Disappointing Methods In Magic

Disappointing Methods In Magic

Have you ever been disappointed in a method? I have. 

So I decided to go one layer deeper and figure out WHY I had those feelings.

These could be the reasons why…  

#1 - It’s too easy

Translation: “I paid too much for this.”

If you are disappointed in a method for being too easy, it means you’re disappointed you paid that much for ‘that’ method.

The negative feeling comes from the fact that you placed all of the value in the method - and not what the method can help you achieve.

The Solution

Change your perspective here and you’ll be a lot happier with everything you buy.

Instead, you want to place the ‘value’ in the effect the method produces, not the method itself.

That’s why trailers showing great reactions sell better.

The value is in the reactions that you can get from executing the method.

So it’s no surprise that the people who like a trick the least - are the people who never perform it.

By simply performing it, you’re harvesting the true value of your purchase.

The more often you perform that trick, the more valuable the purchase becomes.

#2 - It’s just a top change/other popular method


Translation: “I kinda knew this method already and am disappointed that it fooled me, because if I’d known I could have saved $20”

Sometimes you buy a trick because you were intrigued by the presentation or fooled by the effect - then, you receive it and sink when the method is something that you kinda know.

A lot of people rush to be disappointed or angry, but you’re thinking about it all wrong.

 

The Solution

The method is like the base in a cocktail. It’s whiskey, but depending on how it’s used or paired, it can taste completely different… Just like a magic trick.

Instead, knowing the method is actually a win for you.

It means you have to learn less, or less to practice - as you’re already familiar with the ‘how’ part of the routine.

Your time can then be spent on refining the presentation, which will be new to you, because it helped fool you with a method you already knew.

I’ve noticed for years that I can fool magicians with something and they are desperate to know ‘how’.

Then I put them out of their misery and say “it’s a duplicate card” - and because they’re familiar with that gimmick they go “Oh okay then.”

They have zero enthusiasm, after the method is revealed. Because they kinda knew it and were looking for something newer.

But 10 seconds earlier, before they knew, they would have given me their left kidney to learn it.

That’s not a method problem, that’s a perspective problem.


#3 - It’s too hard

Translation: “I don’t have the time to practice this.”

And that’s okay. Life is busy… I get it. I’m busy too.

But it’s not a disappointing method or a sh*t trick because you can’t put the time and effort in that it requires.

For those with health & mobility issues in their hands, saying "the method is too hard" may be a legitimate criticism based on their restrictions, but for everyone else it’s simply about where you allocate your time.

The Solution

It can be broken down into 2 solutions. Buy less or make more time.

  1. Buy less tricks. Spend more time practicing only the tricks you know you’ll use.

  2. Watch less TV. Spend more time practicing & improving your skills.


Magic attracts a lot of older gentlemen for this reason, their kids have grown up and take less attention, they may also be slowing down in work or retired. So they can buy more magic, because they have time to experiment and practice with it.

And a lot of young adults drop out of magic when they have young children or get a new, demanding job. 

I remember learning the clipshift as a teenager, sitting in my parent's garden for hours practicing it. I had a part-time job, no kids or bills. So I DID have time to put into that method. 

But I can see how some people don't have time... and as a 34-year old adult, I probably wouldn't allocate my time to learning it now. 

Not because it's a bad method, it's great - but because I'd choose to spend my time elsewhere. 

 

#4 - It’s not practical

Translation: “the method doesn’t fit my preferences.”

Maybe it’s sleeving. Sleeving isn’t impracticable by nature, but it is if you choose to perform in a short sleeve t-shirt. The choice of clothing is your preference.

Smoke devices aren’t impractical - but they are if you’re not on a stage (like Shin Lim) and need to go to the office and work all day with it hooked up under your arm. Being comfortable is your preference.

Flap cards aren’t impractical - but they are to people who don’t want to carry too many gimmicks, or like to be free and loose with their deck during performance.

All methods have restrictions based on your individual preferences. This is what gives that feeling of disappointment in some methods. Because it doesn’t slot perfectly into your style or environment.

$600 peek pads like ‘Smart Memo Pad’ are totally worth it for people who perform shows, but maybe not for hobbyists who have full-time ‘normal’ jobs, it’s not practical to carry around with you all day, every day on the off-chance you may perform once.

So is it the method that’s terrible? No.

It’s just that not all methods can suit everyone’s individual restrictions.


#5 - Pointless Method

Translation: "This is a different method for the sake of having a 'new' method." 

This one is the fault of the magic industry. It’s okay to be disappointed in the method, when it’s clearly been conceived to sell something inferior to its predecessor.

If a trick comes out with the same plot, but it doesn't 'add' anything new compared to previous methods for that same plot, then it's a pointless release. 

For example. It's a packet trick but instead of a 'glide' it uses a second deal. 

Another example, it's a torn & restored card trick, but instead of horizontal tears, it's vertical. 

Often this happens when 2 magicians have independently created the same effect and the second one rushes to put it out too, when they see someone else has had the same idea. 

Or, this can happen when a trick becomes a best seller and magicians rush to create 'their' version of it to cash in on the apparent gold rush. 

The solution here is to take as much as you can from each purchase, so that knowledge can inform you on your next one. Even if you don't end up performing the trick, it can teach you something. 

And that may end up saving you money if something identical comes out in future.

 


Enjoyed this post? Let us know in the comments section below and tell us what trick you've bought in the past that had the most disappointing method.
Did this post change your perspective on it?

 

p.s. For an example of an incredibly easy method that creates a stunning effect that everyone will be happy with, we'd recommend NOT THE 21 CARD TRICK that you can purchase here

 

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10 comments

PigCake

PigCake

Funly enough, I made a video on this exact thing but I used way more expletives and a lot more virginity

Ty

Ty

Really insightful. The performer’s perception of can really impact the audience.

Adrian

Adrian

No. 4 – “It’s not practical” – is the fault of the magic industry, too. I know my restrictions beforehand. Magic producers don’t know these restrictions, but their ads usually pretend that the method is practical for everybody under all circumstances. So when I am disappointed that the method is not suitable for me, this is actually THEIR fault, because they are almost never transparent with the method and its restricitions.

C. Distraction

C. Distraction

The “too hard” rebuttal reeks of video gamers playing a shitty online game and saying “get good” when anyone else isn’t at their level. I truly detest gatekeeping magicians who look down upon those who can’t do knuckle busting moves.

A better solution is having some level/chart that has beginner, advanced or even estimated time to learn/get good at the trick. But that would probably result in less sales…

The older you get the more time is important. That and why should I invest $45 on a trick that takes months to master? To get the same reaction I can get with a trick that is easier?

Jonathan Ulloa

Jonathan Ulloa

I feel like you are gapping the void.

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