The Magic Structure

Are you free flowing or do you look for a pattern, a format, rules? After making a decision to study magic, I began looking for a format, some structure, some grand appointed 'head-honcho'. I did not find any of that. In fact I was a little disappointed. I looked for boundaries. I want routine. I may even be a little pendantic. So after many years of searching, here is what I have discovered. There is somewhat of a path to walk. It's a little vague. But for the most part it helps to guide.

In any pursuit seek out the professionals and see what they are saying. Now in magic, everyone with a business card is a so-called professional, so how do you determine this. The Bible says that every word is established by two or three witness. The theme being, if you see a reoccurring item in several places you can almost bank on it being a solid product. So as you research, you take note of the people that keep coming up as the experts. Now for me I discovered, Jamy Swiss, Roberto Giobbi, John Carney, Eugene Burger,Darwin Ortiz, Juan Tamariz, Richard Osterlind, Ken Weber. So I buy their products and LISTEN to what they have to say. And it's interesting the emphasis that each one puts on the past masters of this art form. So as they spoke I would listen and take their advie to heart. And it started to establish a structure for me. It gave me things to learn, study, and push towards.

The disappointing part of this, you want approval from your teachers. I realize your aim is to entertain the audience. But really a lot of audiences DON'T even know what they are looking at. I mean really. They don't care wether your using a svengali deck or a double lift that took you two years to master. From the peoples stand point it is the same, but to an artist it can mean everything!

Now there is a certain amount of achievment when you perform a routine in front of an audience and you hear their applause. But for me, I also would like to have the applause of my teachers. That is not always possible. So you keep this feeling of not fully meeting the goal, which is to do the tricks right and who else to tell you but your teachers.

So the stamp of approval is a little vague right now. But the structure is their. You have to look for it. There is a lot of minutia to push through. It wont happen overnight. It will take time. But it happened to me. I remember absolutely longing to know more about this magic art and it's past masters. I was saddened reading articles referrencing to great men of the past I knew nothing about. But, now I do! Come on, ask me a question?