Hi All,

Just sharing a top ten list I created to help newcomers improve their magic.

http://www.peterdovemagic.com/teneasytips.html

I am not affiliated with any of the links in the top ten list - just links that I think will help people.

Regards

Peter Dove

All are good points (except I question #10...A Flaming Wallet???) One thing you might want to add, that is probably the most overlooked area in any business... Educate yourself on marketing your business! There are a number of books, DVDs, online courses, etc. that can help you do a better job developing your magic business. Of course the Tricky Business forum on TMC has an abundance of suggestions (some better than others). I have been in the advertising & marketing business for over 25 years and I have learned some great lessons from some of the resources I mentioned above.

LOL - sorry I love my flaming wallet Good point regarding marketing. Any particular books, dvds or courses you can name?

Thanks

Peter

Those are all good suggestions. Not sure about the wallet.
However, none of this is worth anything if you are a poor entertainer.

Probably the best marketing course I have taken was James Munton's Zero to Booked Solid online course (zerotobookedsolid.com). It gives you the details and resources to cover all the angles needed to better promote yourself and it is specifically aimed at the magic business.

ProfessorWhut makes a good point. If you don't have any acting or public speaking experience, it would probably do you good to get some lessons if you have a local school offering acting or public speaking coureses... or participate in some community theatre. There a numerous organizations such as Toastmasters that can teach you a lot about public speaking.

I was not aware that magic had to involve business.

It doesn't have to involve business unless you want to make some money from your magic. Making money should always involve business. Want to see me pull a paying job out of my hat???

Are you running for office somewhere?

Haha! No way Silvercup. Although I think most politcians would make good magicians. They are good with smoke & mirrors on the voters and maybe not so great with sleight of hand, but they have sleight of mouth perfected!

Practice. Preparation.. Performance.

I agree, except for 4, 6 and 10. To a degree also number 2 (at least in regards to the cards). Problem with the fire wallet beside being cheesy (IMO) I've seen basically complete laymen use one. Had a friend who picked up one in Disney world and used it for more than a year. It won't improve your magic in any way, it is basically a gag.

PPPPPPP as they say in the military. That stands for Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Pretty Poor Performance. Proper means don't practice the move wrong or you will learn it wrong. Prior means before you try something in front of a live audience. Preparation means knowing how to do something so well that you can do the moves or use the gaff without thinking about it or being self-conscious. Prevents means avoids. Pretty poor is a substitute word for what the DI really said! Poor needs no definition. And Performance means what being a magician is really all about.

1) I *strongly* agree. If you're a hobbyist, it matters less (though please dress at least passably--people need to have a bit more dignity). But if you're a professional, get yourself a good suit. I don't care if you can't afford it--if you want to ask for money, you need to look like you're worth it.

2) I agree with the principle, but not the example. Using quality props is important, but the "novelty" decks, while they look great, scream "trick deck" to laymen. Get yourself some Bikes, use relatively fresh ones that handle well and don't look like they've been through the grinder, and do great magic with them. To the overall point, I'll add: care for your props. Polish your cups and coins, get a new deck when the old one gets worn, etc. Everything the audience sees should look either sleek and professional or aged and elegant.

3) Agreed--BUT don't just learn new methods for the sake of doing so. PERFECT the methods you have, and learn new methods when you have a good reason to do so. You should be educated in magic--you should not be adding new things to your show every night just to have something new.

4) A forum is nice, but you need to be careful of lots of bad advice from guys sitting at their computers who've never actually worked for real audiences. You'd be even better off with a mentor (or at least a local club). If that's not available, a forum is great, but be careful who you listen to.

5) Agreed. If you're buying stuff, you want a good shopping experience. To this I'll add: get yourself some knowledgable people who can tell you what's good and what's crap. A mentor helps--but there are also some great magic reviewers whose opinions are worth considering. The point of all of these points should be that you want a good shopping experience that leads you to products you'll actually use, rather than material fated to forever live in the bottom drawer with all of the other mistaken purchases.

6) Sure--it's a lot of fun, and if you go with a plan, you can learn some great things. But as I said above, a club or mentor might be an even better resource.

7) Agreed, agreed, agreed. To it, I'll add that once you're done practicing the mechanics of the trick, you need to script a routine and REHEARSE all of it. First on your own, perhaps on video, and then in front of some trusted people, and then on real world audiences. Knowing the sleights isn't enough--you need a quality presentation, and that requires complete rehearsal.

8) Yes! And please, when you get your business cards printed, think: "elegance." We don't need more business cards with rabbits coming out of hats or sparkly magic wands. It should look elegant and professional and should contain essential contact information, but *not* an excess of other information. The business card is a *piece* of your publicity materials, not the whole kit.

9) Many people find a lot of success there. It's not the only path, but it's a valid one, particularly as you're trying to hone your skills. When it comes to self-promotion, read some non-magic books (gasp!). There's a lot of info in the business section of your local bookshop, and as people have said above, understanding the art of business is key. I admit, I'm not the best at this myself, but I'm working on improving.

10) I don't really agree. I love my fire wallet, though I tend not to use it in performance much--it's more of a thing I do for friends or occasionally as a gag when I pay for something. Definitely a right-time-right-place kind of prop. That said, I do think it's great. I just don't think it makes you a better magician. Not at all. In fact, I think if you're counting on a single prop to make you better, you're probably hiding behind the prop and you risk becoming a worse performer for it.

My brain does not have enough juice in it for 10 tips, I will give 3

1. Learn how to use your voice to its full potential

2. Be yourself

3. Bring your magic to life by giving is an amazing story line!

Good luck!