Good Day!

I hope the community can help me in some way. I'm 39 years old, and over the past year, have gotten into magic. It is a sickness (in a good way). Perhaps "passion" is a better word.

I have recently attended magic classes at a local magic shop, which was informative,entertaining and motivational. I've doing quite a bit of reading of the classics (bobo, RRTCM, Wilson), and those have helped me a great deal.

Now that the classes are over, my biggest challenge is staying motivated. There are times I get bummed out for not having started practicing magic sooner. I realize that it takes years to become even somewhat proficient. That, to me, seems rather daunting, but understandbly necessary. I'm trying to enjoy the journey, and for the most part I do. But it just seems so far down the road when the discouragement tries to kick in. I do want to get to a point when I can do honor to the art and to my performance. It seems very distant though.

My eventual goal is to earn some $ on weekends, preferably restaurant/bar magic. Bottom line, I want to do something I enjoy, and help pay the bills doing it. I like practicing, almost to a fault. Honestly, I fall asleep at night thinking about magic, how to do something differently, etc. It gets to the point where I'm rather obsessive about it. Should I be worried? (lol, I think)

If anyone can share some advice of staying motivated, seeing the forest from the trees, etc., I would be most grateful. That seems to be my biggest hurdle to overcome. Reading materials, etc. Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Larry

Hey Larry,

I can understand that while you hasd the classes, you had something to look forward to, something to keep that well of excitement going. I would suggest you pick up Genii, and look at the featured magicians, see what is out there. For bar work, look into Doc Eason's work. Also post in the forums toward the bottom (of the main forum page) and see if there are magicians in your area you can have a magic jam session with. The greats do it, and I get together with some buddies about once a month to just show off what I've been working on. A local magic shop can help to. Just being surrounded by magic helps. There are some magic organizations, the big ones being the International Brotherhood of Magicians, and the Society of American Magicians. There are members of all ages and skill levels. The lectures feasture some great talent out there.

Hope this helps.

Pete

Hey, Larry, I'm 52 and just back into magic, so imagine how behind I feel. Actually, though, having wasted a lot of time gives me more motivation, not less.

Like Pete, I suggest getting involved in your local IBM and/or SAM clubs. There will be lots of folk of all ages there to share with, learn from and draw inspiration from.

And you don't necessarily need to wait years and years before earning some money at magic. Sure, mastery takes time-- but you'll never master it all. I'll bet Dai Vernon was learning something new the day he died.

On the other hand, I've read that Eugene Berger snagged his first paid gig knowing only three or four effects.

And you might check out David Regal's DVDs, tapes or books. He has dozens of wonderful effects that don't require years of laborious practice-- some are even self-working.

We're all students and we've all got miles to go. But it's a fun trip.

:bikes:

Pgb & Blackwood,

Thanks for the advice. I do appreciate it very much.

Larry,
There are many ways to keep motivated:
Your local magic shop, magic magazines (breathlessly awaiting their arrival), magic clubs (What are they doing next month? What am I doing next month?), and the Internet -- starting, of course, with the Magic Café.
Don't worry about starting to late to "learn it all". After all, NOBODY knows it all!
You seem to be going at this the right way; just remember that it's supposed to be FUN -- and when you stop having fun, then it stops being fun for your audience and others around you.
So keep doing what you're doing (but don't try to do too much) and have fun doing it!

Since you know what you want to do, focus on it and develop an act, then market it to your target audience.

The bumming is trying to do it all in the short period of life that remains, also it is that procrastination bug that gets us down because we are unfocused...like spending too much time on the Magic Café and not focusing on what we want to do.

G'day Larry

These blokes have some spot on advice which clearly comes from their own experience.

I started performing seriously at age 45. I think now that I should have got into it when I was younger but hey I was pretty busy doing other things then.

One of the things I enjoy and find motivational is the impromptu performances as it gives me an opportunity to practice some of the effects that are ready to go. I guesse this is the Street performace type of thing.

Definatly meeting with ohers in a club setting can be very motivational.

And last but not least reflecting on magic in this forum keeps me motivated as well as it brings me in conatct with magicians from around the globe.

Troppo Bob

:jump:

When I get a brand new book which is really good so something by paul Harris or david harkey that's all the motivation I need.andy

Larry, I would suggest you hook up with someone like Rick Maue (I believe he is in the Pittsburgh area) and take some private lessons. It sounds like you were motivated by the classes you took, now take it to the next level and have someone focus fully on you and what you're doing through private interaction. (I believe Rick has a mini-convention soon too - go.)

In the alternative, set weekly goals for yourself and then work towards those goals each week. It's really easy to just read and avoid the actual practice of magic - I do it way too much myself. If you have a goal of performing professionally, start laying all of the groundwork to make it happen now. The key is focus and not getting distracted by everything that's out there in the magic world.

Don't work in a bubble either, way too many of us show our work only to audiences - before it gets to an audience it should be torn apart by someone with discerning eyes. Perform for someone you trust that will give you HONEST feedback - you don't want anyone to pat your hand and say very good. No matter what level we reach at anything in life, there is someone out there with better eyes than our own - seek them out.

Good luck.

Don't try to bite of more than you can chew. The stuff that takes years to get proficient at... well wory about that after you've got a few years of practice under your belt. In the mean time set your sites for material that is within your ability level. There is plenty of stuff to do. For most beginning magicians, their biggest weakness is lack of confidence. You can build that confidence by choosing something that you will be able to perform succesfully after a reasonable ammount of practice.

You mentioned how you are enjoying the journey, and that is the real key here... enjoyment. In the beginning, I think it is most important to go in the direction and at the pace that is the most fun for you. Consider it a hobby. I think you will find, sooner than you realize, that you have reached a level of accomplishment and knowledge rather quickly, because through the process you managed to keep it fun. Beating yourself up and making feel like goal-oriented work will burn you out way too quickly. So sit back and dig the ride!

By gum, thank you all very much for the advice and support.

Dan, I recently met Rick at a SAM meeting. Very cool guy. I have every intention to attend the Deception Convention.

I read the other thread "age". It's very reassuring to know there are others who have come on board later in life. That's awesome actually.

You all have given me a great deal of encouragement and advice here. I am certainly glad I found this site. Many thanks again. It is greatly appreciated, believe me. I hope to contribute to the forum and give back to the community as much as I can.

Regards,

Larry

The more I do magic, the more I compare it to public speaking. Sure you need to know the material and the technical aspects of your routine, but the only way to get better and stay motivated is to perform for spectators and especially strangers, to work on your routines and presentation style in front of individuals, and to gauge your performances based on audience reaction which allows you to realize what you need to do to progress. The audiences' (including close up audiences) wonder, astonishment, and happiness give back a jolt of energy that truly motivates just like public speaking.

I volunteer at a hospital on a weekly basis and that experience keeps me motivated and thinking about magic and working to improve my routines. McBride noted that he gave performances to seniors and to anyone who would watch for his initial practice. That experience is not only beneficial for practice, but also tremendously rewarding. Your spectators give back so much energy in return for your long hours of practice and hard work that you will keep on plugging to try and create better and bigger reactions. I think you get more energy from performing for strangers (not street magic) as compared to the reaction from bringing out new effects for your family and friend audiences.

That performance energy and the wonder you create can be addictive and keeps you working on magic.

Jive-Turkey,

Thanks for the advice and encouragement.

Regards,

Larry