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Ste Fox New user 5 Posts |
Hi
I'm 8 months into magic. Having started aged 52 last July. A startlingly young, more youthful by the day, 52. My 7 then 6 yr old daughter's Marvin tricks initially encouraged me 'Wow, if "kid's tricks" are this good, what must the adult ones be like?" I bought a few. But basically tried to learn then create a Cups & Balls routine. And I've spent the past 2 months? Is it 2 months? Trying to control the Butterfly Pass. I'd soon found that buying a trick and knowing how it worked but the (two) people I was showing it to not knowing how it worked didn't feel right. Nothing packs smaller than yourself. Or is as flexible, timeless or open to improvement. But before I burst into The Greatest Love Of All - as someone who it could be said had previously (only for about 40 years though) lacked application, I'm profoundly thrilled by the progression from finding something utterly impossible to do, to learning a very small section, to making thousands of dodgy, lose, semi-coordinated attempts, to doing it right once or twice (that might be the best bit, when you first get something right (or at least believe you do) it catches you off guard, 'Wow! It just happened!', then getting it about right some then most of the time. It's contagious. Makes you think other things (in life but especially in the realm of personal development) are possible. Confidence born of control = rocket fuel for the feeble. So yeah. Magic. Practice, props, pomp and prose. And mystery. As a lifelong outsider I didn't dismiss magic, I didn't even consider it frivolous, but neither did I afford any credibility in the way I might've music, or athletics, or mountaineering etc - any field of endeavour acknowledged by the mainstream. I'd no clue of the extent of professionalism involved. The literally never switching off - like Vinnie Colaiuta answering his door tapping out rhythms on wooden blocks he's holding - awe; some, struck and inspiring. Anyway, this page is for New Arrivals not a New Testament, so I'll leave it at that. For now. |
Mary Mowder Inner circle Sacramento / Elk Grove, CA 3659 Posts |
Welcome Ste Fox,
Glad you've found Magic. It is a wonderful field filled with wonderful and interesting people. "I'd soon found that buying a trick and knowing how it worked but the (two) people I was showing it to not knowing how it worked didn't feel right. " This quote confuses me. The Spectators should not know how the trick works. Very happy to hear you are involving your Daughter in Magic. As she gets older, that will be more fun. -Mary Mowder |
Wizard of Oz Inner circle Most people wish I didn't have 5150 Posts |
Welcome to the Café Ste Fox!
I don't perform any complicated magic - move wise - instead I try to research and select easier routines so I can concentrate on my patter or storytelling...but even that needs to be practiced, just as you say. Does the quote Mary referred to allude to you feeling a bit guilty about "fooling people?" If so, don't think of what you do as a puzzle or a trick, but rather as something amazing that you want to share with your audience...a joy that you experienced that you want them to experience as well. They already know that you know something they don't know...they know the role they are playing...and, I've always felt my role was to just make my audience - whether it's one person or a dozen - feel enriched by what they just saw. If they just feel fooled, I think I've failed in some ways.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
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Ste Fox New user 5 Posts |
Hi, thank you for the welcomes.
All I meant was that buying a trick and/or a secret felt like shopping, whereas spending practising a move feels like learning a skill and I currently struggle to afford the former any credibility compared to the latter. Though I'm aware of the 'is it the singer or is it the song?' debate and presentation terrifies me. I suppose it may be because we all see the presentational aspect (of magicians) long before we're 'into' magic, whereas the moves remain a mystery, the work unseen. And my very limited experience of watching magic suggests magicians seldom excel at performance in comparison to, say, TV presenters, or radio DJs or whatever. But where the true effort and achievement lies is in the endless practice the audience never see. It's more akin to sculpture or painting in that regard, as opposed to hosting a talk show. And due to my snobbery, ignorance, preference or prejudice I feel inclined to value it more. Though I appreciate it could also be argued anyone can learn their chops, but it's a big world outside your study and the currency isn't instantly transferable. |
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