I wanted to share an experience that I had while traveling the road of a Magician.
I started with the basics in card magic. I read many books and purchased DVD's that teach great techniques. My focus was on the technique more than what tricks they teach.
I figured the better I am with the technique, the easier I can learn tricks and possibly create my own with time.
So everything I learned initially was all impromptu. You had to develop a skill of Sleight of Hand and continue to practice your moves until you learned them well with the hopes of mastering them one day.
So I started my transition from Impromptu to Gimmicked tricks. This took a long time since my focus was on Cards and what I learned first was the fundamentals of Card Magic and they where all Impromptu. I can grab any deck from anyone and perform my miracles right there where I stand.
Once I developed enough skill in this area, I wanted to learn some of the individual tricks I have seen professionals do. The best place to start is buying a DVD of an effect you really liked from a Pro. And take your time in learning how to do it yourself.
Some of the hard hitting tricks where still impromptu but eventually I started to get some that required gimmicks.
For some reason it was hard for me at first to accept the Gimmicked tricks. It was as if I actually expected the working of the trick to be REAL Magic. I think part of the problem was that I only knew Impromptu tricks at that time and I was disappointed in how the Gimmicked trick worked.
I continued on my journey at a slow pace because I wanted to learn them well. Quality vs. Quantity. As I purchased more Gimmicked tricks I began to understand that the end goal was to entertain the audience and I needed to get over the Gimmicked workings involved.
In some cases the Gimmicked tricks where so easy to understand once you learned the principle that I almost felt like an idiot when I paid for them. The truth was that I was disappointed in the fact that these type of tricks required a setup and where not Impromptu. This means I need to be prepared before I go somewhere and figure out what am I wanting to demonstrate.
With my cards, I can go freely into the world and blow peoples minds with my technique. This is not to say the gimmicked tricks did not require skills, but they sure required some kind of setup in most cases. This made me feel constrained as a Magician.
So Gimmicked tricks seem inconvenient to me and the methods made me feel as if it was not real magic.
Well, I finally came to the realization that it's NOT real magic. The real Magic is in your ability to present something to an audience that goes against anything they believe is possible and entertain them in the process. There is nothing convenient about accomplishing this goal. I was so used to the Impromptu tricks I already know that I did not give the Gimmicked tricks the respect they deserved.
So now looking back at this journey, I started to think about other Magicians and the road they choose to take on their Magic Journey. I believe many Magicians like myself first started with the Impromptu tricks before you moved into the Gimmicked Tricks that seemed impossible to accomplish.
With that said, my message to anyone who is currently on that same road is to understand that every type of Magic has its place. Don't judge one version of Magic before you fully appreciate what it can accomplish. Don't look at it as inconvenient as I did. The pay off with anything we do is to astonish people with Magic. This means we must adapt to all forms of Magic or at least respect the different forms of Magic.
Impromptu gives you a set of weapons at your disposal but the incredible tricks that are gimmicked also are weapons that you can deploy to the world.
You may not get into all areas of Magic as most of us focus on 1, 2 maybe 3 areas at the most. Once you find what areas you like and match your style. Always remember that Magic is Magic and they all have their place and should be respected by all Magicians.
Just wanted to share my story. I now understand what my goal as a Magician is and love to perform Impromptu tricks along side of my Gimmicked tricks. It's a great balance for me but at first I looked at it from the wrong perspective.
Have an open mind as you venture off into a new area of Magic.
I started with the basics in card magic. I read many books and purchased DVD's that teach great techniques. My focus was on the technique more than what tricks they teach.
I figured the better I am with the technique, the easier I can learn tricks and possibly create my own with time.
So everything I learned initially was all impromptu. You had to develop a skill of Sleight of Hand and continue to practice your moves until you learned them well with the hopes of mastering them one day.
So I started my transition from Impromptu to Gimmicked tricks. This took a long time since my focus was on Cards and what I learned first was the fundamentals of Card Magic and they where all Impromptu. I can grab any deck from anyone and perform my miracles right there where I stand.
Once I developed enough skill in this area, I wanted to learn some of the individual tricks I have seen professionals do. The best place to start is buying a DVD of an effect you really liked from a Pro. And take your time in learning how to do it yourself.
Some of the hard hitting tricks where still impromptu but eventually I started to get some that required gimmicks.
For some reason it was hard for me at first to accept the Gimmicked tricks. It was as if I actually expected the working of the trick to be REAL Magic. I think part of the problem was that I only knew Impromptu tricks at that time and I was disappointed in how the Gimmicked trick worked.
I continued on my journey at a slow pace because I wanted to learn them well. Quality vs. Quantity. As I purchased more Gimmicked tricks I began to understand that the end goal was to entertain the audience and I needed to get over the Gimmicked workings involved.
In some cases the Gimmicked tricks where so easy to understand once you learned the principle that I almost felt like an idiot when I paid for them. The truth was that I was disappointed in the fact that these type of tricks required a setup and where not Impromptu. This means I need to be prepared before I go somewhere and figure out what am I wanting to demonstrate.
With my cards, I can go freely into the world and blow peoples minds with my technique. This is not to say the gimmicked tricks did not require skills, but they sure required some kind of setup in most cases. This made me feel constrained as a Magician.
So Gimmicked tricks seem inconvenient to me and the methods made me feel as if it was not real magic.
Well, I finally came to the realization that it's NOT real magic. The real Magic is in your ability to present something to an audience that goes against anything they believe is possible and entertain them in the process. There is nothing convenient about accomplishing this goal. I was so used to the Impromptu tricks I already know that I did not give the Gimmicked tricks the respect they deserved.
So now looking back at this journey, I started to think about other Magicians and the road they choose to take on their Magic Journey. I believe many Magicians like myself first started with the Impromptu tricks before you moved into the Gimmicked Tricks that seemed impossible to accomplish.
With that said, my message to anyone who is currently on that same road is to understand that every type of Magic has its place. Don't judge one version of Magic before you fully appreciate what it can accomplish. Don't look at it as inconvenient as I did. The pay off with anything we do is to astonish people with Magic. This means we must adapt to all forms of Magic or at least respect the different forms of Magic.
Impromptu gives you a set of weapons at your disposal but the incredible tricks that are gimmicked also are weapons that you can deploy to the world.
You may not get into all areas of Magic as most of us focus on 1, 2 maybe 3 areas at the most. Once you find what areas you like and match your style. Always remember that Magic is Magic and they all have their place and should be respected by all Magicians.
Just wanted to share my story. I now understand what my goal as a Magician is and love to perform Impromptu tricks along side of my Gimmicked tricks. It's a great balance for me but at first I looked at it from the wrong perspective.
Have an open mind as you venture off into a new area of Magic.