Hmmm... you love magic and want to work and an Entertainer but you don't have enough tricks
Have you studied the Bill Tarr NOW YOU SEE IT NOW YOU DON'T BOOKS yet?
What about Tarbell? Corinda? Annemann? the Mark Wilson Course?
Any one of these books, most of which cost little to nothing these days, will give you more than sufficient material for an entire career, provided you aren't trying to keep up with everyone else doing all the same trendy effects that come along.
I do full-evening shows using a dozen or so golf pencils, a handful of business cards, maybe an envelope or two and that's about it. The majority of the "foundation" to my act comes straight out of Corinda and Annemann. Before that, my primary reference tools were the Tarbell and Mark Wilson courses.
The problem, typically, is that today's young people don't have those old codger types in a brick & mortar magic shop making them learn how to actually create magic. Our industry is rife with money grabbing shmucks willing to sell a trick to anyone and very few that are willing to kick their patrons in the behind and make them earn their chops a bit.
I'll lay money on it, that you have at least three books on this topic and from those three books you have more than enough material for creating an act/show; you have the resources for creating your foundation you're just not seeing the forest because of the dang trees that are in your way.
Go through those books, videos and whatever else you have and make yourself learn how to put things together in a manner that's logical and entertaining. Force yourself to actually LEARN magic and work with what you have vs. lusting over what you haven't.
There is absolutely no reason for not being able to do a 20-minute set and if you're doing close-up you don't even need that much time; just two or three 5-minute bits.
For me, when the shows aren't coming in or other circumstances in my life get in the way, I fall back on my role as a Reader... it's an easy job that pulls in between $75.00 and as much as $300.00 an hour... even a novice can see the low end of that range if he/she applies himself a little bit and you don't need a pocket full of gimmicks to do it.
Bottom line is, sit back and look at what you do have and then start looking at how to get creative with it. Make yourself get creative, do some experimenting and pay attention to people's reactions, etc. I bet that you will discover that you have more going for you than what you've presently percieved and that it wouldn't be all that difficult to start turning a buck doing magic, even if it's busking on the streets.
It's all a matter of perspective.
by ace of kev » Apr 27th, '06, 16:52 
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