Why is it So Hard to Get Into Magic?
Who Says It's Hard to Get Into Magic?
I can already hear the clamoring chatter of disagreement! Those voices are saying, “But Jafo, it’s easier than EVER to get into magic.” And in a sense, this is true. But if you stick with me, I think I can make a case for why it’s more challenging than ever before. But don’t lose hope! Because with this article, I’ll do my best to guide you through some of the pitfalls that every beginner will face.
Let’s talk first about what it was like to be a fledgling conjuror some 200 years ago. To be a beginner in any trade usually required an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships have a long, rich history in almost every country – even as early as the 12th century. Essentially, the parents of a young person would make an arrangement with a master craftsman or tradesman. The minor would work for that craftsman in exchange for learning a specific trade. Such agreements could last for eight years or more.
Let’s say you wanted to learn everything about stone masonry or woodworking; an apprenticeship is a great way to do that. By the time your apprenticeship is over, you would be well on your way to being a master yourself. You would soon have your own apprentices!. This system has proved to be so useful that it’s still in use today - albeit with some changes to account for modern industrialization.
Getting Into Magic the Old Way
Someone who wanted to be a magician had to go through a similar ordeal as a hopeful mason – but with more challenges. Most people of that time could go their entire lives without ever seeing a magician perform. Those who were lucky enough to witness those early conjurors then had to convince him to be taken as an apprentice. Then they would spend years learning every nuance of his act. Once that magician retired, the apprentice would then take that show as their own – or sometimes they would leave and create their own act to make a name for themselves.
Now I know that sounds like way more work than today! And I can mostly agree with you. But in terms of the quality of the instruction, you could find nothing better than a mentor. The learning was in-depth, hands-on, and thorough. As a natural consequence, the mentor taught magic that had real worth and value to the student. They protected the secrets from the uninitiated – protected above all else.
For those who did not find a mentor, learning was difficult. Information just was not exactly plentiful. Contrast the way I described those old methods to the way we learn in the modern information age. The needle has pegged the other end of the meter - too much information. Too much information is daunting to the student. If the beginner can't filter out unreliable or useless information, they can feel overwhelmed and become discouraged quickly!
Plus, with so much information available, how can you be confident that your mentor truly understands the subject? Are you learning the proper basics? On a side note, I cannot understate the importance of a solid grasp of the basics. Every beginner has to have the basics down - much like how all medical students have to study anatomy first. No one can effectively learn how to treat ailments and injuries until you have a solid understanding of the underlying anatomy.
Books as Mentors
When I first began, I had a single book on coin magic. I stayed within the shallow end of the pool. Those first few chapters were my water wings that gave me the skills needed later to dive into the deep end. My goal was to swim effortlessly in the deep end with all the most complex routines and sleights. It was different when I started learning card magic. I jumped straight into some pretty intricate sleights and effects that I just couldn't grasp. Who knows how much time I wasted because I had no real guidance? There was no way for me to discern which of the card basics were the most essential.
In fact, I have several friends who suffer from those same mistakes. Their early explorations into card magic began with tantalizing glimpses of slick flourishes, one-handed shuffles, perfect faros, ace-cutting, and the like. And not one of them first learned how to perform a classic pass. Most beginners never realized that you only need five or six moves with a deck of cards. With those few sleights, you can perform hundreds of miracles. If you learn variations of those five or six, you can create thousands of effects!
Wait, just five or six things? That’s all I need? Yeah, and I bet no one has ever mentioned that to you before in those countless websites and YouTube videos that teach card tricks. If you want to know more about what those things are, you'll have to look outside of this article.
The modern conjuror is beleaguered with information, much of it contradictory and from self-claimed experts. Many of those "experts" are merely beginners looking to get likes and shares. If you allow that type of magic to influence you, most of what you learn will have to be untaught later on.
When I first cracked open my volume of Card College Vol. 1, I glossed over the section that taught the overhand shuffle. At that point, I had been performing magic for five or six years. So, of course, I knew how to do an overhand shuffle! I could skip that part, right? Well, later in the book, one of the effects required an overhand shuffle. I was having difficulty with learning that trick as it was written. I couldn't make any sense of it. The positions of my cards would not match the descriptions and images on the page. So, I begrudgingly went back and read that section on that shuffle and discovered something that blew me away.
I was doing the overhand shuffle wrong. Wrong!
So, I spent several afternoons just overhand shuffling. To this day, I still like to pick up a deck and remind myself of the exact feel of what a proper overhand shuffle is like. The basics never fall out of vogue.
Modern Mentoring Methods
I see you all out there – learning, performing. I see some of you trying to develop your own card tricks before you can even execute an Elmsley count! And believe me, if we do enough research, we’ll find someone who’s already created that exact card trick (or something very close). Why reinvent the wheel? It’s a struggle that doesn’t need to happen at all! But what is the solution?
Well, there’s no one golden bullet that will overcome the problem. But I have a few tips that can help.
- Find a magic club. I’ve written in other posts about the importance of attending a magic club. There are so many benefits to the student that it’s worth its own article. Who wouldn’t like to be surrounded by others who share their love of magic? You can get so much good advice that it’ll make it worth whatever club fees you spend.
- Get a mentor! Yes, you can still find mentors today. Some of the biggest names in magic today offer their mentoring services. A good mentor will usually charge a fee. But they are worth it!. If the price is a concern, you could start locally. This is the reason I mention finding a magic club near you. You will meet so many amazing people who could potentially fulfill that role for little or no money.
- Your mentor doesn’t have to live in the same state as you. Did you know that some of the best magicians in the world offer online classes? Imagine getting world-class instruction from some of the best magicians for a small fee. Many will even teach you the basics for free. And please remember how vital those basics are!
This is by no means an exhaustive list of ideas. But I hope I have sparked some interest in you. Reach out beyond your favorite YouTube magician to find that bright ray of guidance that will help you navigate the morass of information overload that I’m sure you’ll experience.
So, get out there!
Jafo