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danaruns Special user The City of Angels 808 Posts |
I'm starting a separate thread on this rather than derail another.
If you're a new magician who has reached the point of amassing an arsenal of tricks and you're wondering, "What do I do next, and where do I go from here?," I have a thought for you: Take your best material and craft a coherent show. There's a sea change in how you think about magic when you change your focus from learning tricks -- and the "next trick syndrome" can really be an addiction -- to putting together a show. Your whole approach to magic changes. Your mindset changes, and you see tricks in a larger perspective and a different way. Tricks are no longer the end of the story or the ultimate goal, they become tools to use in a larger context, and you begin to understand their function much better. You learn about your own skills, your strengths and weaknesses, and your effect on those who experience your magic. You kind of "grow up." It's like someone learning piano. You've practiced all your scales, arpeggios, patterns, and all the etudes, songs, and diddies in your practice books, and now you need to put it together. You long for more. Admiring your own dexterity and progress can only take you so far. At some point, you have to start playing music. And when you do, a whole new, fascinating, exciting world opens up to you. It's the same with magic. When you make the shift from learning tricks to creating a show, all the work you've put in pays off. You "become." You crawl out of your cocoon and find that you can fly. People who do social magic might say, "Why do I need a show? I just perform a trick or two for friends and family." A street performer might think, "How can that benefit me? I do maybe two tricks, tops, for an audience before I move on." Putting together a show will teach you to harness the power of each trick. It will turn you from some guy who does magic tricks into a magician. You'll find that your presentation of even a single trick becomes much better, more effective, and more memorable. And you'll find that people's tolerance for your magic goes way up. Your friends will start to think of you differently, better. Spectators won't challenge you anymore. You'll have more respect from the get-go, and people will become more eager and excited to see your latest. Plus, you will learn what it takes to entertain. In this forum you hear people say all the time that magic is not inherently entertaining. Learn to develop a show, and you will learn how to make magic entertaining, how to be entertaining, how to be an entertainer. And you'll learn what all those tricks are really for. Going from someone who does tricks to someone who has a show unlocks your potential and makes you a magician. I highly recommend it. Have I talked you into it, yet?
"Dana Douglas is the greatest magician alive. Plus, I'm drunk." -- Foster Brooks
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Andy Gemini Regular user England 119 Posts |
Thank you, that is brilliant! Very inspiring for someone like myself, who is just a hobbyist learning to show tricks to my grandchildren, mainly.
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davidpaul$ Inner circle Georgetown, South Carolina 3086 Posts |
Quote:
On Jun 21, 2019, danaruns wrote: AND "the show" can be as short as just a couple of effects. Yes danaruns has stated it well (not that my accolades are needed) that "entertainment is "the key". Providing a pathway for a smile, laughter, mystery or just plain fun will make you memorable and worthy of your audiences time.
Guilt will betray you before technique betrays you!
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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
Your fine post deserves more attention than received so far, so I will lend my support.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
kShepher Elite user Washington, DC 470 Posts |
Outstanding advice!
This should go down as an all time classic post for this forum. |
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