantly smaller, I've still not grown-up and my mother still curses the day she bought that blasted magic kit.
My youngest memory that I have is of David Copperfield vanishing the Statue of Liberty in 1983. At that time I was only two and a half years old. I remember watching that on TV in absolute awe. I had never seen a magician before, and knew right then and there that I wanted to perform magic. Santa brought me a magic kit that Christmas, and what was a budding interest grew over the years into a hobby, from hobby to passion, and finally from passion to career. I can safely say I've been into magic longer than I've been out of diapers.
The truth?
I watch that "this and that" trick on the net and wanted to learn it...I have never stopped learning since...
I watch that "this and that" trick on the net and wanted to learn it...I have never stopped learning since...
My whole thing is cards, and has been ever since I was about 3. I use to play poker with my grandmother and always seemed to end up with the four Aces 
. Sneaky old woman.
A few years later at a barbecue was the first time I saw something magical. Family friend kept catching me by surprise and pulling his thumb off. I was young & stupid, so from what i'm told, I kept screaming, lol.
I was always interested in cards though. I use to keep picking up those little crap packs of cards, you've seen 'em: "MAGIC! LEARN 11 COOL TRICKS! AMAZE!!!". Fell for it almost every time. Then, if i'm not mistaken I think it was a few months before I actually signed up here, maybe closer to the beginning of 08. I was searching online for custom cards. Something that looked real cool. I found a site selling a ton of different types of cards. One of them specifically caught my eye. They were the Guardians. The cards arrived, I popped them open, and saw the advert card inside and decided to check the place out. I found T11, Technique & Flourishing, both of which have become obsessions. Now, you won't see me anywhere without a pack of studs or something better.
That's where it started. A few years later and i'm interested in anything magic related. Coins, Levitation, Mentalism, Geek, SoH etc.
. Sneaky old woman.A few years later at a barbecue was the first time I saw something magical. Family friend kept catching me by surprise and pulling his thumb off. I was young & stupid, so from what i'm told, I kept screaming, lol.
I was always interested in cards though. I use to keep picking up those little crap packs of cards, you've seen 'em: "MAGIC! LEARN 11 COOL TRICKS! AMAZE!!!". Fell for it almost every time. Then, if i'm not mistaken I think it was a few months before I actually signed up here, maybe closer to the beginning of 08. I was searching online for custom cards. Something that looked real cool. I found a site selling a ton of different types of cards. One of them specifically caught my eye. They were the Guardians. The cards arrived, I popped them open, and saw the advert card inside and decided to check the place out. I found T11, Technique & Flourishing, both of which have become obsessions. Now, you won't see me anywhere without a pack of studs or something better.
That's where it started. A few years later and i'm interested in anything magic related. Coins, Levitation, Mentalism, Geek, SoH etc.
My neighbor had a birthday party and they hired a magician. He was sitting at his table performing for whoever walked up and wanted to see magic before his stand up show. My mother and I walked over and he did a card trick where he gave her his watch and said if he can't find her card, then she can keep his watch. She held it in her hand and chose a card with the other - the queen of hearts. The card got shuffled back into the pack and then he went through the cards where only he could see them and looked at my mom and said "Uh oh...I just may lose my watch...I think I REALLY shuffled it into the cards lol." He kept looking at the cards and said hang on...your card isn't even here anymore! He dealt through all the cards and showed it gone. He said "That isn't fair! You took it out and held on to it so I wouldn't be able to find it!" My mom looked at the hand with the watch in it...no card...she looked at the face of the watch...the normal face of his watch had CHANGED into the queen of hearts! It was nuts and that got me interested. I STILL have no idea how he did that or where that effect is marketed.
2 years ago i never liked magic or thought bout it really, then one day i saw cyril with his hamburger trick on youtube and i was just stunned it really made me believe in magic. The people's reactions just made me wanna do magic, if i can make some people feel the same way i felt when i watched cyril perform that trick, I'd be happy.
However i really didn't start magic at all for a while since that, i had no access to bicycle cards or anything magic wise. Best thing I could find in my city for magic was cards from a newsagent, haha. I finally got the chance to get a hold some magic props (Svengali, Stripper Deck) while i was over in Hong Kong and then i just loved magic from then on.
However i really didn't start magic at all for a while since that, i had no access to bicycle cards or anything magic wise. Best thing I could find in my city for magic was cards from a newsagent, haha. I finally got the chance to get a hold some magic props (Svengali, Stripper Deck) while i was over in Hong Kong and then i just loved magic from then on.
When i was about 8 yers old i saw David Blaine on TV reading peoples minds and doing card tricks. When he did the balduci(i dont know how to spell it right) i was shocked and believed that he had paranormal powers. That made me love magic. 4 years ago i saw Criss Angel on youtube walking on watter. From that day i decided to learn tricks. First year i was doing these lame tricks that i found on youtube. For the last 2 years i got normal cards an bought DVDs and books. I want to make people feel the same thing when i first saw magic.
It all started when I was a young lad. With the 4-5 dollar magic kit. full of wonderfully colored tricks made from perfectly reliable plastic. That's where my love started. Then it slowly grew. I dabbled in cards, learning self working tricks here and there. just trying to amaze people with whatever resources I have. And then times and ages changed and gained new influences and soon became who I am today.
I grew up watching magic specials on TV (Copperfield, Worlds Greatest Magic...anything I could watch) and loved it. I learned a few simple tricks (you guys remember before youtube? I do...) from friends and worked out ways to do some that I had seen on tv. I started taking it seriously and bought a few dvds (oh yeah, street magic...) and eventually matured into books that actually helped me grow both as a magician and a performer.
It's become a part of me now, something I don't think I'll ever stop doing (even if I don't choose it as a career).
It's become a part of me now, something I don't think I'll ever stop doing (even if I don't choose it as a career).
Good thing to add to a resume or application.
Usually they'll be a question like, "What makes you unique?" for volunteer applications. Usually I'll just put "magic *smiley face*"
It makes getting positions in volunteering much easier.
Especially in hospitals and most recently, I'm working with autistic children. Needless to say, I don't need ever do magic when spending time with the kids. But in the process of applying, the interviewer asked me, "So how long have you been doing magic?" and I just explained that it's something I enjoy when I don't have to study.
It shows that I don't just study all day and do nothing else. Shows that I'm not just a one-trick pony (No pun intended) and I have interests in other things.
I've been doing this for about 4-5 years.
Usually they'll be a question like, "What makes you unique?" for volunteer applications. Usually I'll just put "magic *smiley face*"
It makes getting positions in volunteering much easier.
Especially in hospitals and most recently, I'm working with autistic children. Needless to say, I don't need ever do magic when spending time with the kids. But in the process of applying, the interviewer asked me, "So how long have you been doing magic?" and I just explained that it's something I enjoy when I don't have to study.
It shows that I don't just study all day and do nothing else. Shows that I'm not just a one-trick pony (No pun intended) and I have interests in other things.
I've been doing this for about 4-5 years.
I started about 2 years ago. I was in Saint Louis having breakfast in a coffee shop, and a friend of someone with whom I was sharing breakfast sat down with us. He showed me some interesting tricks, and he invited me to visit a group of his friends that were local magicians. I was very interested, but i was headed home early the next day. I had to decline his offer, but his kindness sparked my interest in magic.
I've been into magic for about 5 years. So when I was 8 years old, (2nd grade?) a guy on the bus had a deck of cards. I knew he wasn't a magician because he didn't usually do magic tricks, but he asked me to pick a card and remember it. He looked at me intently for about 10 seconds and named the card. This doesn't seem too impressive to me now, but to an 8 year old kid who's never really seen magic, it was the most amazing thing ever! He did it a couple more times and never failed, so that sparked my interest in magic. That summer, I learned my first magic trick from one of my summer camp counselors. It was that "4 piles and 4 rows of 4 cards" trick. I did that trick for everyone and they loved it. I loved it. Magic was especially helpful to me when I moved to Nashville, in 6th grade, I didn't know anybody and I had no friends. I decided to do some magic and then people started to notice me. And to this day, I'm still learning and performing new and old things in magic.
PS: I'm in 9th grade so if the story doesn't make too much sense chronologically, that's because I skipped 4th grade.
PS: I'm in 9th grade so if the story doesn't make too much sense chronologically, that's because I skipped 4th grade.
I started around eight years old with books from the library and school and a magic set from my parents. Can't pin point the exact moment I decided 'this is for me.' For some reason I just stuck with it.
Started getting into the more 'professional' stuff around thirteen. Had to get my mum to order stuff over the phone from the catalogues I had as we didn't have the internet then, and even if we did the concept of an online magic shop (and YouTube) was none existent. Didn't get my first pack of Bikes until I was sixteen (I can hear all the card junkies fainting at that thought!) and didn't get a magic DVD until I was nineteen, up until that point it was mostly books.
I'm 25 now, have been through university, worked as an accountant for 2.5 years and I am now back at uni training to be a school teacher. Magic as been a constant through every part of my life for 17 years.... and yet I still have no idea why I keep doing it! I just like it, plain and simple. No deep philosophical 'it saved my life' reason. I just like it.
Rev
PS. It amuses me how some of the above posters want to make it seem like they've been in magic longer than they have... if you started doing it two years ago when you were fifteen then you started doing it two years ago! Saying you saw some magic and liked when you were four doesn't count! Everyone likes to watch magic! Don't be afraid to admit you haven't been doing it long, you're probably still better than me.
Started getting into the more 'professional' stuff around thirteen. Had to get my mum to order stuff over the phone from the catalogues I had as we didn't have the internet then, and even if we did the concept of an online magic shop (and YouTube) was none existent. Didn't get my first pack of Bikes until I was sixteen (I can hear all the card junkies fainting at that thought!) and didn't get a magic DVD until I was nineteen, up until that point it was mostly books.
I'm 25 now, have been through university, worked as an accountant for 2.5 years and I am now back at uni training to be a school teacher. Magic as been a constant through every part of my life for 17 years.... and yet I still have no idea why I keep doing it! I just like it, plain and simple. No deep philosophical 'it saved my life' reason. I just like it.
Rev
PS. It amuses me how some of the above posters want to make it seem like they've been in magic longer than they have... if you started doing it two years ago when you were fifteen then you started doing it two years ago! Saying you saw some magic and liked when you were four doesn't count! Everyone likes to watch magic! Don't be afraid to admit you haven't been doing it long, you're probably still better than me.
I'm only 15.. but what got me into magic was when I was about 9 years old, I saw one of those DB specials on t.v. I remembered it sometime when I was 12 and my mom took me to book warehouse and we got my first magic book ''Collins Gem Guide To Magic.''
THANK GOD it wasn't one of those cheap books. It told me the right cards to use (Bee's, Bikes, etc.), it had a few classic tricks (eg. do as I do), and most of it was sleight of hand! The best part was that it was only 3'' x 5'', so I could take it anywhere and be constantly learning!
THANK GOD it wasn't one of those cheap books. It told me the right cards to use (Bee's, Bikes, etc.), it had a few classic tricks (eg. do as I do), and most of it was sleight of hand! The best part was that it was only 3'' x 5'', so I could take it anywhere and be constantly learning!