Magic originates back to the previous generations.
Whatever attracts you to mystery and voodoo, magic can be a great hobby to showcase your wizardry and impress your family and friends.
However, you might be wondering if magic is a costly hobby compared to others.
Hence, Is Magic an Expensive Hobby Worth Pursuing?
Magic is worth pursuing if you love creating illusions and impressing your friends. However, the cost of getting started in magic is not necessarily expensive. If you are looking to get into professional tours, it can be expensive. Otherwise, it is not expensive if you only want to get into casual magic as a hobby.
Purchasing some intro card packs or a Dual Deck to play around with your friends won’t drain your pockets.
You can also have magic fun with kitchen table play at little or no price.
You can have a lot of fun with some $50 decks or even lesser. Select your tricks wisely and ensure the ones you perform do not break your bank.
You can be an incredible magician without having to spend massive amounts of money on gimmicks and props.
Even if the magic tricks you are engaging in are expensive, if you use the magic to entertain an audience, it is possible to make some money sufficient to purchase new magic things.
For instance, if you perform magic in a restaurant, you can earn enough money to get a new deck or book.
Generally, magic is not expensive as a hobby and can be freely enjoyed on a budget.
Six Ways To Learn Magic
If you are new to magic, there are several ways of learning magic. These include;
1. Study Magic Books
Books provide the best ways of learning easy and new tricks.
Some of the magic books for beginners include;
- Magic Tricks with Coins, Cards, and Everyday Objects
- Magic Tricks Made Easy
- Magic: The Complete Course
You can learn several easy magic tricks for kids and beginners with simple household items.
Once you learn several tricks, you can start to perform with your audience.
Choose to perform to friendly and appreciative people that give you proper feedback.
Also, work on your presentation when performing, as it’s the secret to fascinate your audience.
2. Read Reviews
Before purchasing your magic tricks, you should ensure you get valuable opinions from videos and books.
Generally, books are the most valuable as they offer many tricks and techniques for the price.
On the other hand, videos are more expensive than books and offer fewer tricks, but office visual demonstrations.
As a learner, you will find it easier to learn through watching videos than by reading books.
After watching videos, remember to read the reviews on what other people are commenting about the magic tricks.
Remember to learn to perform a couple of tricks well.
Remember that performing one-trick convincingly is better than doing ten tricks unconvincingly.
3. Visit A Magic Store
When pursuing magic as a hobby, it is common to go to the magic store and purchase a variety of effects to learn.
Some of these magic effects might not be ideal for your specific skill level.
Additionally, purchasing magic tricks can really add up to become expensive. To avoid this, find tricks recommended for beginners that are reasonably priced.
For instance, you can impress your friends with cheap magic tricks such as Magnetic Pencil, DIY Magic Box, or Spoon Bend.
4. Connect With Other Magicians
Linking with other magicians is a remarkable way of freely showing your new effects to others without worrying about exposing your secret to the general secret of failure.
Other magicians can offer you valuable feedback and even educate you on other better methods.
There are various great magic organizations and local clubs to connect and work with other magicians.
Such organizations include The Society of American Magicians and Australian Society of Magicians.
You should also check with the magic shops in your area for locally hosted clubs.
Most of the magic shops have a gathering place for chatting with other magicians.
It is rare to find local magic stores, so if you have one, ensure to support them by buying supplies and tricks.
5. Build Up A Basic, Unique Technique
If you are serious about learning magic, you will want to develop the basic techniques.
Even though you are performing the same magic trick, you should consider adding a personal touch that will differentiate your performance from other magicians.
You can consider taking some magic lessons as a foundation of your magic technique.
One easy magic card trick you can consider learning is ‘sleight of hand’ that involves techniques like shuffles, cuts, controls, flourishes, and forces.
6. Practice Regularly
Whether you are learning a few easy magic tricks as a hobby or want to become a pro magician with complex stunts, practice is very fundamental.
At any level, doing tricks will be awkward at first but will get easier over time.
Practice your tricks until you have everything done.
Over time, the step-by-step instructions will become seamless movements.
Keep in mind that each failure is an opportunity to learn, so relax, practice, and have fun with the tricky process.
The Five Benefits of Pursuing Magic as A Hobby
Some of the reasons why it is worth pursuing magic as a hobby include;
1. Boosts Your Self Confidence
As a magician, you will often perform to an audience. Your confidence will grow tremendously with each trick you perform to your family members and friends.
2. Improve Your Communication Skills
Performing magic also helps you develop your communication and presentation skills that serve you well in all areas of your life.
3. Magic Is A Universal Language
This means that anyone can enjoy magic regardless of where you are coming from.
If you meet someone who does not speak the same language as you, showing a magic trick helps you connect instantly with you without saying a word.
4. It Enhances Critical Thinking
The more magic tricks you perform, the more you will think outside the box as well as the audience as they try to untangle the mystery.
5. Gives You A Happy Feeling
For most individuals worldwide that practice magic, it often ends with a smile.
Regardless of the form of magic you are interested in and the level of your talent, there is a pure form of magic that will bring you happiness, validation, and joy.
If you perform a type of magic that garners a huge following, you will end the day happier than ever.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, how expensive magic is will depend on what you intend with your magic.
A mere deck of cards and a sharpie can do wonders in the right hands as a beginner.
Therefore, choose the magic tricks wisely and stick to your budget.
Remember that magic is a performance, and you should never be nervous.
Even if you make a mistake when performing your magic stunts, keep control by faking confidence regardless of what happens.
References
Is magic becoming a very expensive hobby? – MTG SALVATION
Is Magic the Gathering a good hobby? – cnet.com