TAOM 2010

Well ladies and gents, this week kicks off the Texas Association of Magicians 2010 Conference, one of the best magic confrences avaliable! With a line up of Whit Hayden, Jeff McBride, Max Maven, Michael Weber, David DeCampos, and Doug Gorman, this is going to be a convention to remember!

Not only that, dear readers, but to kick start the entire convention there is the First Annual Austin Street Magic Festival! It's happening this Thursday, 2 September, on 6th Street at Red River as well as in and out of the bars around there. It's going to be a jam-packed night of magical insanity! So if you can make it down there between 5pm and 2am, you'll get to see some of the best performers you will ever witness!

Now down to the real work of TAOM.

Read More

One of the best tricks ever

Now I figure that I'll probably catch some flack for this from some of you guys, but here goes:

A few years ago I saw an effect that really blew me away. It wasn't technically difficult or amazingly executed; it was beautiful, and a perfect example of giving someone a moment of magic that will last them a lifetime. The look on the man's face is pure, unadulterated magic. Check out the video:

Read More

Ponta the Smith

Some of you may have been going back and forth on buying "SICK - by Ponta the Smith". It's a video that has a pretty slick promo trailer, but that's what we've all come to expect from Ellusionist (that and playing cards), so it's to be expected that you're not quite sure if you should drop some cash on this video. Well, today I'm here to help you out on that decision:

Read More

To fool magicians or laymen?

A common fear among magicians, a fear that I share, is performing for other magicians. All sorts of anxieties pop up, and it's no surprise: magicians know the sleights you're using. Even if they don't see the sleights, most of the time it's easy to figure out which sleights had to have been used. So it's a stressful situation.

Read More

Professional vs Serious

Something that I've noticed about our community is the affinity for the term "professional." Effects are marketed as "professional", clothes and props are sold as "professional", and no one wants any advice from anyone but a "professional."

Well, I'm here to break the "professional" bubble, so to speak. A professional is someone who makes money at magic. That's it. The term doesn't speak to the level of skill, the quality of the act, or the depth of character development. It only denotes money.

I think that we should coin a new term to replace professional: serious.

A serious magician works hard; a serious magician strives to perfect routines and patter; A serious magician puts original thought into their effects; a serious magician works towards perfection.

Our history is littered with magicians who didn't make a living from magic but are considered top magicians, so out of respect for some of the most respected names in magic history: stop using the term professional.

~Cameron Rivers, Kings To You Magic

Practice, especially when you don't want to

The last couple of days have had me running around Texas trying to say 'hi' to people and get the last of my stuff out of my apartment (which, as of today, is no longer mine). This has left very little time for me to do any practicing.

We all have days/weeks like that: we feel like were overworked, underslept, and we just don't have the motivation to do anything more than we're doing. But what we need to do is take a look at everyone around us. Everyday people get up and go to jobs that they don't want to go to. Some of them like their jobs, some of them don't, but in the end, everyone heads out.

Serious magicians need to start looking at magic as a job. It's a job we love, but it is a job nonetheless. Now those days where you just don't feel like doing magic? Do it anyway. It's your job. And on top of that, if you can practice for a small amount of time even when you don't want to, then you get yourself into a routine, and practice will come naturally.

~Cameron Rivers, Kings To You Magic