Hello! I've been fascinated by magic off and on since I was in elementary school. But I've also been cripplingly shy, and anxious. Now that I'm an adult and have a career my confidence has been sky-rocketing! AND ... so has my skill in magic!

When I finally was ready to start performing for other people (not my mirror or a camera) I hit several severe snags. Mostly... I wasn't as good as I thought, haha. But I pushed past that, through a couple years, learned what I needed to learn, now I'm ready to start putting together a routine and do more magic for strangers. I find that I'm far more interested in close-up magic than anything else, I absolutely adore cards, but have recently found myself practicing coin magic more and more - I can't seem to stop practicing various sections of 2 in the hand 1 in the pocket, it's just too fun.

Truth be told, I've looked to this forum for advice a lot over the years, I just never registered because 80% of threads seem to devolve into petty name-calling But I'd really like to find and interact with local magicians, so I thought maybe joining would facilitate that, considering our magic shop closed just as I developed the confidence to seek it out!

So greetings everyone! (But especially: Greetings to anyone in Central Arkansas!)

Robbieh,

Congratulations on coming out of your shell. I think you might be surprised at how many Magicians started in Magic because they wanted a way to interact with others.

I'm glad you've done some reading here and know the score re: petty name calling. I'm sure you already know who to try and avoid LOL.

Seriously though, I think the 80% is a little high and there is much to be gained here. I know you agree because you've joined.

After you've been here a while, do a search for Arkansas some names may pop up and you can P.M. them to see where local Magicians hang out.

Best of Luck!

-Mary Mowder

Welcome Robbieh (=

I've been here a little while, and I can happily say I haven't seen any petty name calling. I call it difference in perspectives, but that's what helps us grow and encourages ideas. For the most part we're all mature enough to make sound decisions, but it is the internet right. But think positively and you won't run into any of that, focus on what you're here to do... Learn and Share! (=

The fun thing about performance is that you can only really get better by doing it. You can practice a trick to perfection by yourself, but you can't practice performance alone. The snags are what will build you and help you shape your character.

@Mary that is a really good idea. I've been meaning to do just that, when I noticed some names were locals around me. It'll be a bit of a push, but I'll do it eventually. =P As well Rob, you might want to check out some of the magician societies around you. (If you scroll down the Café index, you'll see different location groups/ meetings.)

Oh, definitely! For humor, I went with 80% - it's far lower. It wouldn't be worth joining if it were so high, and *certainly* the forum is worth joining! Thanks for the welcome!