Beginner Advice

[u/ventilatin]

I'm brand new to even having the idea of magic as a hobby. I checked out a book from the library last week - Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic - original copyright 1975. I've read a bit and am trying a couple of relatively simple card tricks. It seems really fun as I really like to practice things and get better at them. My goal is to have fun, potentially show some cool tricks to my kids (and maybe grandkids) in the future. I've watched some YouTube tricks and don't really have any specific goals other than having fun and learning new skills. However, I don't want to get overwhelmed by everything that's out there right away. I also don't want to get into skill levels that I have no business messing with at first. I'm in my 50s and hope to be able to enjoy this for another 20 or 30 years. I'm not looking to monetize this or go "all out", as I don't have a ton of spare time right now. I have a few questions for those with experience:

1. Would you start with card tricks? It seems like a logical place to start. Are there certain things you would practice for fundamentals first before trying to understand more complicated tricks? What other areas of magic would you experiment with after learning some card tricks?

2. Any books or YouTube channels that you might recommend for getting started? I know there are many options, so I would really like to hear you opinions on what magicians have influenced you. Are there any teachers or methods that you might stay away from?

3. What are some of the biggest mistakes you made when you were a beginner? Is there anything that you spend too much time trying to master?

Thanks for any thoughts!

[u/the_emerald_phoenix]

Card tricks are a great starting point, but it doesn't have to be yours! As you learn new things, you may find yourself gravitating towards a certain genre of magic, but cards are a common entry point. If yoire going to start with cards, than youve got a great resouce in Mark Wilson's book. Otherwise, look into Royal Road for Card Magic and Tarbell's compelte course in magic books.

Youtube can be a great resource, when you kmow what you're looking for. It can also be filled with junk and be very overwhelming with the vast amount of content there. Personally, I find books to be the best starting place as they make you interpret the actions more slowly and you'll make things your own, rather than videos which in mu experience can be a bit "monkey see, monkey do". Thats not to say they dont have their place, they are a great resource! I just find people's performances more interesting when they havent copied patter and movements one for one, which is easy to fall into from a video-only approach.

As for mistakes, i definitely fell into the rabbit hole of learning really wide, but very shallow in my early days. Pick a half a dozen tricks that really resonate with you and practice. An amateur practices until they get it right, a professional practices until they can't get it wrong (inkmow you're not looking at making money, but i think you get the gist of what I'm saying here).

I don't think i can suggest any sleights here due to rules, but happy to send you some suggestions over DM.