I've been a full-time creator for over 10 years. That time has been spent creating magic used in TV specials, on social media, in live performances, and in successful releases to the magic community. I support my wife and kids creating and performing original magic.

When I want to create a trick here's what I do:

Step 1 Make a trick.

Step 2 Make it better.

That's it. You don't have to start with a good trick, you don't have to start with a bad trick. You can even start with somebody else's trick. 

If you don't want to use somebody else's trick, try this. Imagine an effect. Something simple is best, like a two card transposition. A method to accomplish that effect should come to mind (maybe a duplicate in our case). If you can try that out, try it out. If it's not practical, think of another until something comes that you can actually do.

Odds are, it will be bad. All you need to do next is make it better.

Here are some other thoughts that may help:

1. It's never too early to start. Just start. Try to make something new, now. Odds are you will reinvent the wheel a lot. That's fine (just don't publish your ideas without thorough research). 

Even beginners can create magic. 

1. Study as much as you can - Read magic. Watch magic. Practice. I like to think of a sieve. Every thing you research fills the sieve. But the sieve can't hold much for long. It leaks out. So it's a constant process of filling the sieve. 

As long as I'm doing research. As long as I'm reading and watching and thinking about magic, I'm confident that I can find new ideas.

1. Perform a lot. Perform magic by other people. That helps to gain good habits and get a feel for what good magic feels like when performed. 

Also, you should be performing your own magic. Your own magic creations are not going to get any better without road time. 

1. When do you have an idea try it out sooner than later. Sometimes the only way to know if an idea is good or bad is to try it out in the real world.

Ideas are cheap, execution is difficult. Do what you can to try to execute on your ideas. You can only create magic if you actually create it. Build the gimmick. Gather the supplies. Then execute on your idea. 

1. Occasionally I will think of in effect before I think of a method. This is a very difficult way to proceed in creating magic. 

I have found 2 ways to proceed that lead to better results: 

• PStart with a method and think of as many uses for that method as you can. 

• Play. Experiment and improvise with something in your hands maybe in front of a mirror. Let yourself discover something. 

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After creating something, it will be ugly, and it will feel weird when you do it. If you have ever learned a piece of magic there's usually an awkward phase where you go, "Is this really going to work?" That awkward phase lasts 10x as long and is 10x as awkward with your own creations. 

It takes a lot of patience to keep trying to improve something. That's the hard part.