Do you have a flag?

Over on facebook a magician posted a video where she performs a mask to winged creature effect. In the comments a fairly well known magician couldn't help himself and make a snide comment amount that seeming familiar. He did this because he used to do a mask to dove effect himself albeit using a totally different method.

So this got me thinking about method vs. effect. In cases like this you can argue it down to "Well you are just turning an object into a bird just like (insert any number of people here)".  No one has the monopoly on any certain kind of magic for the most part. Sure some people are known to have "Squatters Rights" to an effect where they are so well known for it that anyone else doing it seems like a rip off but where do we draw the line?

In this case the two methods to accomplish a similar effect were entirely different. If you ask me (which no one did) it's whichever one is the most magical looking and gets the better response. Of course there is no real way to judge that as they are both solid methods.

If there is anything to take away from it all it might be this: Don't be a bully or a douche to others unless they are directly ripping you off. Otherwise you just end up looking like the bad guy and some weirdo might talk smack about you on the internet.

It could happen. 

A gif-t...

You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake...

I know a handful of magicians who feel they are not creative enough or don't think they can create their own material. It's not as hard as you think. Sure, there is no formula for it or everyone would be doing it but creativity is subjective and there are different ways to accomplish it.

With that in mind I have some videos for you to watch.

I'm just gonna leave this here...

More machine now than man....

So I was watching a youtube video of a dove act (I know, I know mistake number one on my part shut up) and when they used a dove tray I realized there is a way to get more magic out of it.

The problem with things that work on a hinge/spring system is they can look TOO mechanical. You are sacrificing a little bit for that visual change. Physics dictate certain things move and look a certain way when activated. As magicians we are limited by, what we perceive is, reality. So if we use the same mechanics the world is used to we may or may not fool them. Let's go back to the dove tray...

In the video I watched a young lady laid her glove upon the tray and it turned into a dove. Now aside from the random prop that was obviously big enough to hold a live animal we can dress this up a bit. Say you lay a cloth over the glove and make that gesture and suddenly the cloth starts moving. (Magic moment #1) and then you whip away the cloth it's a dove (Moment #2). By using the mechanics against itself we can delay the moment.

I personally believe anything that is mechanical looks that way and while it gets a reaction I don't think it deep down fools people. We see certain things happen in our lives and our brain can fill in the gaps. However if we can get something to look/react abnormally then we have magic. A good example is the card gimmick where the pips move to create another value. When done right, it's smooth and spooky looking. When people see something that can't equate it to their brain kinda short circuits and they truly feel that magic moment.

Sometimes things can be TOO visual.

Pretty... awkward...

Ok so this post might rock a boat and not make me some friends but stay with me on this. I swear it's positive... ish.

Anyone who knows me or has read this journal for longer than they should will know I am a big proponent of females in magic. I think the next step in public magic evolution is a strong magical femme on TV. However that gal should not try to do cardistry.

There is something inelegant about a girl manipulating playing cards.

Now before you send me any hate mail let me defend my case. Normal off the shelf playing cards are just not stylish. The imagery associated with them does not match up with the elegance of most females. It seems like a clunky silly prop to be fiddling with.

I am more talking about cardistry cuts and whatnot. Card manip on stage is a different thing and I have seen that done well. It just seems that the cards are an oxymoron to the imagery in my opinion. Hell a lot of the female magicians I know hate card tricks anyway.

If you are reading this saying "Fuck him, he's nuts. I'm gonna do it anyway" that's fine. However find some vanity decks that look interesting or fancy. Something that matches your personal look or ideals. Stray away from typical decks. I think this is one of the cases where a vanity deck would work well. Almost like an accessory such as a necklace or watch.

Correct me if I am wrong.

PS: New chatbox. Hopefully this one will work.

Knock, knock...

Just a little side note to any of you who support the Chinese or knock-off magic sites/products.

You deserve what you get.

My new years gift to you...

Scarlett topless. Not safe for work, but we're magicians so who am I kidding. (Also do your research on why she is sky clad from the waist up. It's interesting and might be important to someone you know)

Same old boring routine?

So tonight I performed close-up magic for the first time in a long time. My opening gambit was three tricks with a beer bottle (it's Vegas, what you gonna do?): A production, the bottle cap penetrated into the neck of the bottle and then the cap vanished in a puff of smoke and re-appeared on top of the bottle.

Why do I tell you all of this? Because fuck you that's why It's because I want you to think about how you can take some one trick effects and turn them into something that is a piece in a bigger puzzle.

It's not hard to take those things you have and find a common thread to make them all play nice together. Not only does it help flesh out a full presentation piece but also makes you look like a better performer because it seems like you thought all of this out... even if you haven't.

So my challenge to you is to sort thru all of that one trick pony BS you have that you don't use and see what you can build with it.

Think of it as magic Legos.