Old Business Currently my Instagram account has reached the milestone of 225 followers; just 775 shy of the goal for this calendar year; 1,000 followers. Let's get there together, with each new day coming with a new post with each having a saying that I keep in mind every day that keeps me going. Whether, it's inspiring, motivating, or just something to remember in less than ideal situations, they're all words that we could all stand to keep in mind. In addition, my photography skills are going to consistently advance throughout the project, and by the end, we'll all have learned something. On YouTube, I've hit the milestone of 212 subscribers; 16 more than the start of the year. But, there is still a long ways to go if 1,000 subscribers by the end of this calendar year is going to be a reality. That being said, if you have any interest in playing cards, magic, cardistry, or anything in this field, subscribe! Make my day, and help me reach my dream for the year! With this website, every week, updates are being made, new pages are being added, and with it more information. As this process continues, this site, my YouTube channel, the courses being filmed, and every other aspect will, when combined, make the best free foundation for anything and everything playing cards, even better. Looking Further Ahead January was a good start. February is planned to be even better. Let's get to 230 subscribers in February, 300 followers on Instagram, and continue crushing it in 2017! As there usually is, there is much more in the works for all of my sites. However, for now, the playing card section of this website is my first priority. Updating that section to include as many deck reviews as possible is my primary goal for this month. Rest assured that by the beginning of March, every deck that I own worth checking out will have a webpage review under the "Playing Cards" section. This includes the Rarebit Copper deck, the Ghost Deck, the Artifice Deck, the Artisans Deck, and various others.
On YouTube, here is what the rough next two weeks look like as far as upload schedules are concerned. February 3, 2017 - The Nouveau Bourgogne Deck Review (deck courtesy of Bona Fide Playing Cards) February 10, 2017 - The Ribbon Spread and Flip Tutorial (basic and advanced versions shown) Aside from that, my school work, college, and some non-profit work still continues on, so my plate is full. Let's make February epic!
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Personal Life Update I know that personal details might not be appealing to you, so I'll give you a short and sweet briefing. To begin, my school work has kicked back into high gear. Now this means that frequent future updates will be somewhat difficult to consistently provide. However, I made a resolution this year to consistently update the website weekly, upload to YouTube at least once every two weeks, post to Instagram every day, and continue working on honing my cardistry, magic, and photography skills. This is a huge resolution, and as crazy as it sounds to you, I don't plan to break it. Bear this in mind, because there are many huge projects in the works! Goals for the Year For starts, this year I have multiple goals that can all be reached, and they're all within reach if you help me. On December 31, 2017, here are the places I wish to have gone; On YouTube, I hope to reach 1,000 subscribers. On Instagram, I hope to reach 1,000 followers. Both accounts are linked above, and I'll be personally grateful if you follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel; let's make these dreams real! Old Business If you haven't noticed already, there is a button on the top right corner of the website. If you click on this button a window will open that will allow you to claim your free eBook dedicated to every technical aspect of a deck of playing cards. All you need to do is provide your email address and first name (none of this information will ever be shared with any third party, and all of it will remain private), and you'll receive the email to claim the eBook. If you don't see the email, check your spam folder. On the other hand, my #365project on Instagram is 35 days strong, and I plan to follow through to 365 days straight with no days missed on postings. Every day, I'll be posting a creative image of a deck of cards, and a little life advice. Whether the advice is inspirational, motivational, or something that I feel that you should think about, it can benefit you, and it will should you apply the concept. On my YouTube channel, I would just like to thank you all for making hitting 204 subscribers by today possible (let's get to 1,000 by December 31). In regards to my future upload schedule, here you go. January 20, 2017: Symbolism in Playing Cards January 27, 2017: Theory 11 Union Deck Review February 3, 2017: The Pathway to Cardistry Course Teaser This schedule is subject to change if anything unexpected arises, but for now, this is what the end of January looks like. In the Works Currently, I'm working to expand the Intro to Cardistry course to include many new tutorials, new material, and I'm looking into a better launch site for the course. The difference now is that the course has been renamed to a more fitting "The Pathway to Cardistry". I'll have more details on this soon. Also, there is much more in the works on photography tutorials, camera reviews, and content creation advice videos. To be brief though, keep an eye on my Instagram account and my YouTube as the teasers to the projects closest to launch will be appearing very soon!
Old Business Put simply, the old business was updates made on this website, and my YouTube channel. For the most part, the look feel, and artwork on my YouTube channel was completely redone. I believe the look is far more professional, and just all around it feels better by comparison. Also, for you international readers/viewers, the correct transcripts will be available on all the new videos plus the old ones soon enough. I'm working on adding closed captioning to all of the videos, and these can then be translated. On this website, slight changes have been made to the navigation, along with all the fonts being changed. In addition, the images have been updated, in-depth deck reviews have been added, and much much more is coming. As of now, I have loads of ideas on what to do next, and the future of this site is discussed below. The Future.... Next Friday, look out for a new Top 10 Decks of Cards video on my YouTube channel. Now, for the things that are not yet set in stone. As promised, "A Guide to Purchasing a Deck of Cards" is being written as you're reading this, and will most likely be released for free around Christmas as my gift to you during this holiday season. In addition, I am already preparing to update the Intro to Cardistry Course with much more material, make the content easier for you to access for less. Also, there will most likely be a five plus video long series produced that will be available to you about the riffle shuffle, its many forms, and possible applications of the move. Finally, I plan on filming many more deck reviews, and posting the in-depth reviews here, so stay tuned!
On a different note, if you'd like to have a look into what goes on behind the scenes, and possibly get sneak peaks of upcoming content, follow my Instagram (@steven_the_wizard). Speaking of Instagram, on December 23 the #365project will begin, which is something you do not want to miss! Until next time, remember to check out the webpages for new updates (they change weekly), and welcome back to a place where you get better with cards today! In addition to my ebook on proper card care launching (I recommend you check that out on the homepage), my YouTube channel, and this website either already have or are about to undergo some pretty heavy changes. I figured that since I've been plugging away at creating content online for one year now, that it's high time for me to revamp the look and feel of my sites. That being said, stay tuned on my various platforms over the next few weeks, as lots of things are going to be happening. As of now, you might have already noticed that my YouTube channel is wearing some new artwork, but that's simply just a start. Looking ahead, the holiday season is upon us. So, stay tuned for a giveaway of a few copies of my ebook! Now onto the details of upcoming revamps. Also in the list of upcoming projects one might expect to see and when, here is the tentative schedule. Also, if there is anything not on the list (online courses, new tutorials, etc.) don't worry, more is coming. The reason it's not here, is mainly because even I don't know exactly where those journeys will take me. November 25, 2016: The U.S. Presidents Deck Review will go live on my channel. November 26, 2016: YouTube Channel and Website improvments will go live. December 2, 2016: 5 Myths of Proper Card Care goes live on YouTube December 9, 2016: My Top 10 Decks of Cards (as of 2016) goes live on YouTube December 25, 2016: The Project 365 will begin on my Instagram. The YouTube Channel: For the past year, YouTube has been for me, an effective way for me to share my content and knowledge of playing card related things with you. Now, this is all about to be taken to the next level! To start, over the next few weeks, some old content will be taken down, but it will eventually be re-uploaded in a higher quality video. Next, the recording setup is about to change, along with the structure of my videos. Aside from this, you'll be receiving many more tips and advice videos because while other YouTubers provide the how-to's, I don't see many videos providing a way to take the methods, concepts, or ideas to the next level. That being said, I hope to fill a void in the online learning experience of cardistry and magic, and provide more valuable content. In regards to where I will be teaching you how to get started in cardistry and magic, that has yet to be determined, but I am currently looking into the possibilities of collecting the content into an online course. Some of the tutorials will still be found on YouTube, but the bulk will most likely be accessible from this website, thus allowing me to better organize and collect my content. This Website: Next weekend, expect to see a new and improved version of this website being launched. The accessibility, feel, and just every aspect is about to undergo a total reboot. The end result is planned to be, and will be, much better than the current setup. Also, some new features will be added and a few new areas as well. However, these may take far longer, so look forward experiencing the entire new setup everywhere by Christmas time.
In any case, stay tuned! The future releases and changes are all things you will not want to miss! Recently, I know that updates and new content for you has been scarce to none. While the reasoning here is that school work has me tied down, there is a new release set to drop very soon. Keep an eye out for announcement videos and posts to be found across my various social media and on YouTube. This new release is going to be an eBook on Proper Playing Card Care - From Start to Finish. Within, you'll learn tips regarding every aspect of card care from the tuck case to using your cards, to storing and transporting them, and even three different ways to remove a click from a deck of cards. That being said, if you want to see the three page sample, check it out below. Be aware that the excerpts that you'll see on my various social media will only be parts of the book. The book itself will have to be purchased (links for that soon) for $0.99. This pricetag could potentially increase after the first few weeks after the product release. That being said, if you have any interest, purchase the eBook as soon as you can! Also, the holidays are approaching, so if you are unable to purchase the eBook, keep an eye out for a giveaway post in which multiple copies (2-5) will be given away. More to follow very soon. - Steven the Wizard
After some long hours in planning, editting, and work, I am proud to present to you, the very first of what hopefully will be many, courses. Today, I am proud to share with you a series of seven videos detailing some fundamental elements in cardistry. Not only are the tutorials taught at an angle that you would see the cards at when executing the moves, each has been given its fully earned detailed tutorial. You will be learning moves from swing cuts to swivel cuts to index fans to inverse fans to one-handed cuts. All the moves taught are essential to moving forward in your cardistry journey. Without these moves, you'll later encounter severe difficulties in your performance of card magic to learning other more complicated cardistry moves. For now the video series is easily accessible, but soon it will be organized into a course (the videos will be collected) that will be only fully view-able by people with a Curious account. I encourage all of you to join me on the new platform, and look forward to hearing your responses to what courses to do next, and what you think of this release.
Without further ado, I proudly present An Introduction to Cardistry (bit.ly/2ecEMLb)! Stay tuned for future developments! |
AuthorSteven the Wizard; AKA the Wizard of MAR is a teenage amateur magician and cardist fueled by a passion of giving back the knowledge he has gained through his journey into both fields. Archives
January 2017
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