Purple Artifice playing cards to be released in one day!

I dont know about you but I am very excited about the new Artifice playing cards. Now these cards are coming out in one day from the time I wrote this post. I own the green artifice cards but they have the white border around them which has its advantages and disadvantages but the new purple cards have no border on them! I love the design and you can go check out the countdown and trailer for them here http://www.ellusionist.com/

how to get your name out there

For any magician one thing that you want to do is get your name out there as a magician. Now there are several ways to do this but this blog is going to talk about the cheapest ways. 1. The easiest way is word of mouth. All you have to do is tell people that you know that you are a magician. Most people you know talk to people you dont know and i think you see how this one works. 2. Another really simple way is Facebook. Create a free page on Facebook for your business or just a page for you as a magician and then invite your friends to like your page. Use this page to keep everyone up to date on what is new with you and your magic. 3. Create a website. Now i know that your thinking how is that cheap? It is actually very simple! Just go to either webs.com or weebly.com and create a website for free!!! 4. Once you get a show booked bring a camera and (if you can) bring a video camera. Now what i like to do is find family or friends to take the pictures and videos. If you are a younger magician then this is where you take advantage of the people you live with. If they are your mom or dad or guardian or even your grandparent it will be very simple to convince them to come to your show and take pictures. Now if your wondering how does this get my name out? It is very easy. At the end of the show tell people that the pictures of either their kid or any form of a volunteer from the audience will be on your website or facebook page. Once they visit then the word of mouth comes in when people ask where did you get that picture? or who is the magician in that photo? I hope this helps you get more jobs and gigs. All of these methods have worked for me extremely well. Also try finding local newspapers where you can place a free ad in. Not all towns have them but in my town that has gotten me a few jobs. You can list yourself on craigslist but be careful and make sure that the gig you got from there is real! If you are a young magician then be very cautious and make sure that your parents are either with you or know where you are going to be and what time you are going to be there. Thank you and i hope you enjoyed this post!

Technology in magic

One thing that i notice when walking around is that more and more people are getting iphones and ipod touches. There are some great magic apps out there and i am going to tell you about some of my favorites. #1 ipredict+ this app is so amazing! the method behind it is so ingenious it even fools me sometimes. What is most amazing about this app is any card is named or chosen, the spectator actually uses their phones to either call or text a "psychic", finally the psychic replies with the name of their card. All of this happens on their phone! it is incredible. #2 ellusionist's invisible deck This app is literally an invisible deck on your phone! All of the magic happens in the spectators hand and with their movements! #3 Card Stab this app is a pretty interesting way of revealing a selected card. The spectator's card is "stabbed" by a knife on the phone. Not the best app but can still blow minds when performed right. #4 isensor this app is ok but i personally do not like it. The spectator chooses a symbol and then it appear on the phone. I hope this made you aware of some cool magic apps for you iphone or ipod touch (not sure if these apps are available on android)

Tip 9 the simplest yet most amazing

As a magician one thing that I have learned is that some of the simplest beginner tricks I own are also some of the most amazing. Now this is not always true but in some cases it is very evident which is better. The main way to fix this problem is to think about the effect created by the trick instead of the time and effort that you put into the trick. Think from a spectators point of view and give them a trick that they will NEVER forget.

Tip 8 Expect the unexpected

In magic shows you never know what is going to happen until you are performing the show. The audience may react in a different way than you had hoped or a trick might not go as planned but no matter what happens the show must go on but here are some tips on getting over those hurdles. First of all a lot of times when you mess up on a trick the audience does not even realize that you messed up so my advice is to end the trick right then it may be a terrible place to end the trick but i would rather an audience remember me as the magician that randomly ended a trick over a magician that messed up. One thing that you really can never control is the audience. They may find your jokes hilarious or stupid. They might think your tricks are great or ok. No matter what remember that they came to see you. Thats it. Just you performing magic. Your job is to give them what they came for. If they do not think your jokes are that funny than forget about them and focus more on the magic and give them something good to remember about your show that overides the bad memories of your show. You will never have a perfect show but you can always entertain the audience. That is your job so in the end if they leave happy then know that your show was a job well done.

tip 7 preparation for shows

I have a show tomorrow so i thought that i would share a little bit of how i prepare for a show. The preparation consists of three basic steps. Number one is planning, number two is organizing, and number three is practicing/rehersing. So for step one, planning, i typically start by thinking about the crowd i will be performing for and then the kinds of tricks that i have that will suit that audience. I then catagorize them into openers middle and closers. I then narrow it down to one opener, one closer, and around 12-14 middle tricks depending on the length of the tricks and the length of the show. Once all of that is settled i move on to step number two. For step number two it is rather a simple yet everchanging method. I typically start off by thinking of how i should start my show. With the trick in my hand or produce the trick or just introduce it from a case or something of that sort. I then figure out where i am going to place my magic while i am on the stage. i place 3-4 tricks in my close up case that i talked about in a recent post on this site. Any that fit into my pockets i place in there and the rest i place on tables behind me. My setup for a show normally consists of my close up case on one table me doing magic on one table and my magic on a long table behind me. Finally step number three practicing. This is a very important part of preparation for a show. I will sometimes spend three months planning for one show and two of those months i am practicing. I practice by getting my tricks out and just going at them. Once i feel comfortable with all of my tricks i call in some family members (the most honest critics) and perform my show for them. If they say to change something then i think about what they said and see if they were right. Performing the show for my family helps me to make sure everything goes smothely when i get up on stage and only have one shot at nailing all of my tricks. You will also feel much more confident going into a show if you have performed that same show several times before the actual performance. These steps are the best way for me to prepare but you might find a better way for you to prepare. Preparation can take up to months or just a few days depending on when you are notified of the show. I have gotten a call less than 24 hours before a childs birthday party and yet i put my mind to it and it was one of if not the best show i have ever performed. No matter what remember that the show will never go completely as planned but that is part of the job. Magicians are trained through performances to think on their feet and be quick to resolve problems so just be patient and the skills will come in time.

Tip 6 misdirection

If you are a magician than you have most likely heard the rule the big motion covers the small motion. The term for this is misdirection. Misdirection help you make sure that at all times you have control over where your audience does and does not look at all times. Misdirection is most useful when dealing with children but will also work with most adults. Next time you need to hide a motion try thinking of a bigger motion that will not only cover the smaller motion but will also look very natural. This is very important because you do not want your audience to look at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Tip 5 being resourceful

Some of the most useful things I have found for my shows have actually been in the dollar store. Not the tricks but things to compliment the tricks. Like for example I have found great loading balls for my cups and balls tricks there. The first thing i do when I get an idea for some kind of trick or something for my show is I look around the house. You would be amazed at some of the things that are just lying around your house. So next time you have a great idea for a trick remember I check your house and then dollar store before buying the ones actually made for magic.

Tip 4 close up case

The best way to carry around close up magic is in a close up case. Most actual close up cases can run for up to $150. If you go to harborfreight.com and search aluminum case it is cheap and can carry a lot of magic. I have had mine for a little over a year now and it is still in perfect condition.

Tip #3 Buying new tricks

When you are doing magic you will notice several things change. The one i am going to talk about today is tricks. When new tricks come out they might look amazing but think about it this way. Why buy a trick that does not suit the way you perform. The best thing to do before you buy a trick is think about yourself actually performing the trick. If it is easy to picture than the trick is probably fine for you to purchase. If you picture your self on the street performing the trick when you typically perform on stage or vise versa than the trick is probably going to end up being a waste of money. Another thing is don't buy too many tricks. This is more of a problem with beginners than more professionals but it is still worth talking about. It is better to have three or four good tricks mastered than to have fifteen great tricks barely known. If you have a few tricks mastered than when you go to perform these tricks you know exactly what to say and do. If you perform a trick you barely know than your trick will not be as good as it could be. You are more likely to mess up if you do a bunch of tricks that you barely know. You do not want to be remembered as the magician that messed up. Once you master a few then you can go back to step one and get some new tricks and master those. Repeat this process and before you know it you will have a killer arsenal of tricks at your disposal and be comfortable to perform any of them at any given time.

Tip #2 Trick Deck Labeling

Hey guys! Here is another quick tip for you. If you constantly get those trick decks mixed up with your regular decks one thing you might want to try is labeling them on the seal of the deck in the white space. You could also label the bottom of the deck but that is much more visible to the spectator.

Tip one confidence

When you are preparing for a show the best way to make sure you don't get nervous is practice. Practice everything; your patter, the trick, your movements, etc... That way when you go to perform everything will be second nature to you.

About

Hey guys! I will be updating this website every once in a while when I have a cool tip for you on some topic of magic!