Hi, I want to know more what's everyone do. Does everyone here perform magic to friend, anybody, paid audience or all of the above?I used to believe that magic is for everyone, but recently I found that after I lost my interest to perform to friend or stranger.I feel like I want to perform only for the people I want to impress or paid audience. I think friends are who know you a lot, I don't need to use magic to impress them,and most of the time they are the one who like to be a heckler, because they can watch for free and they don't know how to cherish it or appreciate it(sometimes), and sometimes I hate when they force you to perform to them or their friend, their girlfriend. I kinda agree with some magician comment about if you perform for everyone, why others should pay you to watch your show.It make me feel like perform only for the people I want to,or paid audience, these make me feel more satisfy. Tell me what you think. Thank you.

Hi, I want to know more what's everyone do. Does everyone here perform magic to friend, anybody, paid audience or all of the above?I

That varries from person to person here, just like every other forum.
We have seasoned pros, semi pros (like myself), and hobbyist as well.


You shouldnt use magic to impress anyone. You should do it for fun and to entertain them.
You dont perform magic to make yourself feel better than everyone else., if thats the only reason your started, no wonder you lost interest.

If you are having problems with Hecklers, its not because the performance is free, its because you have no audience control.

I perform for free at parties I go to with my friends, and I have shows that college frats can hire me for. But the "shows" are nothing alike, either. But I still leave a lasting impression, and I feel very satisfied at the end, knowning that I have entertained a crowd, brought smiles to these peoples faces, and "rocked their mind."

If performing for free doesnt satisfy you, then you have a problem. Magic isnt for you. Sounds like you are only in it for the money... plain and simple. But just dont want to say it so bluntly.

Well said David.

True story, no names to protect the stupid. Friend of mine about 25 yrs old was single and trying to meet women to date. So he gets the idea to use flash paper and a hand ignitier, sit at the bar and fire off the flash to get their attention. Worker very well the first night. Second weekend he is in this nice pick up place, fires off the flash paper, next thing he knows he's face down on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back. The off duty cop didn't know what it was but it looked like a bomb. He uses his personality now instead of trying to impress with magic.

Sorry to say that when he told e what he was going to do, I thought it was a neat idea. Thank whatever god you believe in I was too old and too married to try it myself.

I still think it is a great idea.

I wouldn't let one little set-back prevent me from using this method if it was effective.

Yeah, or not. Considering most public places (bars being an exception) don't allow smoking even, I highly doubt they'll like pyrotechnics. At the very least, you'll get a "Don't do that crap in my bar", at most, paddy gave a good example.

-JT

With that attitude, Edison would never have invented the light bulb.

How is this even a good comparison at all? Avoiding doing something that could possibly be considered illegal or threatening? Is that what Edison wasn't doing when he invented the lightbulb?

Bucky, you have to realize that ElConquistador is only running on half the wattage of a dim bulb. He doesn't' make sense.In fact a lot of his posts get deleted.

Did I ever say don't play with flash paper in your private laboratory? *Checks post*

Nope, I didnt.

-JT

my original post said [paraprhase] don't be a quiter just because of one disappointment [/paraprhase].

You responded. I could either take your answer as a direct response to what I had said, thus the comment about Edison never would have invented the light bulb if he were also a quiter. Or your response had nothing whatsoever to do with my answer.


Furthermore, why should someone not do something just because someone else says it can't or shouldn't be done. Has anyone here heard the story about the founding of Federal Express?
http://www.snopes.com/business/origins/fedex.asp

@Paddy
Why the personal attacks?

You said you still thought that using flash paper in bars to pick up girls was a good idea, and that one set-back like getting tackled by a cop wouldn't prevent you from doing it.

I listed reasons why this was ill-advised.

The difference is doing something that is ILLEGAL or against someone's rules in THEIR BUSINESS. This is completely different than Edison inventing the lightbulb or FedEx being founded.

And if you actually read that page, the amount of "adversity" experienced by Frederick Smith is debatable, and he said he got the grade most likely because the paper was poorly thought out, not because the core idea was bad.

-JT

I PM'ed you before about why. A LOT of your posts are sarcastic attacks on others and I have deleted them as soon as you post them. When your posts contribute something to the conversations the deletions and remarks will desist.

Simple answer; follow the rules and be polite! As Hillel said "if it's hurtful to you don't do it to others."

(Tries to get things back on topic) You could call me an ambitious hobbyist. I started out performing at my High School. Because of the location I had a rather large audience to deal with and honestly the majority of them weren't "friends", but most weren't enemies either. I show plenty of magic tricks for family, friends, coworkers, and I've never gone into it trying to "impress" anyone. I do it just to entertain. I don't think my friends tend to be more hecklers than anyone else, you just need to know what to look for and how to . . . manipulate your audience. If your goal is to make money showing your effects, I wouldn't stop showing your heckler friends. I'd consider that good practice of crowd management. I learn it all the time when I make mistakes. If you go into it thinking of it as a learning experience then I see nothing wrong with it.

I am SO going to try to meet girls at a bar with a flash paper. I am just going to make sure that those around me who witness it realize I am a magician and properly build up suspense before suprising them.