Hey Jaxon , nice post , yeah most magicians I meet when I ask them how long they been doing magic answers are always 10-12 years they never say 4-5 years.

In some, not all, cases it might not be lying per se.

I think we were all interested in Magic as children...Henning, Copperfield, etc. gave us that interest in mysterious things. We probably even had some little magic sets or borrowed books from the library on magic.

Getting older, the interest shifted to other things. It isn't as though we suddenly didn't find magic interesting...but suddenly dating seems more important

Later, for whatever reason, the interest is rekindled and so people think that they have always been into magic...even though there was a good 6-12 year period where they did nothing about it. It's not exactly lying...it is just not being exactly honest either.

I've been doing magic ever since the summer of next year.

Clever!

I started in magic over 40 years ago (Yikes! I'm only 48!), and went full-time in the early 80's. Michael Who? OK... big fish.

I love it when after doing a set, a layman audience member asks how long I've been doing this. I look at my watch until the joke sets in. I then smile and hold my hand out to the side as if measuring the height of some child ("Since I was...")and then SLOWLY lower my hand lower and lower. They get the point and understand that you can't learn this overnight.

Interesting subject, although I don't agree with the way you are thinking of this subect.

I will not say much, I will just say, that a Magician performs magic to entertain and give pleasure to the spectador rather then impress him. It is different to perform magic to impress someone and another to entertain someone. People don't care much how long you 've been magic, they care how they enjoyed the magic and if you are a good Magician.

I agree with what you 've mentioned, though: It does not make any difference how long somone has been involved in magic with how good he is in the art.

Kind Regards,
Michael Bradbury

This is how it should be and in some ways it's how it is. But, "How long have you been doing magic?" is one of the most common questions spectators ask the performer after a show. Especially if they enjoyed the show. If they didn't enjoy it then they probably won't bother talking to the performer anyway.

Maybe it's just me, but if I talk to my audience after a show it never fails for someone to ask this.

This brings another side to thsi topic to mind. Sometimes a kid shows interest in magic and there parents come up and ask how long it took to learn all that. In hopes that the answer will inspire the kids to work hard. In this case I don't think I'd give a number in my answer. I'd just say taht it took lots of practice and had to read lots of books. I'd say that because it's true and hopefully it'll inspire kids to read.

Ron Jaxon

Hi,

I have been at it for almost 30 years to varying degrees. I was 10 when I first started, and was performing children's shows soon after. I always maintained my interest, but my practicing slowed right down during my university years and then as I moved around including 7 years working in Asia. I always kept up several favorite routines, and always visited magic shops in any town I visited anywhere in the world.

I re-kindled my interest once my twin sons were old enough to appreciate that they had a magician father. I now actively read, watch and practice new effects and sleights.

As for the discussion of how long vs how much effort, one thing I always say is that since I have been doing magic for 30 years, subtle handlings and misdirection come naturally. Now if I only spent as much time practicing daily as I do browsing the Magic Café...

Gary

I will many times ask a kid if he plays a musical instrument, or plays baseball, etc. Then I compare what I do to that. I let them know that some things will come quickly, but the better things, they'll have to work for. The more they try, the better they will get. They can really relate to this.

I too, point them toward books, but with a more specific destination. Surprisingly, many kids don't know that their school library may have books on magic. If that fails, I tell them to try the public library, and if not there, a book store.

Just to make sure, there are some magic books in the school library (at least in my kid's school library), I donated a few basic magic books. They have to be age appropriate in all respects, and I made a point to give them three; one very beginner, with lots of colorful pictures, one a bit more in depth and one on magic history/historical magicians (Hyla Clark's book, "World's Greatest Magic" is good here, and can be bought consistently on Ebay for very little).

Think about doing this in your neighborhood.

Another thought....
I think the question itself is totally irrelevant.

Look at it this way! Some of my friends were in high school band with me. I continued and played saxophone 25 years in dance bands, the last 5 years not hardly at all. Some from high school never play any more and I know of a couple that play professionally in symphony orchestras.

But if you ask each of us "how long have you been playing?" we would all answer "since high school".

I used to do magic when I was 8.

I made myself disappear when I needed to do homework.

Serious magic, about 4 years. I've had a great interest since I was 4 though, so about 9 years.

I love to be asked, "Have you done magic your whole life?"

My answer is always, "Not yet."

Probably since I was 11

Hi
ive been doing magic since I was about eight years old but only have taken it seriosly for the last 4 years.

Ricrado the Magician

I have been interested in magic about 8 years but that is off and on.but got serious about it 3 years ago.I am just an amateur, my profession is a Paid firefighter for city of cleveland.I work 24 on & 48 Off so I have a lot of time to practice. when we go to schools for fire prevention I use magic to get the kids interested and I also do a lot of free stuff.Just love my art and I try take take it to the highest level I can.Wes

I've been into magic since the days of Mark wilson's Magical Land of Alakazaam (you old guys probably remember that show). There were spans of time when I was not doing any magic due to lack of time, etc. I've been re-bitten by the magic bug recently (my grand children have a lot to do with it), and am more serious and am practicing more than ever. I can't get enough of it.

That can be such a difficult and complex question to answer.

My first exposure to magic was when I was like, oh I don't know, 12 or something.
I got a Magic kit for Christmas, with linking rings, an egg vase, a metal TT, a silk, a rope, rice bowls, genii bottle, all that good stuff. I learned a lot of the terminology, basic methods, etc. The novelty of it all wore off shortly though.

Fast forward about 18 years, and I discovered a magic store in my area, which was part of a costume shop I visited for Halloween goodies. I got re-interested, and got the Mark Wilson Course in Magic, and the Bill Tarr Now You See it books, and a few others. I learned some slights, or should I say, learned about them, as I never mastered any of it.
I did some things for my girlfriend at the time (now wife), some friends, but in retrospect, I had rushed it. Although my wife enjoyed the magic and didn't demand to know how it was done, I was making the mistakes of forcing magic on my friends, with the kind of presentation that didn't quell the "challenge reflex" many react with, and worst of all, I simply wasn't ready for things like a top palm or french drop. Everything got boxed up less than a year later, and with the exception of an odd trick here or there at the dinner table while on an annual vacation, I was done for another 12 years.

This past October, the flame was once again rekindled (again, thanks to Halloween), and I hope the third time is the charm. I certainly know much more now than I did before. My attitude is generally better, although I question whether I spend too much time here on the Café as opposed to actually reading my rather new and semi-impressive library of classic magic literature ! I try to spend at least half an hour with cards, just working on the fundamentals all over again. I actually work on just regular overhand shuffles still, working to get a good feel for the cards before I start attempting to tackle advanced false shuffles (again). I'm still torn though, with my other interest which is music. I am defintiely addicted to guitar, and have been for the past 25 years. I am hoping to become nearly as addicted to cards and coins and billets and all that good stuff.

A word of Advice, from my current position:
Don't fall into the trap of overwhelming yourself when starting out - like I've just done. I now have so much at my fingertips that I don't know where to begin exactly. I'm a third through Card College vol 1, yet hardly started RRTCM, which I had first. I got hungup on something as silly as whether to use the pinky along the inside of the cards during the overhand shuffle Fortunately, R. Giobbi finally convinced me.
I have the wisdom of Mr. Bobo, Mr. Anneman, Mr. Corinda, Mr. Brau and Mr. Huggard, Mr. Erdnase, Mr. Fulves, Mr. Giobbi, Mr. Hay, Mr. Wilson, and many, many others all competing for my undivided attention all at once. I'm going to have to draw up an outline now to help me focus, and just put some of these things on the backburner. Fortunately, some of the material can be used as reference, but some of it is designed to be read in sequence, like a course.

Interestingly though, it seems the one thing that always sparked my interest in conjuring was Halloween. I guess I won't have trouble figuring what style or image I want - that one's in the bag !

I just started half a year ago. And I don't think I've begun seriously studinging magic.

Started when I was 10. Have been performing professionally for 25 years now.

I think a lot of people drift in and out of magic. I got into it about 10 years in real terms, but maybe only a few years compared to some if you count the amount of time spent doing magic! (some of us have less time to practice than others.....maybe I just make less time, same difference!)