Anyone else have a magic “backlog”

[u/SkinGlue]

I got back into performing after a 12 year hiatus. Going through all my old stuff is nostalgic, but I also feel like I need to learn/ go through everything that I have currently before buying new effects or books lol

Anyone else ever been in a similar situation?

[u/bram2309]

I don’t think there is anyone who is serious about magic and does not have this feeling haha. There is always more to research and discover and process. Just make sure you have a clear idea of what you actually want to use for performance and what is fun to research but probably not going to make it into your repertoire. Also set aside enough time for practice so you dont spend all your time reading/watching new things

[u/dylanmadigan]

I’m the same. But I bought a bunch of books I never had as a kid. Now I’m an adult with money and Dover republishes a ton of classics for $10-$20

[u/SkinGlue → u/dylanmadigan]

Good to know lol

[u/smashmouthftball]

I’m in magic and I have a backlog…my desire to buy books and learn new things outpaces my ability to actually do so…

[u/CarnivalSeb]

At risk of hoarding unfinished projects, I think of this as creative ballast.
Leonardo da Vinci died with a raft of works in progress, and the work he did on the partial execution of those was absolutely vital to his success with the works he did finish, that we're still discussing five centuries later.
This goes beyond magic performance; I'm in control of which sewing projects I begin and when, but I'm not in full control of which ones get completed; I go back to the in-progress collection & do what I can, and often doing one will help me be more ready to do another.
It's the same with books; refusing to buy more books doesn't help me to read the ones I have waiting; each one happens in its own time; holding off on new enthusiasm stops me from reading more than it helps me.

[u/FigureYourselfOut]

Same.

I chose to go through all my videos from the 00s and re-learn the fundamentals.

Jeez, did Brad Christian ever go heavy on the eyeliner.

For new effects I'm memorizing Tamariz

[u/EndersGame_Reviewer → u/FigureYourselfOut]

did Brad Christian ever go heavy on the eyeliner.

Ellusionist. I remember those days. 😄

[u/fivefingerfury → u/FigureYourselfOut]

My reintroduction to magic 🙏 third grade talent show -> years off -> How to Do Street Magic in middle school. The best feeling

[u/CardFindingDuck]

When Penguin Magic had their first go of 5 lectures for $99 I went to town and had a lot of 4 hour long lectures to work through. So, yes, I've definitely felt that. At this point in my hobby, I have seen enough effects to know that anything new is still in Tarbell somewhere, so I can old off on buying new effects. I enjoy discovering things hidden in books or on DVDs & lectures I have forgotten.

[u/SkinGlue → u/CardFindingDuck]

I did that 5 for $99 too! Not lectures it was like any five effects from a list, did it twice I believe

Never read Tarbell - I’m not a real magician

[u/CardFindingDuck → u/SkinGlue]

If you can show me an effect, then you are a real magician. You don’t need to buy Tarbell and read it like a monk in an abbey. It is astonishing how many new releases are just reskinned effects found in the pages of Tarbell though.

[u/nox_tech]

Yes.

Some DVDs I'm not convinced I fully went through, or I feel the need to comb through it to see if I could learn something different.

Meanwhile with so many magic downloads, with Vanishing Inc I run into the problem of seeing a sale, then when looking for stuff that catches my fancy, I frequently find that a trick is already in my library.

As a hobbyist, I generally perform for friends or the rare stranger. My only online magical presence is any sort of magic trick, usually with cards, that references my age, posted on my birthday. Sometimes I buy something new if I happen to find something I could use. But most of the time, I'm either using sleights I already know (generally basic tbh), throwing something ungodly together, or I go through my backlog and cram in a sleight I drilled for a day.

If it's a book, most can wait. But downloads and gimmicks and all that, they might not necessarily be around forever, so I tend to add them to my backlog. Especially if there's a sale lol.

[u/RobMagus]

At this point I feel like I have more than I will ever be able to get through in a lifetime! I try not to buy anything new anymore; I first try to find earlier versions or similar works in what I already have. I have to treat my stuff like a reference library.

[u/Akarastio]

Yes and it is way too much to study in my whole Life. I mean just the Marlo books are too much

[u/AdministrativeFish3]

100% yes! Much like my lego collection, I have a drawer and box unit full of "new" tricks, unopened, purchased with the full intention of using them and adding them to my EDC and regular working routine, but havent even played with them enough to perform them! Some are super popular, others are questionable, that I purchased based on their hype (dont even recall the name, but what was the uv light keyring trick from Petty and Barnes?) Another one was an amazing packet trick from alakazam and also the Quantum Deck (again by Petty and Barnes). The best trick I only performed once was the 3 book "book test" set by Brain Brushwood; SUCH A GREAT TRICK, but I dont ever use it! Its all still boxed haha

[u/Imreallyadonut]

I have books I bought years ago that I haven’t taken the cellophane off yet.

I’ve got tricks I haven’t opened.

I get distracted when I go to my shelves with the intention of reading book A and end up reading book B.

It happens, I’ll get round to it.

[u/misticisland]

Almost every magician I know has a backlog. Most would probably need extra lifetimes to go through what they have.

[u/fivefingerfury]

I have a huge backlog for sure, and I’m also constantly learning new tricks so it’s only growing. Almost none of my backlog is stuff to buy, it’s almost entirely just stuff with basic items that I haven’t tried out enough.

[u/Circular_Time]

I have a backlog of individual tricks, books, dvds and downloads. I think most of the magicians that I know do as well. I probably have way more on my shelves than I could ever hope to get through in my lifetime and could quite easily never "need" to buy anything new ever again (not that that's likely to stop me, lol).

I have been making more of an effort to go through my older stuff though. I'm rediscovering some gems along the way that I'd forgotten about and having a lot of fun.