How do you afford it?

MagicShadow9

MagicShadow9

Jun 10, 2008
1,277
0
You little stalker!
I was just wondering, how do you guys get the money to buy all your magic stuff?

Cuz i'm always limited when it comes to buying magic material because my parents are cutting back on spending money (cuz of the bad economy) ad im only 14 so i cant get a job. That means i'm lucky if I get 1 magic item in a month. I can barely afford a $5 1-on-1.

Anyways, do you guys have a job? Do you pay for your own stuff? Or do you parents pay for it for you? I'm just curious.
 
joshrobarts

joshrobarts

Dec 23, 2007
1,579
4
37
Fredonia, NY
a good way i have gone about it is, i have a regular job which i use to pay bills, college etc. and then any money i make doing magic, either in gigs or busking or money givin to me as a gift for holidays i put towards buying magic. That way, you aren't really losing money on magic, your only spending what it has earned you.

it also promotes mastery of the stuff you already have. if you cant buy more stuff because your not making money, it forces you to work on your current material, shape it and make it better, the more work you have put into it the more money you make to get new stuff. its a good cycle that has served me well
 
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FatalAce

FatalAce

Nov 17, 2007
519
1
Yeah man. I hear ya. Money is always an issue. I'm too young to get a job so I have very little money. My only suggestion is to buy your products very carefully. Don't buy the coolest looking effect. Really think about what will help you in the long run. Exile is awesome but with that 30 bucks you could by the Paper Engine and advance your card handling skills. Things like that. Hope this helped.
 
Ineski

Ineski

Sep 1, 2007
279
1
My only income is doing gigs so that's where I also get money for my materials.

I would suggest you to buy a great book and STUDY IT. Only materials that you really need to replace are decks of cards and those aren't expencive. A deck of bikes costs only a few bucks and you can go a month or two with it alone. Combine that with books like the Royal Road To Card Magic or Expert Card Technique and you will always have something to work on. Both of those books are widely available, cost only around ten bucks, and are almost (especially the latter one) an infinite source of information.

You won't get much for your money if you buy only single trick DVDs. Especially when the same tricks can be found from books and with the fraction of the price.

This really is not an expensive hobby.
 
blahblah

blahblah

May 19, 2008
448
0
manchester
and dont use gimmicks, use sleight of hand. you can never lose sleight of hand (unless you lost your hand) but you can lose a fake doller.

also look around the web, you can (legally) get modern coin magic, expert at the card table, 202 ways of forcing and easy mentalism for free.

and with all that you can spend ages making acts/routines/tricks ;)
also go to the libary and have a look at the magic books.
 
S

supernaturalone

Sep 1, 2007
165
0
Ineski said:
My only income is doing gigs so that's where I also get money for my materials.

I would suggest you to buy a great book and STUDY IT. Only materials that you really need to replace are decks of cards and those aren't expencive. A deck of bikes costs only a few bucks and you can go a month or two with it alone. Combine that with books like the Royal Road To Card Magic or Expert Card Technique and you will always have something to work on. Both of those books are widely available, cost only around ten bucks, and are almost (especially the latter one) an infinite source of information.

You won't get much for your money if you buy only single trick DVDs. Especially when the same tricks can be found from books and with the fraction of the price.

This really is not an expensive hobby.
Click to expand...



This is right on point. However, I'm going to recommend the Tarbell Course in Magic. That is all you will ever need! That has enough material to last you a lifetime.
 
sebishungry

sebishungry

Dec 15, 2008
14
0
Canada
How old do you have to be in the U.S. to get a job?

anyway I pay for my own magic with any spare money I have left over from my full-time job...
 
S

supernaturalone

Sep 1, 2007
165
0
jrobarts05 said:
ok we get it, you like Tarbell's. haha, you are really pushing that aren't you
Click to expand...

For years, I have been imploring magicians to get the complete
Tarbell Course in Magic. Harlan Tarbell teaches in this course how to become a real magician. As he says right in the beginning of Volume One, “One can give medicine to a friend, but that does not make him a doctor.” Tarbell trains people to be real magicians knowing the mechanics and fundamentals of magic.

Far too many young performers think that mastering magic is learning just sleights and words. Studying Tarbell teaches you what it is really all about. When you understand the total concept of what it means to be a magician, you will act and perform accordingly. When you do, your audience will recognize you as a skilled performer and give you the attention and respect necessary to work your miracles.
 
joshrobarts

joshrobarts

Dec 23, 2007
1,579
4
37
Fredonia, NY
supernaturalone said:
For years, I have been imploring magicians to get the complete
Tarbell Course in Magic. Harlan Tarbell teaches in this course how to become a real magician. As he says right in the beginning of Volume One, “One can give medicine to a friend, but that does not make him a doctor.” Tarbell trains people to be real magicians knowing the mechanics and fundamentals of magic.

Far too many young performers think that mastering magic is learning just sleights and words. Studying Tarbell teaches you what it is really all about. When you understand the total concept of what it means to be a magician, you will act and perform accordingly. When you do, your audience will recognize you as a skilled performer and give you the attention and respect necessary to work your miracles.
Click to expand...

i agree, i have heard nothing but good things about the course and intend to get it when i have the money, i just thought it was funny cause i was viewing two threads and saw the same comment made by you about the course and i was like wow, he's on a mission. haha. but yes it is a good suggestion
 
cm763

cm763

Jan 13, 2008
1,137
0
Da cardician said:
I think that poker is the logicall way to get money for card magicians.;)
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Not at a casino, of course; some late night poker with "the guys". ;)

But yeah, I'd also suggest picking up a book series and sticking with that for a while. AoA, Tarbell, Card College, etc...any of those sets will last you, literally, years. You don't need to know 50 tricks to be a good magician...just know like 10 really well, and you'll be set.

If and when you have a few routines ready, I'd suggest volunteering at a few places (children's hospital, retirement homes, etc) to get some practice performing for real people. Then, try getting a job working restaurants or something--you know, make money off of your magic, so it goes from being a money-drain to being an investment that will pay off for you. :)

PS, most often if you work restaurants, you'll be working under the table, so age isn't an issue. ;)
 
Glenn West

Glenn West

Aug 31, 2007
467
1
Canada
As many have said, get a book or two. You do not need to be getting magic every month.

When I was your age, it wasn't that long ago, I got magic for my birthday, and sometimes for Christmas.

Usually in the form of a trip to the magic shop with x$ to spend.

Trust me, shop well, and one purchase can last you the year,. Shop RIGHT and it will last you your life time. Look at Vernon, first book he ever purchased on magic, and he was still studying it when he died.
 
DMmagicfreak13

DMmagicfreak13

Dec 12, 2008
23
0
I do yardwork. In the winter you can shovel snow, rake leaves in fall. I (this sounds really lame) also do gardening for my mom. (go ahead and laugh, but I make 5 bucks every time I help for an hour or two, and my mom is EXTREMELY cheap)
 
MagicShadow9

MagicShadow9

Jun 10, 2008
1,277
0
You little stalker!
cm763 said:
Not at a casino, of course; some late night poker with "the guys". ;)

But yeah, I'd also suggest picking up a book series and sticking with that for a while. AoA, Tarbell, Card College, etc...any of those sets will last you, literally, years. You don't need to know 50 tricks to be a good magician...just know like 10 really well, and you'll be set.

If and when you have a few routines ready, I'd suggest volunteering at a few places (children's hospital, retirement homes, etc) to get some practice performing for real people. Then, try getting a job working restaurants or something--you know, make money off of your magic, so it goes from being a money-drain to being an investment that will pay off for you. :)

PS, most often if you work restaurants, you'll be working under the table, so age isn't an issue. ;)
Click to expand...

What's "under the table" mean?
 
RDChopper

RDChopper

Aug 10, 2008
2,023
2
34
In a rock concert
As stated before, it is better to buy something that is REALLY going to improve your magic, rather than a new "hot effect"

jaja, as someone said, "take a look into exile, it is a great trick, but with the same money you could buy the paper engine"

akward, because that's exactly what I did 4 months ago, I was between buying exile or the paper engine and I bought the later and I am still studying it, great book.


Why don't we take a look back into our tricks? those that we already know? maybe we could improve them, we could make them better, we could make a stronger presentation out of them.... I don't invest a lot of money in new tricks, I invest a lot of time perfecting those that I already know...

Have a nice day.:D
 
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