How Old is Too Old
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- Hello, and thank you for watching.
Today’s topic: How Old is Too Old
Sncpapa asked:
Thanks for the opportunity to ask a question. I started studying and practicing magic about eight months ago, in August 2023. Based on your videos, I seem to be on the right track.
• I am studying from books like Tarbell and Mark Wilson.
• I am almost through volume 1 of Card College.
• I am video recording my practice sessions and dress rehearsals.
• I recently joined an IBM Ring and I have performed there twice and will continue to perform there once a month.
However, I am 59 years old.
Is it too late to become good enough to perform magic professionally?
What are some realistic goals for someone starting out later in life, like me?
I would like to perform close-up and parlor magic for money but not rely on it as a sole source of income. Is it reasonable for me to think I could do that in a few years? Five years?
Rodney Dangerfield
46 before he got his first big break-on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Duncan Hines
At age 55, he wrote his first food and hotel guides.
At age 73, he licensed the right to use his name to the company that developed Duncan Hines cake mixes
Harland Sanders
Sanders was “a failure who got fired from a dozen jobs before starting his restaurant, and then failed at that when he went out of business and found himself broke at the age of 65,” according to one account. He sold the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in 1952.
Samuel Jackson
Jackson was 46 years old before he starred alongside John Travolta in Pulp Fiction.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Published writer at 65 years old
Laura Ingalls Wilder began writing the Little House series of children’s books at 65 years old.
I hope you enjoy what you see here.
If you do, please subscribe, and please comment.
I’d love to hear from you.
Much love,
David Dellman
daviddellman.com/
You can also find me on Facebook here:
/ davidjanisd
David - What a wonderful surprise! Not only did you answer my questions but you have inspired me. For me, the standout words of wisdom were, “The question isn’t ‘am I too old;’ the question is ‘do I love what I do and, when I share it, do other people love it too.’” I am going to be applying those words to much more than magic. As to magic, I will seek out some sources of performing, such as assisted living/retirement facilities, as you suggest. As you likely know from my comments, I am a big fan of your videos. It’s very generous of you to share your knowledge. You obviously spent time organizing your presentation to answer my question. Thank you very much! Scott Cameron
I am glad you asked. It's a great question, and if you look at the number of views and comments, I think you will see many others are interested in the same subject. Thank you for asking.
Sage advice David.
Thank you!
I just came across this post. I also belong to the 'late bloomers.' I started learning slight of hand coin routines as a hand training exercise when I was 60. One thing led to another. I don't aspire to become a professional, but I can see that it works. I take my things, go to festivals, and perform classic street magic, collecting money for charity organizations.
As a young man, I did juggling and street music, so this is like going back to my roots. The result: You are never too old-you're only old if you don't follow your path just because you're afraid your too 'old.
Here in Germany, there are hardly any opportunities for 'restaurant' magic, but city festivals and other small public events usually allow you to perform street magic. These also give you the chance to regularly practice your routines, and you always interact with a very diverse audience. Well, and I also enjoy working spontaneously with children as an 'old grandpa.
@@hesspet what a wonderful story. Thank you so much for sharing it. It is very nice to meet you.
Love it! The writer of these questions is a good friend of mine. We started magic around the same time. I didn't think I'd be doing shows as quick as i did, but 2 months in, I had my first show. Great video!!
I think that is awesome! You go for it!
encouraging as always, great video
Thank you so much, Blaze, it's good to hear from you.
38 year old high school teacher in a similar situation. Started last Christmas, studying Tarbell and nearly finished with vol. 1 of Card College. Performing all day for students and have started performing for strangers in public spaces. Not paid for it yet but am putting together a larger stage routine that I'll charge for at some point in the near future. It's all practice, peformance, and enjoying each level with patience.
Please stay in touch and let me know how your are progressing
Age aint nothing but a number...i hit 60 in august..been doing it since 5 ...us elders are master magicians now...
Indeed so!
Other than maybe a professional athlete, I don't think you get too old for anything. As long as you're alive, keep going.
Amen!
I'm 62. You can teach an old dog new tricks. 😊
Oh yeah!
You are as young as you feel, and if you love what you do, age is just a number. 😊
Indeed so!
It is impossible to answer the question when someone is good enough to perform magic professionally with a time period because it depends on so many factors. There are routines which can be easily aquired while others may take years of practice and rehearsal to be able to perform them ( which not necessarily means that the audience will appreciate the harder ones more).
Moreover it makes a huge difference how much time a magician can devote to practice and how talented a person is in general because this will affect the progress made during a certain aount of time. Here the good news is that when it comes to pure skill in sleight of hand to perform a certain magical effect in many cases there are easier alternative ways / gimmicks which allow the performer to ge the same effect across to the audience even it was achieved by very little skill required. Also Richard Turner once said that not practice makes perfect but perfect practice makes perfect which means that you can speed up the learning process a lot if you make sure that you doing things the right way.
It also depends on what you mean when you say professionally. If you define that as magician as a profession / for a living this is a fundamental difference to the meaning of doing it on a professional level because there are hobbyists who do not make a living out of magic but can amaze crowds like no others and there are magicians who can be booked but who will fail to entertain properly even if they charge money for their shows. As David said try to share the joy that magic brings to your life with your audience and you are fine. An easy trick performed properly can be so much more rewarding for your audience compared to a hard one because often the audience does not even realize how hard a trick was because the moves should look effortlessly anyway.
So keep going and things will work out for you and when they do not remember that you not only perform for the audience but also for your personal joy.
best regards
Thank you Markus
Paul Daniels I think was 40+ before he got on tv , although he had been working the “ working men clubs” in U.K. very tough crowds.
Paul Daniels is one of my favorites. If I could be like any other magician, it would be Paul Daniels. He combines astonishment with laughter.
I remember you saying on your channel you liked him.
I’m from the U.K. and used to watch his show every week when I was younger and when I was older I watched the shows he first had on tv when I was to young to watch it and missed it. And now I have seen every show he did. I even went to see him live when I was 17/18 years of age.
@@andyw10 Fortunately, many of his shows are available on UA-cam. He seems to make gold out of every effect he decides to use. His take on the classic linking rings, cups and balls, and rabbit from hat are the best I have ever seen
Yes. That’s why he was never off uk tv for 20 years, 15 years of his magic show and then other shows and even while doing his magic shows he did game shows and all talk shows he was never off tv when I was young. A household name here in the U.K.