The Magic Industry Changed. Did You?

1. What were you doing for work back in 2019?
I was AGM of a movie theater.
2. What was your big goal with magic at that time?
I wanted to me a magic reviewer and preformer.
3. What do you do for work now?
Im a meatcutter for a restaurant.
4. What’s your goal with magic these days?
Still the same if i could become a youtube magician or tiktok magician or a reviewer.
5. What’s standing in your way right now?
Money and time. My mother has cancer and i have a wife that i need to provide for because we do not have money so i work till i cant stand then i sleep to wake up to go back to work.
6. How could Ellusionist help you get there?
Give me a job for 60,000 a year where you ship me magic products and i can go out and preforme them and give 100% honest unbiased reviews.

(1) In 2019, I was finishing up law school and starting my first position as an Associate Attorney in a workers comp law firm. I was performing magic on the side to help pay the bills—probably 3-8 gigs per month. I was targeting schools, libraries, and company holiday parties.
(2) In 2019, I still had a hope of pursuing magic as a full-time career, but it was starting to feel more distant—especially having just begun a law career and becoming a new father. I never wanted to be as famous as David Copperfield or David Blaine, but I get so much joy performing magic that I wanted to try to at least perform locally for a steady income—especially for children and family audiences.
(3) I am currently a prosecutor working at the County/State level. I very much appreciate my current regular paycheck, insurance for medical, vision, and dental, and having evenings and weekends free for family events and personal projects. To justify leaving this to get back into magic full time, I would need to be sure of a comparable income and good insurance to support my growing family.
(4) My current goal is to develop a mentalism act. I still get calls to do shows about once per month, and my normal act is pretty sleight/skill heavy and my props fill the back of my car. With how infrequently I perform, I can’t justify keeping my knuckle busting skills polished or hauling so much equipment around. So, my thoughts are that a mentalism act will be easier to keep at a professional level without constant rehearsal and won’t require so much heavy lifting for the few gigs I still take.
(5) Having enough time and energy to learn all new material and put it together into an entertaining show.
(6) I think most serious magicians recognize a need for a coach or director to collaborate with to write, build, and fine-tune a new show. But since most magicians are solo (and even part-time) performers without a theater background, it can be difficult to make those professional connections without breaking the bank. I think it would be awesome if there was (a) a directory of professionals who collaborate with magicians, (b) on-demand services at an affordable rate, where you can simply pay to have a video recording of your act scrutinized by a small team for feedback, or else © collaborative events tailored to help magicians meet music/theater/lighting professionals and make those connections themselves.

1. What were you doing for work back in 2019?
R: I was working as animation director in a design office. Pretty good job, amazing people, nice paycheck. But i was tired and bored after seven years in the same place.

2. What was your big goal with magic at that time?
R: I remember i’ve got the fix idea of becoming the Pot Smoker Magician among my friends.

3. What do you do for work now?
R: I’m a ful time magician, and i also produce some small gigs with a few fellows

4. What’s your goal with magic these days?
R: Have a bigger business wich allows me to grow artisticly

5. What’s standing in your way right now?
R: Daily life, budget, bills, the entire world. But i’m confident on my strives and eventual success.

6. How could Ellusionist help you get there?
R: Did i hear $100 Gift Card?

1. What were you doing for work back in 2019?
I’d just started a new job (computer programmer) in a new state.

2. What was your big goal with magic at that time?
To get back to performing on at least a semi-regular basis.

3. What do you do for work now?
Same job, computer programming, although moved up to a senior level.

4. What’s your goal with magic these days?
To create a complete mindreading show that and 2/4-wall. I don’t want to be hired to perform at a party or event, I want to sell tickets to my own (small) show.

5. What’s standing in your way right now?
Nothing. Well, other than myself. I think it’s easy to procrastinate on a big goal like that because as long as you don’t try, you can’t fail. Of course, you can’t succeed, either, so…

6. How could Ellusionist help you get there?
I appreciate everything you do, but at this point I’m not looking for “more tricks” (blasphemy, I know!), but ideas for theming a show, getting the most out of what I already have, taking a “little” trick and making it into a full routine that’s still engaging. Stuff like that — the non-trick stuff that will make me a better performer.

Well, in 2019 I was just a student. I would do magic as a hobby and would perform random tricks here and there for classmates and coworkers. Glass through sleeve, newspaper tear, and card tricks of course. My goal at the time wasn’t to be any big magician or what have you, it was mainly to just socialize better. I could already do that normally, I just felt that magic could help me ease into it better. Now I work in sales. I use magic for my customers and have very great reactions to it. My goals for magic now are to actually start putting my routines and skills to good use. I want to start building a magic presence here in my city. What’s standing in my way is mainly time and money. Other than that, I just really need to put myself out there more. I don’t really have a team or people that record for me, so that’s also what’s holding me back a bit. Ellusionst could help me, or has helped me, by being a constant hub of great ideas that I’ve definitely incorporated into my acts. I’ve been able to discover new magicians who have wonderful ideas and that’s been such a help for me in putting myself out there with more confidence than when I was in middle school, haha.