Where Is the Trick?

People look down on the concept of 'new year, new you'.

They see it as doomed to fail, so they cringe at the thought of others using the new year as a start line for their new goals.

Those people are small-minded, cynical and the kind of people I call 'do nothing ****s'.

But that's not you. You're the kind of person who wants to use this year to take their magic to the next level. To set new, higher goals. 

And you can...

You may have different goals to me, but here is what I'm focussing on with my magic going into 2024.

GOAL 1: WHERE IS THE TRICK?

Recently, someone who was very nice, showed me a sponge ball trick. A sponge ball appeared from inside their deck of cards. 

I called stop as they riffled down the deck, and the sponge ball was at the position I said stop at. 

In my brain I said 'where is the trick?', but outwardly I said "cool".

Let me first say that I am not writing this to discourage this individual magician. My taste in magic has been gifted to me by witnessing so many fantastic performers - through my time at E. I'm spoiled with how much great magic I've been able to see.

But I share this with you because it was a important revelation. 

Sometimes as magicians we get so caught up with gags and tid-bits that we forget to make it a trick. 

Since then, I see it a lot in magic. Magic moments that can't be inspected or given away as a souvenir... and it's made me think more critically about the magic I do myself.

If it's your object & something magical happens, but they can't ever touch it or keep it, then where is the trick?

You changed your bill, to a bigger bill and put it back in your pocket. Where is the trick for them?

It's your bill. They must have some doubt about it's validity, or some suspicion it wasn't real. 

And if you really could do magic, you'd be able to do it all the time, so you wouldn't care about keeping it. 

Why not change their bill into a bigger bill and let them keep it? Now that's magic.

Maybe that can help you too going into 2024. Think about where the trick is for your audience. It can't just be a nice visual. It needs to be more.

A RECENT WEDDING...

I recently attended a wedding where someone heard I was going - so they brought their own deck with them, to see some magic. Everything I performed was with their deck and they kept screaming "Those are my cards... HOWWWW!!!!"

They went around each stunned spectator to clarify again... "I brought those from my house. They're mine. How is he even doing this?!"

I had better quality cards on me (cohorts, obvs) but I never brought them out. If I chose to use my own cards when they've provided some, then deep down, they may think there is something special about my deck... Even though there isn't. 

I don't want those seeds of doubt in my audience's mind. 

So in 2024, I'll be thinking more about ways to enhance the magic for them, above all else. 

GOAL 2: READ MORE

There is a lot of gold in magic books, just waiting to be mined.

I've just started reading 'A New Angle' by Ryan Plunkett and Michael Feldman.

If you want to join me, I bought a small supply of the book to offer it here on Ellusionist too. Maybe this is the start of 'The Ellusionist Book Club'? 

Now you may already own the book, so you don't need to buy it again, but maybe this month you can join me by reading A New Angle too. 

The book focusses on a classic, but unexplored gimmick 'the stripper deck'.

"A New Angle is full of thoughtfully constructed routines that will not only entertain and fool, but will naturally inspire you with creative possibilities." - Danny Garcia

Running a major magic company, there's always an invisible pressure on me at conventions - to show people material that's unpublished, or something they've never seen.

My goal this year is to learn the gems hidden inside great magic books to be able to jam until the early hours - or get my creative juices flowing to create new, killer card tricks. 

GOAL 3: MICRO-PRACTICE SESSIONS

While filming Unreal Card Magic, Ben Earl showed me his 'break management' techniques as a way to improve my pass.

That little nugget can elevate my card magic by tenfold. So I started to put it into practice.

Next to my back door is a deck of cards - and for the last month, every time I take the dogs out for a wee, I put on my flip-flops and practice my break management - while the dogs do their business.

These micro-practice sessions are already teaching me a lot - so going into 2024, I'm going to put a deck of cards in each bathroom, in my Wife's car etc.

So in between the mundane tasks of life, I can squeeze in simple improvements to things I already know. Making my pass better, working on my break, working on my top change, my double etc.

These things take little to no attention and are quick to pick up and put down in a pinch. 

Firas Zahabi, a mixed martial arts coach talks about repetitions and consistency.

If you do something for 3 to 5 mins, a few times per day, you'll outwork someone who practices for a dedicated hour once per week.

We all live busy lives, so picking 1 thing and chipping away at it, 1 minute at a time, is going to be a big part of my 2024.

Maybe it'll be part of yours too? 

---

Comment below with what goals you're setting with your magic. I read every comment & I'm interested to see what you're all up to.