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Hi I'm very new to both magic and this forum and I was wondering if anyone has any tips for improving imagination,
I'm very good at following instructions and dedicated to practice however my weakness is my imagination!
I can only perform tricks as instructed but would like to add my own spin on them,

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated

M

Hi there. You're probably going to get some different responses to this question as we all have different ideas on this. My advice is to leave coming up with your own effects or spins until you've been learning a bit longer. Learning the classics and performing them as written will stand you in good stead. Later when you start to understand WHY they work you'll find your head will be buzzing with ideas on different ways to apply what you have learned.

The reason why this is my opinion is that I have seen many new guys, who after learning a ''trick or two'' seem to think they can then come up with their own takes and/or effects. The thing is they rarely understand the actuall effect and why it works, so more often than not the bit theyve ''improved'' or changed was actually essential to the original effect, and was actually more important than they thought.

Just enjoy learning at the moment. In time and with proper study you'll find that you'll get a knack for what works and if, when and how to change things.

All the best

jim

I agree. When you do need to add your own spin or even completely new presentations, the one technique that has helped me more than anything is to imagine yourself as the spectator seeing the effect for the first time from their viewpoint. Imagine seeing yourself delivering the patter and the moves exactly as you do them in real life and in as much detail as possible. Imagine yourself as a cooperative spectator, as a stupid one, a disruptive one, etc. What does the effect feel like from your side of the table? You'll begin to find places where you can close down opportunities for things to go wrong and to polish the overall performance. I don't think it's helpful to simply film yourself performing to someone because if you only have a small pool of willing sinners to help you, their previous experiences will colour their reactions, and obviously repeating an effect will blunt it's impact.

I agree with Jim and Tomo. I wouldn't worry about putting your own stamp on things just yet.

Coming up with your own presentation for a trick is good, but far from essential. I am sure there are some people who've been doing magic longer than you've been alive who do the patter for tricks exactly as written! In some cases, there really is no need to change it.

Changing the method for a trick is more risky, for the reasons Jim explained. Lots of "new" versions of tricks are actually inferior, because they miss out something that was essential, and this doesn't just apply to inexperienced performers. I remember a review of a book of card tricks that said most of the routines were actually inferior variations of tricks by other people, and the author of that book was a well-respected card magician! Of course, the reviewer might have been wrong, but he made quite a compeeling case (as he was able to cite the changes and why they made the tricks worse).

Even changing a presentation can cause problems. Sometimes a move or bit of patter is there for a specific reason, such as misdirection or even to make sure the spectator does the right thing.

Master some tricks and get a better grounding in performing magic in general, then you can start tinkering!

Awesome thanks for the tips it has put my mind at ease and I can now just carry on enjoying learning

M

I must agree with everyone, it is better to learn the basics and the classics first before you begin to put your own spin on things. Good luck!

I usually try to put my own style on a trick but that doesn't necessarily mean completely reinventing it.

I find it best, while practising, to look at what it appears I am doing, and how I'd explain it to my friends if I could do it for real. I present most of my effects as proofs of bogus scientific principles, because I'm always reading actual articles from the fringes of popular science. I start on one of my "I was reading the other day about quantum effect..." and then stray into how an object can pass from one place to another without crossing the distance between (quantum tunnelling).

I'm fairly sure no one else uses that as an intro to a jumping elastic band routine.

The presentation of an effect can be as important as the effect itself, and you don't need to invent anything to re-frame an effect to better suit your personality.

-Stacy