Craig, thank you so much for this video. As an hobbyist myself it resonates. Thank you for dispelling the myth that amateur/hobbyist are inferior to professionals. It boosts my confidence and motivates me to continue practicing hard so that I can perform the best I can in front of my audience members. Finally, a huge thank you for all you do for the magic community. Keep up the good work!
Hey Craig i love this episode im a hobby magician im 40 years old i got into magic at a young age was going to the Hollywood of magic by age 18 but thats around the time i stopped the guys at the shop always made me feel bad and when i tried to make my own routines they would tell me not to do that to just do it as the instructions say because they were professionals and knew what they were doing and im just beginning so fell out of magic till about 2 years ago started getting into it again but now i just perform for my daughters they love it thanks again for this episode i really needed to hear what u said and ty for being awaome and keep doing what ur doing
Great video! I’m an amateur/hobbyist. I joined my local magic circle last fall to motivate me to practice more frequently, perform in front of total strangers and strive to be initiated as a member. After a few meetings, I mustered the courage to perform in front of other magicians and it was so rewarding! I’ve since performed at subsequent meetings and thoroughly enjoy my new friends.
Thanks Craig. Very valuable advice - especially "do not compare yourself to others" which is just as valid in my professional field as it is in magic. Thanks for the encouragement!
Especially the first and the last part absolutly hit home with me. I always think i will never be as good as you, or the other magicians i look up to. Also i have so much anxiety asking people if they want to see a trick and always have shaky hand that i rarely perform, so i try to change that the next couple of months and try to perform more
That first message is totally on point. I recently took a magic class IRL and we did a practice show for friends and family. Even though everyone performing was a complete beginner learning magic, many for the first time in their life, Just about everyone felt like real performing magicians - if they were mixed into a real show, I wouldn't have known they were beginners.
Great video Craig! Ive been a hobbyist for a long time and performed at a party this weekend and loved every second of it! Just to go out there and start is the biggest step, but once you're out there and everyones having a great time, its just the most wonderful thing. Absolutely fantastic advice 👏👏
Literally the first thing I did immediately after finishing this video: I took the small gimmick I had prepared for Bannon's "Ion Man" months ago and put it into my everyday wallet, promising myself to use it at the first opportunity that I get. Thanks Craig.
Thanks so much for this! I am a hobbyist. I know a TON about magic and love it!!! But am always afraid to perform, as I just don't have the guts to do so in public. You saying this about "me" is really appreciated! Sincere thanks to you my friend. I wish I could have someone like you, to go out with me and help me perform and motivate me. Crazy, thinking about being in the Army and doing what I've done! lol. Maybe if I bring my M4 with me, I will be fine! I am going to go out though. Not just for family...
I didn't see this until after I'd already taken point 3 to heart: Been slowly using the children and adults I work with to practice performing, and posting reels to get some of the nerves out of me! What an on-point list
I must write in german. Ich bin seit 15 Jahren Hobby Zauberer und bin froh,das ich es auch vorführen kann. Ich nutze gerne den Moment nach einer Zaubershow,wenn ich die Gelegenheit dazu habe,mich mit den Anderen zu unterhalten oder auszutauschen. Ich trete auch ab und zu auf,mache Kindershows und Geburtstagsfeiern. Natürlich für kleines Geld,aber es ist,wie Du es sagst: Es macht süchtig. Wenn man dann noch Applaus bekommt,zeigt es mir,das das,was ich da tue, den Leuten gefallen hat. Ich kann auch nur jedem,der dieses Hobby hat, empfehlen,raus zu gehen und es den Menschen zu zeigen!
Such a breath of fresh air on RU-vid. Listening to this was like what I try to tell myself in my head which is just go out and do it. Great topic, great video 👍👍👍
Maybe I just haven’t performed enough but I’ve found my best trick volunteers are professional or amateur/hobbyist magicians. I think your comment about the volunteers that want to spoil your trick are people that only claim they’re magicians. And usually you can spot these obnoxious frauds because they’re very often otherwise obnoxious people.
I'm probably in the hobbyist category here, so this video is more applicable to me than the other one for pros (which I watched and all sounded reasonable to me). To the points here: (1) I agree that there's no reason an amateur can't be just as good as a pro -- you pointed out some who are -- and it's certainly better if pros don't look down on amateurs. But not every amateur will get to the level of a pro, and I think it's worth trying to make a fair assessment of your own skills. (2) Agreed that if there's a magician paid to do a job, other magicians should not be performing at the same time. (3) Agreed, magic is a performance art, as you say. However, my personal interest is in knowing and understanding how magic works, so learning is my emphasis. That means I often don't practice very much, and I'm not inclined to perform without sufficient practice. I do show things to family or on rare occasions at an online magic jam or something, but generally, the learning is enough for me and I'm OK with that. (4) Agreed on avoiding sarcastic comments online, especially since as you noted, magicians probably aren't the target audience for the material. We should be supporting each other, and fortunately, most of the places I engage with magic are pretty supportive. (5) Good point about avoiding comparisons. That's one of my favorite points in the Desiderata ("If you compare yourself with others you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.") Everyone of us is on our own journey, going at our own pace, doing our own thing. If you enjoy magic, keep doing it the way you want. Thanks for your videos. I always enjoy the ones I watch, but I can't keep up with everything. :)
Some great advice there, much which certainly resonates with me. Luckily I am not in the category that I have to head for the bathroom! 😂 Thanks Craig.
thank you craig,for you said there a lot profesional who look down at you and think better than you,especilly in the magic circle.i am amateur,who want to turn semi pro,iwant to start gigging ,i get nervous and told by pro i am teriable,i want go and perform,thank again for bringing it up
One piece of advice I would give as one hobbyist to another would be to just try magic on strangers when you’re out. Because they don’t know you they generally believe you are magic whereas as close friends/family are more sceptical as they’ve known you before you got into magic. Please trust me on this once you try you’ll be at it all the time. I’ve had strangers react like people in the trailers, whereas my close friends will just say yeah that’s a good one (at best) which can make you feel like you’ve performed a trick badly when it’s probably not the case at all. I still do tricks for my close mates but use it more as practice as they will definitely call you out on any mistakes, just shrug it off and do something else. Hope this might help someone.
I know angles can be important, especially in close up. How should I approach the toilet brush effect. Blocking/misdirection etc?, I really could do with some help with this,... I'm sometimes getting 'caught out',...should I just make a light hearted comment and move on to the next effect. Eager to hear your advice. Thanks again.
I’m so glad you made this video. I have personal stories and experiences as perfect examples of each one of your points. Too much to get into here; but what I can say for anyone watching this video and reading these comments: Craig is 100% spot-on CORRECT about every single one of the points made here. Every one of them. Please take heed of them. Well said, Craig. This was absolutely wonderful. Just wonderful! …And absolutely accurate and applicable. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Craig. As a lifelong magic fan. and having recently got the bug again in my old age, I found that really encouraging and inspiring - I may even be tempted to actually go out and perform some day! I always enjoy your stuff. Cheers.
*DISCLAIMER* for health and safety reasons risk of internal damage such as retinal bleeding do not shove a toilet brush up your ass. 😂 Brilliant video Craig
I thought this video was going to be a lot different than what it is. Very wholesome! Nice to know us hobbyists are loved. By the way, I always watch your videos but I don’t I’ve ever left you a single comment. Well here it is!
Number 2 is a BIG no no in my book as well. The most I’ve ever done in those situations is quietly introduce myself and complement the performer if warranted. Well after the performance is over.
If an amateur magician performs regularly for the same circle of friends, he should never do The ambitious Card. The next time he has a card selected and replaced in the middle of the deck, one of his sharper friends will say "But, you can make it come to the top!"
What a fascinating subject to address Craig. Gotta say, as soon as I started watching, I thought to myself-- Oh No!!-- I will fall into some or all of these categories!! Well I am 2 points in-- I do always say "I am JUST a Hobbyist"-- time to take the JUST out!! As far as point #2-- I remember your story about some guy breaking out a deck of cards at a Professional booking you had --- who does that??
Great advice. I'm 11 months into this world of learning magic, and it's taken over my life. Lol I almost thought I did something wrong a while back. I went to see a magician's show. And I waited until after it was over and every one left and he was packing up. I went up and told him how I was learning magic. He got excited and asked what I was working on at the time. So I showed him a card trick. And then we talked about it for a little bit. Then he invited me to join a semi-local magic club. But I was worried that I shouldn't have done what I did. But I think it was okay because I waited until it was all over, and he asked. Also, it was just for him. Thoughts? I cant believe it will be a year, next month! It's been so much fun. Hard..... but fun! I did hit a wall recently where I hit that point where I realized how much I don't know yet. But I'm pushing forward!
Repeating a trick is something alot do and I used to do this......failed big time on that.....silly really cause you just leave yourself open.....something I don't do anymore....even if some people put you under pressure......just don't do it
I agree. For those situations where they won't let it go I like to have tricks that "explain" how it was done, for example if I did an all backs routine and they want to see it again I would tell them "I'm just turning them over really fast, let me show you" and do twisting the aces. I've only worked out an appropriate effect for a few of those situations but that's an example.
Craig, just because you are not being paid as a male model, doesn’t mean you’re not as good looking as a professional male model. Always remind yourself of this.
