Creating magic illusions is an increadibly satisfying aspect of magic that many magicians overlook. It leaves you with a unique trick that the audience will hopefully remember you by. However, there are many reasons why most magicians use off-the-shelf tricks. This article will explain some of the reasons for and against making illusions, and give some guidance.

Uniqueness Creating a illusion will guarantee that nobody can say "I've seen that before". Creating stage illusions is the most satisfying as it will look unique, feel unique and perform uniquely, however, they take the most work as they are typically physically large. Creating card effects (or similar) can be done anywhere with nothing but imagination.

Branding If you are creating a stage illusion, you can easily incorporate your branding, whether that's the colours from your website and flyers, or simply your stage name, photo or contact details designed on it, it will be positive advertising - especially if you allow photos in your performances. This can be applied in a similar way to close-up effects - why not print your own logo onto the gimmick.

Suitability In the unlikely event that you can't find any off-the-shelf tricks that'll be the perfect climax to your routine, then you will often find that with a little thought, you can create the perfect illusion.

Risks Creating illusions is not easy, especially if it means constructing gimmicks. It is essential to check, check and check again that everything works smoothly as expected. A guillotine with a special mechanism that may rust unnoticed over time could even be lethal. Think of the worse possible scenario while designing the illusion to ensure that nothing dangerous, in this case, can happen. Typically the worst that can happen is you make a fool out of yourself, but with stage illusions, you can trap unwilling guests in your contraptions or even just give them a splinter! Either way you could find yourself at the wrong end of a legal case with nobody to blame but yourself.

Is it really unique? Before you start creating the illusion, make sure you are really the inventor of it, especially if you are hoping to sell it in the future. Depending on how much you value your time, it may be cheaper to buy an illusion that will be guaranteed to work (hopefully) without errors. When starting to think of an illusion, there are several factors you must consider, including -

Stage, street, close-up or for children - what situation will you be in when performing

Short, medium or long effect - how long will it take to perform

Comedy, silent or story-based - will it fit into your routine

Target audience demographic - nothing scary or rude for the young/old

Transportation - can you transport the illusion - does it need a van or a pocket?

To conclude, inventing magic is a satisfying way to expand your routine, but beware of the pitfalls that you may fall into. Sometimes using ready-made effects will do the job perfectly in a tried and tested manner!