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tedski Special user New Jersey 792 Posts |
Could you give some of your thoughts on creating original magic, and how you approach developing your ideas? I'd also like to know what and who has influenced your magic the most when you started.
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Losander V.I.P. Las Vegas 75 Posts |
Well, that is of course a very good question. I think the most important thing is when you create something new in magic that you really add something very new to an existing effect. So in my case, I was inspired by Tommy Wonder when I saw his birdcage. If I were to create a different birdcage: bigger, different colour, or even add a real bird inside. That would be no new creation. Instead, I took his gimmick and idea and created a new effect, the floating table. No one could say, "Well, a floating table is an old theme." But the combination out of reinventing his gimmick and putting it into use with a table created a new illusion, which is now already a classic in magic.
It is a fine line between creating a new effect and just coming up with a cool variation of an effect. So at the beginning, when I saw the first copies of my table, I was very angry about it. Now, I just feel sorry for all the people who buy them. Since I started my upgrade program, where you can trade in a copy and you receive a $500 discount on my table, I saw so many copies; and let me tell you, not a single one of them is worth even writing about. They totally missed the point. Everything is wrong about them, including the gimmick. So the bad part about it is, some of these people even think it is my table. So people think they are buying a Rolex, but they only get a self-made Swatch. But, coming back to inventions. The reason why I sold my table is because I wanted to give the magic community a little kick into the next century. Like so many other inventors in magic, you really don't feel so great if people take advantage of you and your ideas. I wish there would be a protection for all of us, but so far there is not. As another example, I created an addition to Don Wayne's Hanky Panky. So many magicians asked me to sell it. So I talked to him about it, but he did not want to collaborate, so I let it go and did not start selling it. So you see, if someone makes out of Kevin James' bowling ball a basket ball, that does not make it a new trick; it makes it different, but not enough to stand on its own. So you see, in order to sell this, you would need to ask Kevin for permission. So I think all new ideas help magic progress, but some of them are just not big enough to make a new invention. I was influenced in my early years in magic by Finn Jon and Salvano, and of course Tommy Wonder. Later, my biggest influence was my wife, Luna Shimada. She modeled me into what I am now. All of these magicians had a great influence, but I never tried to be them. I always crested my own style, and that is the most important thing. If you are a painter and you recreate the painting of the Mona Lisa, you will never be Leonardo Da Vinci, even if you are a better painter. You can not duplicate the energy the originator puts into the painting or magic trick. You could say that this energy is the spice in life and the kick in any magic act you see. The part what tickles the back of your neck and gives you goose bumps, that makes all the difference in the world and can not be copied. |
Losander V.I.P. Las Vegas 75 Posts |
Oh, I have a fun video about originality on YouTube. It's under "Losander", and then click on "Copies".
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tedski Special user New Jersey 792 Posts |
That video clip was part of the reason for my original post. It is easy to see this phenomena all over the Internet - people copying magic routines, music performances, etc., right down to the patter and phrasing and timing. Thank you for sharing your original presentations and magical ideas.
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Moonmagick New user Las Vegas 30 Posts |
Yes, no problem. Originality is the only thing, how you can make it in this world. Takes longer, but it feels so much better than a copy.
Live on the edge of your dreams, balance on a thread, fall into the void, get out of your head.
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Moonmagick New user Las Vegas 30 Posts |
Oops! It's me, Losander. I just replied on my wife's computer...
Live on the edge of your dreams, balance on a thread, fall into the void, get out of your head.
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Corey K Special user Rhode Island 502 Posts |
Yeah, these days, it's hard with YouTube and people just so willing to copy someone else. It's rough, but it separates a magician from a hobbyist in a lot of ways.
I wish there were more protection, too! Someone should start their own business doing it - potential to make lots of money and help a lot of people out. Hmm...
Corey King
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Losander V.I.P. Las Vegas 75 Posts |
That would be great. I think it should be like it is in the music industry; whenever they perform your effects, the creator should get payed. But before that happens, it will take a long time. What I just feel so sad about is that if you steal someones car or money, you go to prison, but if you steal someones idea, you even get awards. What a crazy world we live in.
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