Money & Magic :: Would It Make A Difference?

K

Krash

Sep 1, 2007
885
0
36
Jamestown, NC
www.google.com
I was thinking about this for a while now, and I wanted to get some opinions from the members here.

Let's just say that hypothetically you ran into some money, say $10,000. Would that dictate your "path" in your magic career? Basically, would you find it wise to finally buy all of the stuff you've been wanting for magic, or would you still pace yourself as you already do and buy maybe a DVD every other month or so?

I mean, I'm sure that somebody out there would jump at the opprotunity to buy a gross of the cards of your choice. Or, maybe you want that expensive gimmick such as the M5 or the US2K.

Discuss.

Shane
 
M

Mino

Dec 8, 2007
20
0
Hmmm...

I would play the stock market with the money and garner a high rate of return. Then I would use my earnings to open my own high class restaurant in the heart of the town catering to rich and famous, opening up a venue for me and my friends to perform. Finally, I would use the money I earn from the restaurant to purchase only those magic tricks that I absolutely MUST have, and many many flowers for my girlfriend.

My reasoning for this is because even if a woman says she hates flowers and would rather die than receive a bouquet of flowers, she still loves receiving flowers.
 
The Dark Angel

The Dark Angel

forum moderator / t11
Sep 1, 2007
2,003
18
33
Denver, Colorado
I would buy some of the "neccesaries":

Books that I don't own (Such as The Paper Engine, etc.)
Props that I felt I needed (more spongeballs, flash paper, etc.)
And of course, there would be the obligatory stuff that I don't really need, but want (A brick of every card from Kardwell, Fraud, etc.)

But apart from the aforementioned products I would save it. Buy the neccesaries and the one or two sweet treats, and then save the rest for things that I felt really needed to be bought.
 
K

Krash

Sep 1, 2007
885
0
36
Jamestown, NC
www.google.com
I see, interesting.

So far from what I can tell, we've got some nice data. But, would you think that a magician with a bottomless wallet would be more suited for success than one who is an average joe? With "success", I mean gaining skill and a reputation.

Shane
 
M

Mino

Dec 8, 2007
20
0
Krash said:
I see, interesting.

So far from what I can tell, we've got some nice data. But, would you think that a magician with a bottomless wallet would be more suited for success than one who is an average joe? With "success", I mean gaining skill and a reputation.

Shane
Click to expand...

Well, a magician with a bottomless wallet would certainly have more doors open in terms of access to learning material. However, I believe what determines "success" is just pure hard work, determination, and a dash of creativity.

It would be like the difference between an Ivy League college and a top college in Canada. Will the skills and effort needed to succeed in those different environments be too different? Probably not. But if you graduated from say... UPenn, you would simply have a head start in the industry.
 
S

Shodan

Sep 1, 2007
662
2
Necessity is the mother of invention. The poor magician has to rely more on his own hard work, ideas and creativity because he cannot afford to import other people's. He's also more likely to spend the necessary amount of time with each resource, rather than getting giddy over the "next big thing".

The wealthy magician would have to be very self-disciplined in order to approach their magic in the same way, so my hypothesis is that with a large enough sample, you'd find poor magicians to be more skilled. This of course will fluctuate wildly with individual factors, and may only apply to magicians in a certain stage of their learning process - the wealthy magician may go through a phase of glossing over a lot of material as they rush through, then settle down and work on things properly once the novelty wears off.
 
Jack

Jack

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2007
268
0
Decatur, GA
I still think that some of the best tricks are the simple ones. I am really into sleight of hand and impromptu tricks more than gimmicks so as far as that goes i can afford most of the tricks that i want to perform or can make them myself. You can buy all the expensive gimmicks you want and still be a crap performer. Money doesn't buy skill!

I would probably buy a few books and ultrasmoke. The only advantage that a wealthy magician has (besides being able to buy whatever expensive gimmick he/she wants) is that they don't have to go to a day job so they have more time to practice. Oh to have the luxury of unlimited free time!

Cheers!
 
Nate Malini

Nate Malini

Jan 11, 2008
216
0
New york
I would first buy a HD video camera ($400) a tripod (35$) ,a wood table covered in soft felt. oh yea and make a Hundy 500 that would never get spent.
 
E

Eyeball

Nov 29, 2007
86
0
Atlanta, GA
I would invest/save it. I would of course spend some on magic but not spend it all at one time or anything. I mean if at the age of 25 you start saving 50 dollars a week into the bank (with an average job it shouldnt be hard to do just dont buy as much extra stuff you dont need) you would be a millionaire by the time you retire (40 years from when you started). Just something to think about :D. If you save your money wisely you wont ever have to live your life pay check to pay check just getting by.

I also belive that a magician with lots of money has more doors open for them and what not but they are by no means any better of a magician then the guy who doesnt have all the money in the world to buy every trick, but still practices day and night to perfect the ones he has.

P.S. i foregot the exact amount it would be after you retire but i think its somewhere around 1.3-1.5 million dollars.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
K

Krash

Sep 1, 2007
885
0
36
Jamestown, NC
www.google.com
Awesome responses guys!

I brought this topic up in the first place because I wanted to make a point. I wanted to show the "kids" here that you don't need to have to latest DVD or book to become successful in our art. Especially, when it comes to the younger kids that are just too young to go out and get a job with an hourly wage.

Eyeball, I think you hit it right on the head when you said, "I also belive that a magician with lots of money has more doors open for them and what not but they are by no means any better of a magician then the guy who doesnt have all the money in the world to buy every trick, but still practices day and night to perfect the ones he has." I agree 100%.

Thanks guys!

Shane
 
Anthony Bass

Anthony Bass

Sep 17, 2007
578
2
Little Elm, Texas, USA
www.myspace.com
Firstly, magic wouldn't be the first thing I spend money on. I would help my mom pay off our house, maybe buy some clothes, send some to my dad to help him out, then the rest I would spend on whatever I wanted. Magic would be a big part, but I also am a big gamer, and I collect comic books, so my money would go towards a number of things.

Anthony Bass
 
K

Krash

Sep 1, 2007
885
0
36
Jamestown, NC
www.google.com
Anthony Bass said:
Firstly, magic wouldn't be the first thing I spend money on. I would help my mom pay off our house, maybe buy some clothes, send some to my dad to help him out, then the rest I would spend on whatever I wanted. Magic would be a big part, but I also am a big gamer, and I collect comic books, so my money would go towards a number of things.

Anthony Bass
Click to expand...

Understood. Believe me, I'd do the same.

However, I was trying to put up a scenario where magic was the only thing of priority.

Shane
 
CDarklock

CDarklock

Jan 6, 2008
355
0
55
Seattle
www.darklock.com
Krash said:
Let's just say that hypothetically you ran into some money, say $10,000.
Click to expand...

That's just about my monthly take-home pay, so it honestly wouldn't - and doesn't - make a difference.

The barrier isn't money, it's time. You don't need more stuff. You need to shut up and lock yourself in a room and practice. REALLY practice. If you don't have the time, energy, or desire to do that, no amount of money will change it.

I know this is never going to be my career, and I'm okay with that. I just think it's a fun thing I can do with my kids. Besides, if this was my career, odds are I'd still think $10,000 was a lot of money.
 
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