USA here, and it's been a while since I've done any magic at all. Similar story-- lifelong love of the hobby (only 1 pro gig in my life), but in recent years work had me too busy to keep up. Having kids will do it too.
Then one day I did the French drop and made a quarter appear from one of my kids' ears. They were beyond delighted. This was on the day Harry Potter 7 came out, and I watched the kids while my wife read the book (the next day was my turn).
Needless to say, I've been hooked again. However, about a year ago I gave away a lot of my old props and things, even a Tommy Wonder book, to a guy who has since disappeared. So I'm going back to the basics: cards and coins, a few miscellanea.
I've still got Michael Ammar, Paul Harris, Michael Weber and a few more books on tap for the basics. I had the sense to scan a few items way back in the day, and I've uncovered those.
What I really dig are self-contained close-up moments of strange, a lot like my first great magic hero, Paul Harris. Although I usually eschew the mystic, preferring to patter about quantum physics, I do so love Docc Hilford's work.
Also, I think working in magic, creating new routines or even new tricks, is one of the finest things you can do with your mind. To go from what you want a trick to DO to how it will do it requires a lot of mental gymnastics. No system of creative inspiration (Oblique, Whack Your Pack, etc.) can compare. I love it. I'm maybe one of those guys who likes to develop tricks and routines, but I'm not so great at performance.
I'll know in a month, when I'll meet with my coworkers and try a simple 5-trick routine, ending with a couple of simple stunts. Still working on it, details to follow. Oh, I work full-time online, which is why I only see my coworkers in the flesh once in a while!
I've got a great headline prediction method I'm working on, but I'll save that for the right thread. Nice to meet you all!
Oh, I'm 33, I guess an amateur hobbyist, which is sad for someone who's been trying this since six years old! I would also have to classify myself as a wanna-be writer/creator. I have notebooks of tricks, routines and odd bits of stuff and I love to piece things together. My nom de plume is superpixel, but you can call me Victor
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