What da reason for this?

[Albert]

I don't know if I can say I'm a natural, but I do believe I am a fast learner. I think playing the piano in the past really helped me with dexterity, since I've been playing it since I was around 7 to 16 or 17 (forgot when my piano tutor quit being a private tutor ).

There are obviously moves I just cannot learn fast enough. A lot of the times, I practice a move and it seems workable and so I practice it. But then, it just doesn't improve no matter how much I practice fast enough, so I create a new method of achieving the same effect, maybe changing up the finger positioning as an example. In other words, I like shortcuts, but as long as those shortcuts are just as good or better than the original.

I do also think very seriously on how people "would" view what I do and try to put myself in the spectator' shoes'. That's why practice is so essential, in which it seems like Kieran's friend is missing tremendously.

Whenever someone asks me to teach me a trick, I usually say no. If they pester me about it enough, I'll ask why. Most of the time, they say something like "so I can show it to my friends" or "so I can get (or impress) girls" or whatnot; just all for the wrong reasons to be a good magician in my opinion. Those reasons are valid, just not very good reasons, good enough to take you further.

So point is that practice is important, thinking about your spectator's views are important, and possibly even your motive behind magic. If your motive is weak, so will your foundation and your desire to actually spend countless hours to improve yourself.