How to become a magician

If you're looking for "magic secrets" then this isn't the guide for you. Learning the secrets of magic is not what this guide is about. This is for anyone that really wants to perform magic.

But at the end of this guide I'll add a video of me performing. Hopefully that'll make this guide entertaining enough. :)

This guide is for anyone that truly has a desire to entertain people with magic either as a hobby or a profession. Anyone can learn "how it's done". But actually performing it is entirely different.

The first thing you need to do is PURCHASE some magic products or information. In other words pick up some magic tricks that come with instructions. There's a reason I stressed the word purchase above

Here's the deal. A magician will help anyone that is genuinely interested in becoming a magician. But we have to separate people with genuine interest from people who are just secret seekers.

If you approach a magician expressing interest in learning magic. They'll be much more likely to take you seriously if you said "I got this magic product or book". Then ask for help with it.

Or if you happen to know how to do some magic. No matter how basic. If you show it to the magician they'll know you've put some practice into it and that'll also display true interest.

It would be very rare for a magician to not help you learn this way. That's why I suggest picking up a magic book first. Because it'll contain many trick and routines for one price.

This is a book I highly recommend. Ask any magician, even famous ones, and they'll all tell you they still learn from this book. Don't let the word "Amateur" fool you. Pros still use this book.

So you've got a magic book. Maybe you've purchased a few magic routines and props. You've practiced and practiced. Learning the sleight of hand and how props work. You've mastered a half dozen of them

You're still only just beginning. It's a great and necessary start. But the sleights and secrets are a very, very small part of magic. Magic can not exist without spectators. You must perform them.

There's a misconception on how magic works. The term "hand is quicker than the eye" really has little to do with magic. It's not about speed. It's about natural movement more than anything.

When you use the methods. Be it sleight of hand or some specially gimmicked prop. The goal of a magician is to disguise unnatural actions as natural actions.

You can only learn these kinds of skills by performing for people. You can only learn what to say, how to act, what makes people laugh or feel astonished by practice with real people.

So perform as much as you can. You will mess up from time to time. You will get "caught" from time to time. But that's part of the process of learning to perform.

But what kind of magic should you do? There are so many different kinds. There's card magic, coin magic, kids magic, mentalism and large scale stage shows among many others.

The truth is you probably won't know what style you like best till you try them. But the most important thing is to learn the basics. The basics are what will give you the tools.

When a trick or routine goes wrong. It's the basics that'll give you the most options to get out of the situation so your spectators won't even know something went wrong.

Basically in the beginning. Learn any magic that tickles your fancy. Learn them, master them and perform them. Eventually you'll obtain better understanding of material that's right for you.

When you're practicing. Both at home and in front of people. Keep this very important advice in mind. The secret is not the magic. The moment something happens is the magic.

In other words if you're using a method to make an object disappear. The "secret" move or method is not what you should emphasize. Emphasize the moment they discover its now vanished.

Up to that moment. All your sleights and methods shouldn't seem like anything unusual has happened yet. Only the moment the spectator witnesses something magical should seem like magic.

Find other magicians and magic groups. See if there's an SAM (Society of American Magicians) or IBM (International Brotherhood of Magicians) club in your area. They meet once a month.

Or join an online magic forum. There are a number of them. If you're lucky you might find a magic shop in your area. But they're rare since the Internet.

There's a saying in magic that goes something like this: "Just about everyone at one time as a kid wanted to be a magician. Those who never grow up become professionals".

For me personally. Magic may very well have saved my life. When I lost my hearing I became very depressed. Magic got me in front of people and craved their acceptance. Not a bad goal to have.

Once you start to advance. Keep this in mind. It's better to do a small number of tricks and routines very well than it is to do hundreds of them poorly. You'll discover which ones are right for you.

Also remember that when things go wrong. It can seem bad at first. Even a bit depressing. But shake it off. Figure out why it messed up and what you can do to prevent it from happening again.

Practice hard. It'll require lots of practice. But you should always enjoy it. Your aim is to get reactions from others by entertaining them. Make that your goal as you practice.

So if you're truly interested in magic. I hope this guide is helpful to you. Feel free to contact me with any questions (other than "how's it done" questions. :)