Toluu

The Clog - magic blog.

Inspired by the newsNovember 18

Are you inspired by things around you? I am … but only when I actually spend some time thinking about the things I see.

It’s a common misconception that inspiration for magic ideas will just jump into your head while you’re going about your daily business. For most people, this simply isn’t true. Instead, you need to think about and read into the things that inspire you. Here’s an idea that I’ve played around with in the past: use current affairs to inspire you. I’m not talking about creating topical effects, but by using headlines and ideas as inspiration for new effects.

As I’m writing this, I’ve randomly picked three headlines and buzzwords from recent news reports, newspapers and news websites. I have no preconceived ideas of what I’m going to write and will spend no more than ten minutes thinking about these ideas. Let’s go …

Credit crunch
You could borrow a credit card and make coins appear from inside it by snapping them off the card. You could patter about shops not accepting credit cards for small purchases, so you can make your own withdrawal from the card instead of going to the ATM. This could essentially be a similar effect to the coin in pen cap trick, but with some more logical props.

Recession
The word “r

Practice and playOctober 26

My recent post urged you to slow down a little when learning sleight of hand. When I made that post, I wondered whether I’d receive responses from move monkeys like myself who were concerned that they would get bored of learning just one move. And that’s exactly the response that several people emailed me.

But, there’s something I deliberately didn’t address: the difference between practice and play. I play with moves, tricks, concepts and ideas on a daily basis. However, along with those kind of play sessions I also sit down and practice. A practice session for me is when I sit down and focus on one thing in particular. I block out everything but the move or trick that I’m working on. This last week, for example, I’ve been practising the One Handed Top Palm with my other hand as I think it’ll be useful to learn it with both hands. I play with ideas for hours, but I’ve only been focusing on that one move in my practice sessions.

Just like practice, play is essential. As you get more experienced in magic it gets harder to do, but I urge you to try to play with ideas as often as possible. Playing with lots of moves, for example has its uses. As does playing with

Modern Uses for Classic ApparatusOctober 20

It’s time to pull that old apparatus out of your dresser drawer, Cloggers! I’ve spent the last month writing this post. Every hour that has past, every minute, every second has been dedicated to bringing you this sensational list of new uses for those old props. The truth is, folks, I just wrote this five minutes ago but don’t let that dampen your mindset. You don’t have to take my word for it. Listen to what these legends had to say:

If it weren’t for Rich Aviles’ Modern Uses for Classic Apparatus I wouldn’t be where I am today. Canada.—Jay Spankey

At first glance, I was puzzled. But after a few more glances and a wink, I was sold!—Daniel Garcia-Mendez-Aviles

Now I have so many new uses for my favorite apparatus! Thanks, Rich!—Jenna Jameson

Let’s get started:

Zombie Ball (and foulard)
The foulard makes a great blanket. However, the Zombie Ball is not a great pillow.

Vanishing Jet
Keep the jet. Don’t vanish it.

Paul Fox cups
Use for drinking.

Dancing Cane
Also known as Walking Cane.

Milk Pitcher
Water, Tea, Kool-aid Pitcher.

Folding Coin
Use as a real coin in a vending machine (I have accidentally tested this, and it works).

Real magic factsSeptember 30

I recently lied to you. I told you that there are no facts in magic. There are actually lots of facts in magic. For example, here are some proven facts for you:

I’ll be back with more facts soon!

Slow down a littleSeptember 25

A lot of serious card magicians that I talk to are in a rush to learn too much too soon. They want to learn every sleight possible: first the Classic Pass, then the Dribble Pass, then onto Charlie Miller Cascade Pass before continuing with a Second Deal and a Bottom Deal. All of this in a few months.

I have a different point of view though. I take a single sleight and I work on it for a good few months. This gives me time to explore lots of descriptions on the move and ask lots of magicians for feedback and criticism. Most importantly, it allows me to concentrate and focus my practice sessions better than if I’m trying to learn too much at once.

Then, when I’m ready (normally when I’m getting proficient with the move), I start to fully research tricks that utilise the move and start playing around with my own ideas too. I think of this as the Royal Road to Card Magic approach; learn a move and then learn some applications.

If you’ve got a lifetime in magic ahead of you, I think this will be the best long term approach for learning magic effectively. Slow down, focus, experiment and enjoy. The end result will be an arsenal of effective, perfected moves as opposed to a large repertoire of poorly practiced and ill-used moves.

What will your chosen move for the next