Sometimes life gets in the way and you have to start something that you always wanted to do late in life.
I was interested in karate as a kid, but there weren't any dojos in my area. I joined a local dojo when I was 50. I tore my labrum in my left shoulder, had it repaired and later quit. Turns out I had other physical problems. Also I was terrible at karate.

I always wanted to play tennis. I got back into playing tennis while in my 40's. I took lessons and made steady progress. I received many complaints while playing doubles that I shouldn't be there at that level of play. I continued taking tennis lessons, doing drills at the tennis club, and practiced my serve outside of the tennis club. Needless to say I made quite a bit of progress on those who complained about my level of play. I actually enjoy making them look bad on the tennis court now.

I also returned to my love for magic as a kid late in life. I have a very nice collection of magic. I've met quite a few professional magicians over the last ten years. It is always interesting to get their reactions when the magician learns that I'm only a hobbyist. One performer in Atlantic City at the time made a snide remark about cheezy birthday magicians and quickly made it known that he was done talking to me. I didn't bother to tell him he flashed several times during his act(he really did), and that I was very disappointed that he had his back to the audience too long at times during one piece of his act. It must have been a new piece his was working into his act. I didn't let his attitude bother me.

Many professionals look down their nose at people who do their line of work for a hobby, such as tennis, golf, basketball, etc.

You are never too old to do or try something of interest to yourself. Life is short and there are too many negative people in life belittling others. We all had to crawl before we could walk. Do what you want to do and don't listen to the faults of others. Besides, when other people appear full of themselves, I simply move on and avoid them when possible. You're never too old to follow your dreams.

I recently returned to magic after a long time away. There is a lot of relearning involved, and I am developing a great appreciation for the timeless classics.As I attended a few lectures and club meetings, I found that there is a wide range of ages among the attendees. With the variety of ages comes a mix of hobbyists and professionals- and those with decades of experience and those that are just starting out. Diversity is everywhere, and often makes for good conversation. If something interests you, go for it. It's not too late. I know that I probably won't be fooling any of the experienced magicians with my performances, but I am still looking forward to getting up there, having fun, and performing some magic.

I stopped performing magic for many years and started back up a few years back. I always enjoyed watching magic. What I learned over the years was important, but rather simple.
The trick of the week, and the unusual fancy apparatus wowed other magic afficianados.
Average spectators truly enjoy what I refer to as pure magic: impromptu (appearing), sleight of hand, everyday objects etc. Magic done with objects they recognize. That said, everyone loves sponge bunnies

Great answer!

Jack

Ah coincidence that I found this thread as I just wrote a very similar one.

I shall delete it and merge here



Great obesrvation guy made above, which I hadn't thought of, about those young prodigies who start performing at an early age. That evens the playing field a lot more if we just think 5-10 years practice to get to a very decent level no matter what age.

Magicstudent8416, you may never master the diagonal palm shift, but with a winning presentation and passion for the craft, even a self-working card trick can leave your audience entertained and mystified.

Well said, Doug- many of us would agree that most spectators aren't even aware of the technicalities. That said, my arsenal of self workers and an interesting story or patter seem to do the job for me,allowing limited practice time to still lead to an entertaining performance.

Magicstudent8416, use your age! One of the biggest problems for young magicians is that people sometimes fail to take them seriously. Not only does age add to presence, but you have more stories you can tell related to your tricks- you've had more experience in life. Take your stories and apply them to your magic to captivate your audience.

Start today, and try performing your favorite trick in front of an audience. See how it feels. Then go for there.

I really appreciate all of the thoughts shared here. And thank you OP for starting the ball rolling.

I've been hanging around the Café for a few years now. I've been collecting knowledge and props and thinking about building a stand-up show. But life changes and my job make it hard to find serious practice time. I'll retire from teaching next spring at 70. As I see it, I've been preparing all this time to have a modest retirement career in magic. I'll probably start in assisted living communities (there are so many of them and they're always looking for entertainment) and see what happens as I get practice and exposure.

I don't feel too old at all. I think it's a matter of starting wherever you are and letting yourself evolve.

This post struck home when I read it for the first time several months ago. My daughter became interested in magic a few years back when she was 10. I purchased her a kids magic set. To my surprise she did not lose interest in it and requested more magic. We have since acquired an embarrassing large library of magic for a couple of amateurs. I really like the showmanship aspect of magic and would love to perform. I am 48 and despite the encouraging words in these posts, it can be hard to believe that there is still time for me to become a "respectable" magician. So I was very encouraged to read the biography of Phillip Kosnitsky aka "Farvel The Marvel" in the August 2016 issue of MUM magazine

"At the age of fifty he developed an interest in magic and began a hobby that would stay with him for the rest of his life. He joined Parent Assembly 1 and learned as much as he could from other club members... Farvel was the only magician to have the first place prize for comedy magic three consecutive times at the S.A.M. national convention."

Mr. Kosnitsky passed away this year at the age of 93. I thank him for demonstrating to the rest of us "old folk" that there is still time to learn to perform magic and to perform it well.

I think magic takes as long as you want. It would take years of dedication to get anywhere near Shin Lim's level. On the other hand, a good OOTW takes maybe a few hours to have down flawlessly. If you've seen the reactions an OOTW can get, you'll realize how powerful "easy" magic can be.

I'm friends with Ben Garth, and he loaned me a copy of his old lecture notes. In his notes, he tipped what effects he brought when performing in restaurants. If I recall correctly, it was something along the lines of:

2 TTs
An invisible deck
Two jumbo cards
A card-in wallet
A ring flight
2 silks
a deck with a short card
A 100 dollar bill
and a few pens.

I'm sure I'm missing something, but I can still easily think of 3 routines of 3 tricks each. I haven't met a restaurant worker that says you need a ton of tricks that are technically demanding.

Look at Dave Bonsall's sugar routine. It's a beautiful routine that is simple, organic, entertaining, and a worker.

Put in practice for the right tricks, and work on presenting them in a cohesive routine. You'll be an excellent magician far sooner than you think.

Heqq! I'm 85 (in a few weeks) and, I've been making money performing since I was a month shy of 14. --And, I still can't do a diagonal palm shift. I have trouble "doing" the "21 card trick".

Howsomever. I made a lot of money in the years between "13 and 35", and, a good living since the mid 30s, performing.

I still do an occasional show.

It depends on what you want to do. You can be too old. If your goal is to have your own TV show or to be a headliner at a hotel in Las Vegas, you'd better start very young. OTOH, if your goal is an occasional card trick to entertain friends or business associates, or to do a Miser's Dream for the grandkids at holiday family dinners, it's no problem if you start at 65 years old.

It's a sad fact that it actually can be too late, depending on your goals.

In my opinion No, you should never let you age limit your ability to do anything. Unless you physically are not capable of doing said activity, saying you are x age should not be a deterrent! I'd say go for it OP! (=