SECRETS is my first ever magic notes journal.
When Magic discovered me over 20 years ago, I started to journal all of my creative ides for close-up magic and card tricks, but I didn’t write too much, in stead, I sketched all of my ideas in detailed drawings over 50 pages that would document my discovery of magic.
In 2021, I moved out of my home studio into the Mad House, whilst gutting my old studio, I ripped all of the drawers out of an old filing cabinet, and hiding under the bottom drawer, a familiar black book lay looking up at me.
Although somewhat beaten up, stained and damaged by a recent flood, the book appeared to have dried well, and the contents of each page in good, protected condition. I sat back and prepared for a nostalgic visit, back to the time when magic had found me over 20 years ago. I embraced every page, with excitement, humiliation, laughter, inspiration and motivation.
Now, as a teacher of Magic and the Deceptive Arts, the greatest discovery within my rediscovery of this book, is the amount of hidden gems, life lessons and forgotten magic tricks and deceptions, protected for over 20 years between the beaten covers of my first ever magic journal, that I now get to share with you.
I have spent the past year studying my own work, I have taken the time to offer explanations for each drawing. This book brought back so many performance anecdotes and memories and this new opportunity allowed me to recall them all to share with you, so that you can come with me into the past and experience my own personal discovery of magic.
The 50-page journal has now become an almost 300-page book, offering over 280 Close-up Deceptions, Magic and Card Trick, Sleight-of-Hand Techniques and Ideas, Gimmicks, Gaffs and Trick Decks, Street and Stage performances. The book is full of creative ideas and stories from my performances and I am now delighted to invite you back in time to experience my discovery of Magic.
I am Daniel Madison
These are my Secrets…