Wow I have read a lot of the posts in here and there is a good wealth of knowledge here. I am having fun reading all of the threads. Do any of you ever travel or go to magic conventions? I am kind of new. I have doing this for 8 months now and I am getting pretty good.

Cards

I think the best thing for you to do now, if you have not yet, is join your local magic club. A lot of them have meets once a month. You do not have to be good but willing to learn. Many here go to conventions but going to a convention is not as good as joining a club in my opinion.

Later
Tommy

Magic clubs are a good way to start as Tommy suggested.


Trini

I agree. I'm waiting on my membership package from IBM but the nearest ring or club is 90 miles away in Norfolk, Va.

I you don't know where to find such club, then make your own! Find any good magicians who is living in your home town and make it!
You will learn some things from them and they will learn from you! It's very good training and perfecting your knowlage of magic!
...:: NICK JEGOR ::...

O.K. ihave a question I have been doing magic for about 8 years but ambarasing enough I have never joined a IBM ring or SAM . When I lived in jersey I use to go a lot to this round table I was a member of in Linden. But I guess I was to afraid to ask what I needed to do to join such a club, but now I am in the military and I a m stationed in cheyenne wyoming. I found a IBM ring in fort collins. About 45 miles from me , I amthinking about joining but I heard that you have to perform for magicians. and to be honest I feel wierd doing so I guess its because I'm 25 and I know everyone there knows what I am doing and I guess I just fear criticism. What is neededto join? I just want to know before I stroll in there all Willy Nilly?

IBM rules may vary from ring to ring, but in my ring, I never had to perform. I do think however that you need two magicians to sponsor you, but I bet if you went there, you could get two of them to sign it even if you don't know them.

Shane Wiker

In the past I attended a few conventions.
It's a good place to meet fellow magicians, the stars of magic, dealers and see some very good magic performances. Magic is also going on throughout the convention.

As for clubs, I was a member of both SAM and IBM for a few years but didn't attend the local clubs very often due to other obligations. I did enjoy the pros lectures.

Paisa-
My first and only club I ever joined was the Academy of the Magical Arts at the Magic Castle here in LA.

I had only been to the Castle once before and about a month after that, auditioned for membership with really only about 4 months of 'serious study' at that time.

There were six committee members present and all of them were performers. I was nervous to say the least, but I also knew that the whole purpose was to belong to a place where one could not only see but learn. And of course they all knew how I did everything...(although for a Triumph routine, I used my own story about a Christmas party and a recently published handling that was much different than the usual original.....just to show that I was looking into the art..)

Since then, I've learned continually and that I had more b*lls than I realized because nowadays, I mainly watch, study and practice at home because the best of the best continually show up there so I realize the feeling of performing in front of other magicians.

You've got 8 years under your belt. Let that be your gusto...I'm sure you have three or four effects that aren't necessarily part of the 'usual' scene today...think about them. Doing a few effects well that are less popular will probably help a little as well.