Tag: magic trick

Play Around…

The other day I was hanging out with a magician friend, we were working on something not magic trick related. At some point we always end up goofing around with magic. and that’s when the good ideas come out. Unfortunately this day it was just goofing around. One of the things we were playing with … Continue reading “Play Around…”

The other day I was hanging out with a magician friend, we were working on something not magic trick related. At some point we always end up goofing around with magic. and that’s when the good ideas come out. Unfortunately this day it was just goofing around.


One of the things we were playing with was a bottle cap. Here’s one of the things that we did:

It’s not a great trick, or even that original, however it’s a good example of part of the creative process. It’s just playing with an item and seeing what comes up.

Making Magic

One thing I like to do when I’m learning to new things is to do them whenever I can for projects that I won’t necessarily use, but someone will. Right now I’m learning more about making silicone molds and casting things in resin. My current project is making some coins that will be clear. This … Continue reading “Making Magic”

One thing I like to do when I’m learning to new things is to do them whenever I can for projects that I won’t necessarily use, but someone will. Right now I’m learning more about making silicone molds and casting things in resin.


My current project is making some coins that will be clear. This will be for the a trick similar to the Silver Extraction Coin trick.

Above is the mold for the coins. After making the mold, I think there are a few changes I would make to it. We’ll see if these turn out.

Economy of Motion…

Recently I added the Silk in Light Bulb trick to my show. Essentially a silk that has disappeared reappears inside a light bulb. To do this or similar “in light bulb” type of tricks I’ve always used glass light bulbs. I hollowed out real glass light bulbs and used those. These look great and work … Continue reading “Economy of Motion…”

Recently I added the Silk in Light Bulb trick to my show. Essentially a silk that has disappeared reappears inside a light bulb. To do this or similar “in light bulb” type of tricks I’ve always used glass light bulbs. I hollowed out real glass light bulbs and used those. These look great and work great, but travelling with them is a pain as they are fragile.


About a week ago I was talking to another magician and he mentioned he started using plastic light bulbs. These have the metal base that unscrews giving you access to the inside. I ordered some and they showed up a couple days later. They look great, and I’m glad I ordered them, it’s going to make travelling much easier.


One problem with this style light bulb is how long it takes to unscrew it. There’s too much threading on the base:

silk in lightbulb magic trick

I took my Dremel and sanded off some of the threading:

Now it unscrews in less than one twist. That speeds up the moment from when the audience realizes it’s the silk in the light bulb to when you are displaying it.


Look at your show and figure out where there’s wasted procedural motion. Once you find that, try to figure out ways to eliminate it. That will tighten up your show.

Is It Good Enough…

When is good enough good enough and when do small details matter? I was thinking about the mis-made bill trick and how the serial numbers don’t match. It’s a small thing, but it’s one that someone who want to try to bust you can catch on to, and they do. For 99% of the times … Continue reading “Is It Good Enough…”

When is good enough good enough and when do small details matter? I was thinking about the mis-made bill trick and how the serial numbers don’t match. It’s a small thing, but it’s one that someone who want to try to bust you can catch on to, and they do.


For 99% of the times you do the trick, no one examines the bill, but that 1% it can lead to an awkward moment. It’s an easy fix, but one that takes time. For someone like me, that gives away the bill at the end, the time to make the serial numbers match adds up to a lot of time!


When do you take the extra step and add little things like that? I’d say for bigger gigs, or ones where you want to make sure you leave an impression. For example having a set of bills set up for someone that you want to book you. Whether or not they closely examine them doesn’t matter, you have the insurance if they do.



Easy Magic Content Generator…

Today is Valentines Day and an easy day to generate social media content for. Think of a trick using a paper heart, a flower, or a valentine and you’ve got good content for you social sites. You aren’t limited to Valentines Day, you can do this for any of the wacky national holidays. You can … Continue reading “Easy Magic Content Generator…”

Today is Valentines Day and an easy day to generate social media content for. Think of a trick using a paper heart, a flower, or a valentine and you’ve got good content for you social sites. You aren’t limited to Valentines Day, you can do this for any of the wacky national holidays. You can find a list at: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/


In the past I’ve done tricks for things like National Light Bulb Day. If you simply visit the list once a month and look for days the next month you’ll have plenty of chances for an idea for a trick. I just took a peek at March and here’s some ideas:

  • National Pig Day: Get 4 small toy pigs and do a Coins Across
  • National Cheese Doodle Day: Broken and restored cheese doodle
  • National Cold Cuts Day: Card to sandwich
  • National Oreo Day: Do Bizarro’s Over Stuft trick

Those are just a few ides, and I didn’t go deep into the month. Take a peek and start generating ideas!

App Free…

In the past I’ve written about my dislike for magic apps, and my fascination with them. I think they are interesting, but the main problem is that the majority of them either rely on an internet connection or using your phone. In my opinion there’s no way around having to use the internet for apps … Continue reading “App Free…”

In the past I’ve written about my dislike for magic apps, and my fascination with them. I think they are interesting, but the main problem is that the majority of them either rely on an internet connection or using your phone. In my opinion there’s no way around having to use the internet for apps that work that way, and that makes them not as reliable as I’d like. As for using your phone, well, you just need to justify it.


I just started playing with an idea that uses my phone to take a picture for a prediction. The idea of using a picture that you are taking in the moment makes more sense that a random pic in your gallery that’s been there for months.


Here’s what the rough idea looks like:

This is a trick that I don’t think really has a place in a formal show, but as an informal trick, I think it’s great. The nice thing about it is they can pick any of the items and they can pick up the phone to reveal the prediction. It’s pretty hands off once you take the pictures.

Broom Balance…

On social media yesterday a hoax about balancing a broom upright went around. Well the hoax was that “because planets were aligned” you could do it, besides the fact that you can do it anytime, you just need to try. If you keep your eye out for trends like this, they are a good way … Continue reading “Broom Balance…”

On social media yesterday a hoax about balancing a broom upright went around. Well the hoax was that “because planets were aligned” you could do it, besides the fact that you can do it anytime, you just need to try. If you keep your eye out for trends like this, they are a good way to pitch yourself to get on the local news or have a picture get shared a lot.


Here’s what I did:

Unfortunately, I was busy most of the day and unable to hustle this picture early in the day. I think that a video of someone doing the trick Balance or Stasis if presented properly would would go viral, or at least get someone some media attention.


Keep an eye out for things that are blowing up on social media and think about what you can do with that premise. Sure it’s probably something that you won’t be doing outside of that particular instance, but it’s a good for creativity and if something goes viral, then it’s good for you!

Not “Organic”, Organic Props…

When creating magic tricks, there are a few reasons why. Sometimes you’ll have a need to create something, other times an idea will just pop into your head. Then sometimes you will have something, or a lot of something and are trying to figure out a use for it. Somehow I ended up with a … Continue reading “Not “Organic”, Organic Props…”

When creating magic tricks, there are a few reasons why. Sometimes you’ll have a need to create something, other times an idea will just pop into your head. Then sometimes you will have something, or a lot of something and are trying to figure out a use for it. Somehow I ended up with a lot of chapstick and am trying to figure out what to do with it.


I have some issues with using chapstick, the main one is while it’s an “organic” item, it’s as out of place in a magic show as a toothbrush is. Sure you can justify it by needing it, but I can’t think of a ever seeing a performer use chapstick during their show. It’d be like a performer brushing their teeth in the middle of a show. That leaves it to informal situations and the drawback to that is that whatever you are doing needs to be fairly simple is set up.


I have an interesting idea, but it will probably end up as something in a magazine, simply because no one will do it. Essentially it’s a transposition with a signed coin and the lip balm inside the tube. It’s really too much work for an informal situation, and too out of place for a formal situation.

Fight For What You Need…

The way I get a lot of work is by doing showcases. These are things where a lot of acts perform 15ish mins and buyers watch them to decided whether or not to book them. Here’s how today’s showcase wanted to run our music: They wouldn’t let us plug into the board. I had to … Continue reading “Fight For What You Need…”

The way I get a lot of work is by doing showcases. These are things where a lot of acts perform 15ish mins and buyers watch them to decided whether or not to book them. Here’s how today’s showcase wanted to run our music:

They wouldn’t let us plug into the board. I had to argue for about an hour with people all up the chain of command to get them to allow us to plug in. The organization thought holding a microphone up to your phone was a viable way to run sound for a show. Doing it that way is your Plan B, not your “professional set up” that’s provided initially.


Finally I convinced them that that was an unacceptable set up. We pay a lot of money to perform in front of these buyers, and the least they could provide us with was to be able to plug into the board. I finally got all of the showcase acts to tell the organization about why the sound won’t work. What changed their mind is when we all joined together to tell them why that set up was unprofessional.


I think I burnt a few bridges with people to get the sound right, but it was the right thing to do. If anyone insists that running sound that way is professional, I’m OK burning the bridge as I never want to work for them.

Connections…

Connecting with an audience is something that is important to do. It’s one of the things that can take some time, and to really do it you need to open yourself up. Sure you can get by on the strength of the trick alone and have that carry the show, but that’s not how I … Continue reading “Connections…”

Connecting with an audience is something that is important to do. It’s one of the things that can take some time, and to really do it you need to open yourself up. Sure you can get by on the strength of the trick alone and have that carry the show, but that’s not how I want to present my art.


I’ve always hated called what I do “art”, as I feel it sounds pretentious. However the more I’m out seeing other people perform, the more I’m realizing what I do is art. I still dislike calling it that, but I think what I do is finally becoming art.


Ideally in my show people learn a little bit about me and my journey. I want them to know how I got to be standing in front of them. It helps them decide why they should care about what I’m doing. Am I just a dude doing tricks, or am a person that’s had an amazing journey to share these tricks with them?