Ask Justin Miller

[EddWithers]

I'm very pleased to finally be able to say that its time to Ask Justin Miller! Justin has been a member of The Magic Woods for a while now, and its great to be starting this Q and A.

Also- Justin was recently nominated in 2 categories at the TMW Awards - http://www.themagicawards.com - and there is still time to vote, until the 30th April.

Here is Justin's Bio from his website-


With the release of 11 DVD’s, and two Sold Out Lecture Tours in the last two years, Justin Miller has quickly become one of most respected names in magic today. His latest release, Silver Dream, has become possibly one of the top selling DVDs of the year:

"The Best Three Coin Vanish Out There"

- Dean Dill-



"Silver Dream is Unbelievable"

-Jamie Schoolcraft-



-silence-

-Paul Gertner-



Justin began magic at the age of five, his first performance was sold out at age thirteen with tickets made out of cardboard for the local neighborhood. One of Justins passions among many as a child was reading magic books, he locked himself in his room reading greats such as Hugard and Braue’s Royal road to Card Magic, and J B Bobos Modern Coin Magic. Such books inspired Justin to use class, and originality when it came to close-up magic, and perhaps inspired Justin to write his internationally best selling e-book, locked in a room without cards.

At age 19 Justin was asked to work for Award Winning, Master Magician Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo and became one of his lead demonstrators, here Justin sharpened his skills of performance and perfection when it came to magic. Justin invents and creates his own magic from knuckle busting to simplicity in method. He has also been a consultant to some of the biggest names in magic. Andrew Gerard, a consultant for Criss Angels MindFreak, says this about Justin: "Justin uses presentation, skill, theatrics and a touch of class to bring about the most magical moment possible for any audience. This guy is smooth, really smooth"

Justin has also written many lecture notes and has been featured in numerous reviews and publications in top leading magazines such as Genii and Antinomy. His peers call him one of the most thorough teachers of magic there is. On top of all this he has a beautiful wife and two children who he loves very much.

You can see him performing in his latest DVD release with such greats as Paul Green, Dan Fleshman, Kirk Charles, Garrett Thomas, Kozmo, and Dan Tong in the DVD, Live! at the Jail House. This DVD was inspired by the culmination of all nine performers expertise over a span of 80 years as the house magicians in local restaurants. This was where Justin honed his skill and deservedly earned the name of Close Up Artist.

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Welcome to TMW Justin!

[Justin Miller]

Thank you Edd and TMW forum.
It is a treat to be here. I am an open book so please ask anything you want. Hopefully we will learn from each other.
Justin N. Miller

Oh, and I will giving away some of my products to members here while we spend some time together.

[Mesmer]

Hi Mr. Miller,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to be here! I had a couple of questions:

1. I know that you are a professing Christian, and that you recently took a brief hiatus from magic because you felt it was interfering with your walk with the Lord. In light of that, I was wondering if you could explain how being a Christian has influenced your magic?

2. Could you briefly explain your thought process when it comes to creating your own effects? Do you tend to start with existing effects, and then tweak them to make them your own, or do you take a different route altogether? Do you start with a handful of sleights and say, "How can I fit these together into a routine?" Or do you start with an idea for an effect or routine that you would like to accomplish, and then determine which sleights you need to accomplish it? I hope that is clear enough... =)

Thanks again for your time; it is very much appreciated!

Garrett

[MitchellStafiej]

Hey Justin, how are you?

When creating magic, what kind of environment do you try to stay in?

Have you ever performed for certain famous people? If so, who was your favourite to perform to?

What would you say to an aspiring magic creator like myself? Anything in particular?

I know your son recently had medical problems, how does this affect your magic and why?

Thanks for stopping by!

Mitchell

[Justin Miller]

1. I know that you are a professing Christian, and that you recently took a brief hiatus from magic because you felt it was interfering with your walk with the Lord. In light of that, I was wondering if you could explain how being a Christian has influenced your magic?

Great question!
As a Christian I hold deeply to the fact that what Christ has done is the real miracle..what I do is just tricks, but if I can get people to change their mind about what they are seeing in front of them then I have planted a seed. In other words what we see,taste,hear,touch,and smell, is not ALL there is..There is another world that goes unnoticed to the masses so my job is to take the Gift God has given me to break through their small little world and show them that there is so much more. Magic does just that, it causes people to "think" in a way they did not before they saw me perform. Hopefully that will stay with them when the BIG decisions in life come up.

2. Could you briefly explain your thought process when it comes to creating your own effects? Do you tend to start with existing effects, and then tweak them to make them your own, or do you take a different route altogether? Do you start with a handful of sleights and say, "How can I fit these together into a routine?" Or do you start with an idea for an effect or routine that you would like to accomplish, and then determine which sleights you need to accomplish it? I hope that is clear enough... =)

For me creating is the best part about what I do. To be able to create something that has not been in existance up to that time of creation is mindblowing to me. Now how I create is not the same everytime. take for example two of my effects TRIUNE and Silver Dream. Slver Dream came from a desire to see the cleanest three coin vanish ever. I had the concept in mind but not the sleights I wanted to accomplish the routine. That is why I waited 12 yrs to put it out because I was always honeing and redefining it over,and over again. Now TRIUNE came out of a desire to SEE an invisible palm aces with coins. For this one I had to have very strict guidelines in place BEFORE I started, unlike SD where it was a play with it till I have it. ONLY 3 coins were to be seen throughout the entire routine, each vanish and appearance HAD to be more impossible than the last, and all the coins NEED to be examined BEFORE and AFTER if they so desire. Then I started to work on sleights and construction from there.

Thanks again for your time; it is very much appreciated!

Anytime!

[Justin Miller]

Hey Justin, how are you?
Very good thank you for asking.


When creating magic, what kind of environment do you try to stay in?

When I get in the create mode (and nowadays its like every other day..thank God) I have to be by myself, clean table props on hand and soft music in the background.

Have you ever performed for certain famous people? If so, who was your favourite to perform to?

Yes, many times. My fav. was and is to this day Mr.T. He is a charachter and a half.


What would you say to an aspiring magic creator like myself? Anything in particular?

Do not, and hear me on this..DO NOT RUSH THE PROCCESS TO MAKE A BUCK! Do your research and find the foundation on which you are going to dig into. All I see now are people (and young guys mostly) saying "look at my NEW trick I JUST INVENTED..and then they proceed to
do ..cups and balls! Do not do that. Sit on it. I gaurantee you that if you go back to it after a month you find one of two things have happened.
1. either you lost intrest in it and it just does not have that same "zing" it had before or..
2. You will have found a way to make it better.. Ok class a re-cap.Do not rush, do your research, take your time, and routine well. Oh and perform it at leat 100 times before you make any claims about it.

I know your son recently had medical problems, how does this affect your magic and why?

What Christian went through not only affected my magic but my entire being. It was truly a "dark night of the soul for me (and my dear wife)" to quote St. John of the cross. When crisis like this comes into your life you find out what you are made of and what is most important in your life..magic is on the bottom compared to my family and their well-being. But I can now say that BECAUSE of what he went through God deposited something in me that was not there before. So I happy and sad at the same time.

Thanks for stopping by!
My pleasure.




Mitchell

[manic_b]

Hi Justin, thanks for doing this.

Which magicians would you say have had the biggest impact on the way you THINK about creating magic? For example, I've found Paul Harris a great inspiration in how one can use a ridiculous method for a simple effect, or a simple method for a ridiculous effect. Your magic seems to be from a different, perhaps more classical, probably more practical, school. Who would you consider its leaders?

[magic friend]

Justin,

It's great to have you on this Q&A, thank you Magic Woods!!
My question, there are a couple is this..
You said you are always creating and coming up with new ideas, where do you get these inspirations from, other magicians? Books, vidoe's?? How often are you working on them?
Also, I've watched you perform, you seem so natural, some people are born to be artist, some are born to be math maticians, have you always been this natural?? By the way, I really enjyou watching you perform, I think you are the best magic teacher out there...
Last question..
What is your next move in Magic, do you plan on lecturing on going or do you want to add more to your career?? How does one like yourself go about furthing your influence in the career??
Your Friend in Magic..

[domingue]

Justin,

It's been no secret that you took a short time away from the magic community because of personal reasons. I certainly have a lot of respect that confidentiality, and I won't pry into the reasons. I know it's difficult to make a decision like that and step away from your entire career in order to make everything else in your life work the way you want it.

Given that though, I'm curious about what brought you back. Often, big changes like that are decidedly final (which is why they're so hard to make), but you've come back despite whatever issues pulled you away. Without sharing anything too private (again - I'm not trying to pry), what made you come back to magic and how has your outlook on creating, lecturing, performing, and travelling changed since?

[Justin Miller]

Hi Justin, thanks for doing this.

Which magicians would you say have had the biggest impact on the way you THINK about creating magic? For example, I've found Paul Harris a great inspiration in how one can use a ridiculous method for a simple effect, or a simple method for a ridiculous effect. Your magic seems to be from a different, perhaps more classical, probably more practical, school. Who would you consider its leaders?

One thing an artist hopes to get across to his/her audience is the SOURCE by which they create. My sourse is God first and foremost. He is THE creator and has given us the ability to be mini creators with HIM. Anytime you prepare a meal, sing a song, write a poem, you are exhibiting the very image of God in this world. Now magic wise I was influenced by Vernon, Malini, Slydini, Goshman, and Bertram to name a few.

[Justin Miller]

Justin,

It's great to have you on this Q&A, thank you Magic Woods!!
My question, there are a couple is this..
You said you are always creating and coming up with new ideas, where do you get these inspirations from, other magicians? Books, vidoe's?? How often are you working on them?

Your very welcome.
It really depends on mood, enviroment and many other factors. Basically though I get inspired by what is NOT there so that I can put something there.

Also, I've watched you perform, you seem so natural, some people are born to be artist, some are born to be math maticians, have you always been this natural?? By the way, I really enjoy watching you perform, I think you are the best magic teacher out there...

That means a lot thank you. Yes I can honestly say I have. But that is not to say i did not go through many timely transformations in my magic to get here either.

Last question..
What is your next move in Magic, do you plan on lecturing on going or do you want to add more to your career?? How does one like yourself go about furthing your influence in the career??
Your Friend in Magic..

Great questions!
I love to lecture and have a chance to influence others as I myself have been. i have been asked about tv. and if I ever decide to do a tv show it will be all my own stuff and not someone elses.

[Justin Miller]

Justin,

It's been no secret that you took a short time away from the magic community because of personal reasons. I certainly have a lot of respect that confidentiality, and I won't pry into the reasons. I know it's difficult to make a decision like that and step away from your entire career in order to make everything else in your life work the way you want it.

If people have not gone through it they would have no idea.

Given that though, I'm curious about what brought you back. Often, big changes like that are decidedly final (which is why they're so hard to make), but you've come back despite whatever issues pulled you away. Without sharing anything too private (again - I'm not trying to pry), what made you come back to magic and how has your outlook on creating, lecturing, performing, and travelling changed since?

Man that is a great question.
Sometimes while you are driving you forget to look at the signs to where you are going. So after you have been driving a while and see no signs you start to second guess yourself and decide to stop and ask for directions only to find out that you are going in the right direction but you need to keep looking for signs to confirm your distance and such until you reach your final destination. And sometimes there are road blocks and detours that one must go around..it takes longer but it is there to help get you there.

My outlook has changed drastically. To say how would take an entire forum.


_________________

[Karisma]

Hello Mr. Miller! It's really nice to see you here!

I know that when I perform magic for my girlfriend I usually get a response that looks a lot like this smiley followed by a deep breath and the phrase, "only one." How does your wife respond when you ask to show her a trick? Does she have an interest in magic? (in any way whatsoever)

Your magic seems effortless and the motions and mannerisms coincide with exactly what you are doing. All too often I see magic that reads perfect on paper, a dream effect, but when performed by even the best of magicians it is jerky and suspicious. Your magic is nothing like the latter and because of that, you got a fan in me.

I remember Joshua Jay telling me a story where during a chinese coin on string routine, he messed up on a certian sleight sending the coin clear across the room. Have you ever had a situation similiar to this?

Also, something I've had a growing interest in...If you could only use three slieghts in coin magic and another three in card magic, which overall six would you choose?

Thanks for taking the time to answer all of these from me and the other members here at the woods!

Take it easy,

Frank Fogg

[Nass]

Jussy!! (By the way are us random people pretending to know you real well allowed to call you Jussy? )

I want to ask a very quick off the wall question, before I come back and ask some more:

Are there any tricks which you have created that you now cringe to think of?! Were there any that you used which were really hideous? The answer is probably going to be aa resounding 'no,' but perhaps in your teenage days you created something which you loved, but no you realise that it ain't so good?

As I say the creative process of a magician probably causes this to be 'no' since we would usually omit ideas which simply didn't work.

I just thought of another one if you don't mind:

Are there any plots wihch for years you wanted to create a decent trick out of, but just couldn't?! I@m obviously not asking you to give the plot up, but if the answer is yes, perhaps you could elaborate?

I'm asking because I remember around christmas I was trying to create a trick based around a card with a question mark on the back (and the question mark changed to their card, and they face turns blank kinda thing etc...but alas the handling was inefficient, but prhaps in the future it will ferment).

Thanks for your time!

[ace18]

Hi There Mr. Miller! Thank you for joining us, now onto the questions:

When working restauraunts/bars what effects to you tend to use as an opener? I read in "Huh?" that you tend to use Second Print alot.

What effect that you perform makes you feel most like a magician?

Do you consider yourself more of a cardman or a coin man?

Red or Blue Backs?

Thank you for taking time to answer these!