I'm putting the link to this week's entry for "A Year of Stories" in New to Magic because I see the issue come up a lot. If you've been in magic a long time, you may occasionally feel down about it. You may feel like you've lost the passion you had when you first discovered magic. It's an awful, disheartening feeling to lose that sense of wonder.

Professional magicians go through the exact same thing. This week's story is about one of my recent experiences rediscovering my passion for magic:

http://youthspeaker.brianmillermagic.com......dentist/

Have you lost your passion/enthusiasm for magic at one point or another? What did you do to regain it?

Best, Brian

I was 7 when I saw my first magician. Stanley Susan was earning his way through college in the GREAT DEPRESSION. When the curtain closed, the other kids went home. I didn't. I found my way backstage, and, met Stanley! THAT'S when I decided that I was going to be a magician! I did.

Seven years later (October 24, 1945) I presented a 40 minute program on that same stage. I had booked the show on a 50/50 percent basis. I made $26.00. Stanley had made $25.00!

I have NEVER lost enthusiasm or interest since that first day. In the 70 years since that October day, I've been a part time pro for 20 years, and, a full time pro until 2008, when I retired.

Since retirement, I do an occasional show.

I have never lost my passion for magic, or the passion of observing people experiencing magic.

I have occasionally lost interest in performing for others -- not the same at all.

In like manner, I do not believe any person looses their passion for magic embraced in curiosity, imagination and 'awe & wonder,' We need only awaken it.

I fear that younger generations never experience it at all -- and can hardly loose what they never had. "Rediscover?"

Be glad that you have the choice.

Thank you for your responses gentleman. I find it fascinating that your passion/enthusiasm has never wavered since day 1. More power to you!

I've never met a magician who did not, at some point, go into a rut or funk. No different from any other passion or hobby, and I see threads show up on the Café and other forums frequently who express having lost some of their initial excitement, and are yearning to rekindle it.

I have more than one passion/hobby, I tend to really only focus on one at a time.
When my passion level goes down on one side, it usually goes up on the other.

Perhaps we have some definitional vagueness here. The original "Have you lost your passion/enthusiasm for magic at one point or another?"

Does not imply for me the same questions as "rut or funk," or "lost some initial excitement."

It is like asking a couple married for 60 years if they still love each other. When they hold hands, smile and say, "more than ever, but differently,"
you shift to "didn't you ever argue or wish you were still single?"

The focus of my passion for magic has shifted over the years from "performing for entertainment" to "a tool of communication and evaluation" to "creating new effects" to
"enhancement of traditional effects," to mentoring others, etc. That could be perceived as "wavering," I guess.

There is hardly a day I do not question the wisdom of posting on the Café' vs just publishing what I have learned of magic,
and my enthusiasm for performing for a general audience very low at the moment; but in contrast I jump at the chance to help another serious magicians,
communicate by Internet, phone and Skype with folks around the world and create new effects or handlings constantly.

So yes, If you mean "to perform magic effects for others to observe" I have little excitement, and am "in a rut" as far as which of my dozens of unfinished magic books
I should work on. What I need rekindled is any feeling that sharing magic knowledge with others is worth the effort.

None of that minimizes my passion for "pretending at magic" or enthusiasm over studying how magic affects people's lives.

....

I feel that what you are attempting to prompt discussion on is good and of value to many performers. It may stimulate thinking.
I am now musing on how the concept of "initial passion" has changed for various age cohorts. Thanks for that.

I often go through ups and downs with pretty much everything.

I've been involved in magic in one way or another for close to 60 years, and occasionally I lose the passion...I guess it happens...what I've done in the past has been to walk away until the passion strikes me again...not a clue as to why it comes and goes...I guess you can burn out at just about anything...I was in the computer industry for close to 30 years, and believe me when I say I burned out...I'm so fed up with computers that I don't even want to look at one, although some use of one is a necessity...during those 30 years, you have no idea how many people asked me (outside of work) if I could "fix" their computer...it got so I didn't even want to see one when I went home at night...I guess magic got me the same way...you're a paid performer, and everyone you know says "can you do a trick for us?"...so you take a break from it, but somehow, magic always comes back...