Never Let The Truth Get In The Way

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Justin had worked for the Rip Off Magic Company for many years. Joining as a warehouse box packer in his late teens, he had now been at the company for over 20 years and had worked his way up to his current position of Marketing Manager.

His job was, on the face of it, a straightforward one. Every new product that came in simply had to be presented to the customers in the best possible light with its strengths accentuated and any weaknesses ignored or swept under the marketing carpet. And with both text and video at his disposal, Justin had turned his publicity virtually into an artform. Continue reading “Never Let The Truth Get In The Way”

The Task Of The Magic Product Reviewer

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One of the roles that I have as part of my involvement with Magicseen Magazine is that I am a member of the product review team, and each issue we publish considered and honest comments on a wide range of new products from around the world.

Now on the face of it, you probably imagine that it’s a simple job. You get a product, you read/watch the instructions, fiddle with the props (if there are any!) and then just give your opinion on it. However, although that might sum up the essence of what we do, it doesn’t take into account a lot of other factors that we need to consider. Continue reading “The Task Of The Magic Product Reviewer”

Understanding The True Value Of Secrets

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What’s an idea or a magic secret actually worth? After all, if you think about it, without a steady flow of both, magic would gradually wither away, because it is the creation of new ways to do things and fresh types of magic that keeps us all interested and paying attention.

Given that magic cannot exist without its secrets, I find it surprising that there are some magicians who do not seem to truly value these essential core elements. They seem to think that HOW something is done is less important than the clever little gizmo that actually helps to get the magic done.

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So Many Ways To Get Magical Stimulus

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Where do you get your magical stimulus from these days? Is it from tricks you’ve purchased, books (printed ones or E-Books) that you’ve read, stuff you’ve found on YouTube or come across on TV, or is it from going to your local magic club or attending magic conventions?

I suspect that whatever the answer is, if you have been involved in magic for a fairly long time (at least 10 years or more), then the way you seek out things to pique your magical interest may well have changed.

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Magic Imagination – The Key To Creativity

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If you aspire to being a bit creative with the magic that you do and you want to make your performances different from your competitors, it requires that you come up with ways to devise plots, or presentations, and maybe even methods, that will break away from the norm.

There are lots of ways to start the creative process (my E-Book A Simple Guide To Creativity offers you lots of suggestions), but the underlying requirement is that you need to have a good imagination. Without at least some ability to daydream, you are likely to remain stuck with what has gone before, because inspiration may not just happen automatically when you need it to.

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The Importance Of Reading Your Audience

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It seems to me that having an ability to assess your audience can be a very helpful attribute. By this I mean that when you are interacting with them, it pays you to try and judge, from the way they react to what you say and do, where they are in terms of their intellect and range of interest.

For instance, when I take my lecture round to various magic clubs, as I do every year, the blend of knowledge, experience and understanding can vary hugely from one society to the next.

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Why Magic Needs A Context

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I might be old fashioned, but I do prefer magic that has a context or a framework for the impossible event that is happening. For me, a visual piece of magic eye candy is nice, but ultimately less satisfying than an effect which builds through presentation to a satisfying magical conclusion.

Magic is, of course, totally illogical. Most effects that we create have little foundation in reality, and it is that very fact that makes it interesting. If magic was no more surprising or interesting than using a remote to ‘invisibly’ turn on a TV, then it wouldn’t be something that anyone would be prepared to pay to witness.

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Passive Or Active – What Sort Of Magician Are You?

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Are you a passive or an active consumer of magic? In other words, does your magic interest simply extend to reading magic mags and watching magic online, or do you actively seek to get out and perform?

Personally, I have always been a performer, right from when I was a child. Assimilating magic knowledge was not an end in itself for me, but a means to enable me to put together an act and then perform it somewhere.

I’ve always felt that there is not much point in finding out the inner secrets of magic, of attending magic lectures, of reading books on the art, and of turning up at the local magic club, if you are not then at some point going to use the knowledge that you have gained from immersing yourself in the art in this way for a practical end. Continue reading “Passive Or Active – What Sort Of Magician Are You?”

The Trials And Tribulations Of Lecturing Overseas

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As I write this blog in mid-April I am about to embark on a two week trip to the States where I will be presenting 6 lectures in 8 days at different venues on the east side of the country, and then finish by attending the incomparable 4Fs Close Up Convention.

When you have overseas lecturers visiting your club and you are sitting at home and wondering whether you are going to make the effort to turn up to listen to him, have you ever stopped for a minute to consider what that person has had to go through in order to be there in your clubroom?

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The Power Of A Positive Magical Peer Group

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I have always been of the opinion that who you mix with can have a profound influence on the type of person you are and the attitude that you portray. If you are surrounded by upbeat, positive people, the chances are that this will probably rub off on you and your glass will generally be half full. Spend most of your time with those who find reasons not to do things and for whom everything is a problem that can’t be solved, and you would do well not to become similarly negative.

As in general life, so in magic. When I think back to my early formative years in magic and the people who I met and spent time with during that period, I can clearly trace the positive impact that they had on me. Their knowledge, attitude and drive were terrific role models and had I not hung around with them but chosen the company of others instead, there is no telling what direction I might have ended up taking.

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