When I heard about us doing this assignment, I couldn’t help myself but to go to magic right away! I spent some time thinking about some other options that might seem more practical, but card magic is something that I have always shown interest in. I have never been amazing with card tricks, but I have learned a few over the years, but I can confidently say I don’t even remember a thing, which is pretty crucial to something like magic. I believe one of my first moments that I became interested in magic was through the show America’s Got Talent. This talent show was something I would watch with my family each week and it was always my favourite when magicians came on. My favourite part in magic had to do with cards because it was something I always had at my house and always was easy to follow. Usually after watching an episode and seeing a magician is when my interest would be at the highest level and I would spend the next day or two trying to learn a trick. Unfortunately, I never stuck with it and by the time we were watching another the following week I had already forgot what I spent hours learning.
I would love to say my base level is more than introductory but since I have never been consistent, I cannot remember a full trick and each step. As much as I want to call myself a magician already, I unfortunately cannot just quite yet. It makes me more excited knowing I am going into this pretty much with a blank slate as it leaves endless possibilities. Even though I will be focusing on card magic there are so many different variations and skills that can be adapted into your work.
For me I learn best seeing something done and then going step by step which a lot of magicians do when explaining their tricks. I plan on using platforms like YouTube, Tik Tok, and plan on finding some apps maybe on the app store to help along the way. I also already follow a few magicians on Instagram like Shin Lim and Jon Dorenbos where I will look for things like tips and pointers to help with card magic.
Ironically, my Tik Tok algorithm has been filled with magic which also influenced my decision on choosing this for my learning project. Before even learning about this assignment, I already had a few how-to videos saved to my profile which I will go back and actual use rather than them just sitting there.
One thing I love is how card magic can be incorporated into so many different things. Spoiler alert but lots of card magic can actually just be numbers and tricks that you cannot screw up if you follow certain patterns or count a certain way which can be directly translated into school with mathematics. This can help to make something like math more enjoyable for students and allow students to connect different ways in school. Mathematics was always a favourite class of mine and I have always loved working with numbers which I think is one reason why I have always been so interested in card magic.
I believe there will be lots of things I learn about to help me work on this skill, but I think I have a strong foundation with the platforms I will work with to start and the things I will learn about to help with learning card magic. A prediction for myself is Tik Tok will be a big help for me as it is already something very present in my life. I want to make sure I am using a variety of tools to help at the same time and not only rely on Tik Tok. I plan to learn a new trick every week while remembering each trick going forward, giving me a full arsenal of cool card tricks to share by the end!
Hello Dylan, it is great to see your enthusiasm for learning magic tricks! From watching magicians on America’s Got Talent to now focusing on card magic, you’re diving into a crazy and fascinating world. Using platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram for guidance is a great use of technology throughout this learning journey. I’m excited to see what tricks you will pull out of your sleeve. Enjoy the journey of discovering the magic world.
Hey! Magic is such an interesting and fun choice! I agree that a lot of card tricks could just be broken down into numbers and patterns. However, I still find it fascinating how people can just memorize the pattern to a trick since there are so many! My friends and I used to do tricks for beginners and we would always have so much fun! I’m sure you will have a great and fun time, too, learning how do to magic tricks!
Hey Dylan! This sounds like such a fun project! It also sounds like you have a long-standing interest and great foundational knowledge for this project. I find it fascinating that card tricks come down to mathematics. I am excited to see how this learning journey goes for you! Goodluck!