talkmagic.co.uk

Hi all,

I just wanted to share a little bit of nostalgia with you all.

Some of my fondest memories when first getting into magic was getting that new book (the clearest one to mind would be card college volume 1 where i re-learnt everything i thought i know about card magic), and then sitting down crosslegged on the floor, using my knees to hold the book open, so that i can hold the cards at the same time, working through every sleight and trick in the book, countless times over and over again until i found something i particularly liked at which point i'd go off and play with that for days and weeks, and for some of them - still playing.
I bet you all have a similar memory, do you remember the part where you got to the bottom of the page, and you had half the deck in one hand, half on the floor, three cards in the other hand, doing some sort of complicated sleight or move with each hand, when the description runs out, and you have to turn the page, "but how will i ever get back into this position if i let go to turn the page over..."

Now, however i read magic books without the cards in hands, i read them in bed, on the train, in my lunch break at work, and only come back to the ones that particularly appeal to me, i feel like I'm being refined in my selections, but perhaps I'm missing gems simply by not noticing how great they are when you actually have the cards in your hands.

A constant source of inspiration for me is the collected works of alex elmsley (in fact I'm not very good at creating or adapting methods to effects, but all of the effects i've adapted, or created my own method for have ALL been inspired by something i've randomly read in these books - i cannot recommend these books enough) i read them cover to cover years ago, and played with several effects, now i use them mostly for inspiration and open it randomly and read for a while until something connects in my head. I think maybe, I'm going to go through them again, not to learn anything, but just for the sheer enjoyment of reading a book, while trying to do the motions with the cards at the same time.
It probably won't be incredibly effective, i'll do it with no intention of learning anything (there is too much in there to learn anything this way) but simply for fun, and you never know, maybe i'll fool myself, maybe i'll find a hiden gem i've overlooked before.



do any of you have any memories of learning or performing magic you'd like to share? i'd love to hear them.

do any of you have a similar experience?

what do you turn to time and again for inspiration?


Sam

60 views, and no one has a happy memory of magic they would like to share?

does any one have any funny, sad or frustrating memories then?