Been on a magic Break once more

It's becoming hard for me this past few days to get msyelf to practice magic. It seems like I don't have the energy to do it mainly because I can't find myself to explore magic.

It's really hard to do some magic especially when the mind is stressed with other things in life. Maybe I can use some magic to get the stress off but maybe I'll just have to wait again to be bitten by the magic bug.


Until then,

Of calamities and reliefs

For those who want to have an idea how the storm wreaked havoc on our country you could check this photo set.

With the recent calamity that hit our country it was a relief that all the people I know who live in those affected areas are well and good. Though some may have experienced damage and loss of property, they were still thankful that they were still alive and hopefully they could start all over again and recover from this tragedy.

What happened to us is just another reminder that everything that we have and everything that we could see could vanish so fast like a coin in a magician's hand. However when things vanish in nature's hand, the effects are devastating and irreversible.

Well what happened over the past few days reminded me on how life could be so mean but even if that's the reality it can't be denied that life is still beautiful. Especially that we see that in the worst times true kindness just shows. It's just like watching a magic trick; you see an effect though you know there's trickery involve yet you enjoy it because you are entertained.

If only magic were real, I would have done something to make it easier for those who have been hit hard by the storm. For now the only magic I can do is bring back at least the smiles to their faces.

For donations please visit redcross.org.ph

Exposure and Explanation

I have been following a discussion on Club Magicians, regarding the Masked Magician. It has been an intense discussion among those who simply hate him to death and those who hate what he has done.

I think it all comes down to this quote:

"For those who believe no explanation is necessary, for those who do not none will suffice"

-Joseph Dunninger

Magic is a mystery; a secret that is very powerful that makes you believe the possibility of the impossible. Trying to explain it would make it less mysterious thus less powerful for those who have seen it. The less one tries to know how it's done the more it becomes mysterious.

Sad to say but some people, when they see magic they feel cheated (thanks to some magicians who have over sized egos). Anyway this is why maybe a lot of people seek for explanation and some people prey on that desire to be enlightened (i.e. The Masked Magician)and to make things worst some would even brand magicians as fakes and cheats so that the people's sympathy would be on the exposers.

Yes magic would be cheating to some but in my opinion magic is just like a movie with all the fancy special effects. You know that it isn't possible but you were made to suspend your disbelief and the same is with magic. The suspension of disbelief is what makes magic entertaining.

So instead of actually using magic to inflate one's ego and to fool audiences. We should use it to make the audience feel magical. Explain the magic and empower the audience. In this way they won't feel bad and they would remember your magic in a good way.

Until then,

Want to Improve on Magic? Ditch the DVD and Buy a Book

In today's age of Internet and other Multimedia such as DVD and video downloads, Magic is much easier to learn now. The problem however is that less time is being dedicated by the learner to actually polish the things he/she have learned.

That's why in my opinion studying magic with a book is really better than most magic in multimedia format. Unlike most DVDs nowadays that are one trick ponies, books always have more to learn and most of the time gives better insights than most video downloads or DVDs out there.

Another thing is that when you buy a book on magic you are sure that it was written by someone who has the experience in magic. Unlike those videos which almost anyone even some inexperienced teenagers could make. I read reviews of some DVDs which were made by inexperienced people and my it was really bad.

As I have mentioned earlier most DVDs teach one-trick ponies that teaches how the trick is done rather than how to do it. With exception of very few DVDs that really teaches down to the smallest detail and advance handling, I think that most DVDs are just exaggerated to be marketed for some people's profits.

So now which would you choose? A one trick pony DVD easy to learn, hard to perform or a book that takes effort to learn but gives better insight for a better performance.

Until then,

Putting the Context in your Effects

This is maybe one of the most important lessons I learned from Joshua Jay's book. Putting an effect in context is something that most magicians,especially beginners, miss. The bad thing about this too is that even soem seasoned magicians actually fail to do so (refer to this post).

In my opinion what makes most effects out of context is that most of the time we stick to the methods up to the patter and presentation that we forget to make an effect our own. Quoting Bruce Lee he would always say about martial arts is that one should absorb what's essential and make it your own. In other words when we learn an effect we should think on how to perform it right to suit our own style and when we should perform it.

Going back of putting an effect out of context, I remember myself when I was still beginning with magic, I would actually copy almost every word that ws written in the book. In doing this I get the most bored reactions from the audiences and that really is the worst feeling a magician could get.

Well copying an effect up to the level of word per word isn't the only way to put an effect out of context. Another way is that adding the wrong and unecessary things and performing it at the wrong type of audiences. I've seen a lot of very powerful effects being performed by seasoned magicians that ended badly and boringly, and honestly I rather watch an amateur magician perform mediocre effects with the right audiences.

I hope that with this new learning, I would see improvement not only me but also with others who have read this blog.

Until then,