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The Realization Of Magic

I was like any kid starting magic... I saw it, and was inspired. I learned my first trick 8 months ago at Christmas-time. My cousin was doing the "Vanishing Toothpick." Of course I was amazed and wanted to learn, so she taught me. I went out to show my parents, without any practice at all... they where impressed... this got me off on the wrong path.

We where on holiday's when I learned that trick... I started to think more about magic, I wanted to learn some good tricks. At the airport on the way home I went into a book store and bought a small palm sized book with some tricks in it... I went out in the world with them... with no practice.

My parent's... being nice, and supporting my new hobby pretended to be impressed, this really encouraged me.

A week after I picked up that book I learned my first card trick... The Four Aces... a trick where all four aces came to the top of four piles. I actually wasn't so bad at this one, my parents where actually impressed.

I decided I wanted to learn some more magic... So I searched the internet... I came upon goodtricks.net... another mistake, I would go to the store and buy the props I needed and never perform the tricks, I started losing money fast.

On that website I kept hearing about this David Blaine guy... I had no idea who he was. Then one day I saw his TV special... I knew I was hooked for life.

2 weeks after I started magic I had four (un-practiced) tricks in my arsenal... The Four Aces, Straw Up Nose, the Levitating Styrofoam Cup, and The Vanishing Toothpick... It was time to take these tricks to school.

When school started up again I was ecstatic to show off my new skill... I didn't get the response I was looking for... Almost everyone knew my tricks, and I had the worst patter in the world. I impresonated David Blaine (now my role model) and constantly messed up tricks. When people told me they where obvious and easy I got angry... I know realize it was for my own good.

A few days later I bought my first deck of cards... A Bee Deck. I noticed that the deck had two jokers... I became reliable on duplicates.

I figured that if I did a false shuffle (taught quite horribly in my magic book) and kept the joker on top I could make them take the top card and it would be the joker!

All my tricks now where card to pockets and such... I soon became found out because of my extensive use of the joker.

I was getting better and starting learning more card tricks... I found out about the DL, and starting doing simple double lifts and reveals... People found out about that too.

My parents where getting annoyed by me doing so much magic to them...

I was at Costco one day and bought a 9 pack of Bicycles... Now I was doing tricks like "Between the Palms" and a beginner version of "The Two Card Monte"

I was starting to get better... now I was getting reactions...

I continued with this type of magic for at least two months... the exact same tricks... Untill I stumbled upon a little website called_________

I started posting on the forum... The people here really kept me going, and I didn't feel like the geeky magician anymore, I know that there are hundreds of others just like me...

Then I had a great opporitunity, My school was having a Film Festival... I wanted to do street magic... So I hit the hallway's with my tricks...

Now I could force a card... do a DL quite well... I wasn't "bad" anymore.

Three months later of the same old magic (and some confidence thanks to ___) my special was done.

Looking back on it I realize how much I sucked... I sound like an idiot trying to be like David Blaine.

For my birthday I received a book called "The Illustrated History of Magic"

I dismissed the book, I was into Street Magic... I didn't care about the old fogies.

I was getting alot better... I was inventing new tricks and getting more reactions... I was well known around the school as "Jesus"

Then school was out...

I have nothing to do this summer... so 90% of my time is devoted to magic.

I started reading that book... It was interesting, I felt more mature about my magic... I realized I was completly wasting my time with this whole "Street Magic" thing... It was time to grow up...

A few weeks ago I had my first show... It went well... I began to get more confident.

That brings us to today... a huge turning point in my magic life...

My mom came up to me today and told me what I was doing wasn't healthy, I needed to start balancing my life... be a normal kid.

The truth is I'm not a normal kid.

The Street Magic stage is now officially behind me...

I am starting a in a new zone... I am going to learn some quality magic out of the old books...

I want you guys to realize what magic really is too..

Today officialy is the day that I become a real magician...

Nice article, but you are not allowed to promote other forums on Talk Magic

stephenmagic wrote:Nice article, but you are not allowed to promote other forums on Talk Magic

K, I'll clean that up... ellusionist was even fine with it!

Salt wrote:

stephenmagic wrote:Nice article, but you are not allowed to promote other forums on Talk Magic

K, I'll clean that up... ellusionist was even fine with it!

well would you mind changing your signature?

the_mog wrote:

Salt wrote:

stephenmagic wrote:Nice article, but you are not allowed to promote other forums on Talk Magic

K, I'll clean that up... ellusionist was even fine with it!

well would you mind changing your signature?

Sorry,

I certainly feel welcome here...

A very nice read there, and it's good to hear that you're not shunning the ways of the old masters. I guess you had an epiphany, and have transcended beyond the point of "it's all about the trick, it's all about the trick" to "it's all about the magic, it's all about the magic!".

Thanks for sharing this with us and best of luck with your magical exploration !

Salt wrote:Today officialy is the day that I become a real magician...

Yay! If your mum's worried, show her a good trick or two and tell her that people will pay to see it and others just like it, that you can get on TV and become rich, famous and give her all the things you want her to have. It's a means to an end, not a dead end for a kid. Explain that these things need practice to get them right, like any other art. Would she be so concerned if you wasted your time learning chords on a guitar?

My mum was very sceptical about magic and i spent many months hiding my supplies. Eveytime i bought something new she'd lecture me about money and wasteing time etc. Eventually she got a bit more relaxed about it and would just roll her eyes at me lololol After 2 years shes actually just getting enthusiastic about a possible future in it. Iv had to study and college and hold down a job to convince her that im not just putting all my hopes on an impossible dream

My parents have always been supportive, supportive enough to fly me from Spain to Glasgow then driving me down to Kent

Well, maybe you ca work as a street magician for City festival and festivals that have a lot of people. Make yourself a buisiness card and give them in your community.
I began as a clown doing balloons and i incorporate card magic. Here, in canada i make around 35$ to 65$ an hour for events that are around 3 to 5 hours.
I do balloons for kids and cards to older kids and adults.
And you can also be just a magician and do kids birthday parties. It pays around 100$ an hour. But learn to do some balloons too if you want to do that.