How to Become a Magician – Everything You Need to Know

You will learn how I went from a complete beginner to a professional magician who gets paid tons of money to perform magic tricks.

I did not get to where I am through social media, America’s Got Talent, or a lucky break. I started at the bottom and did it the old fashioned way, through hard work.

I put myself out there, tried my best, took chances, made mistakes, and learned as I went.

I wish I had this information on how to become a magician over 25 years ago when I started this journey.

How to Become a Magician

Learn Tricks

Learning magic tricks is the foundation that everything is built on. You should be working on new tricks constantly.

The most important part of being a magician is performing amazing magic tricks. Your magic has to speak for itself.

AMAZING MAGIC TRICKS:

• Blow minds
• Use ordinary objects (most of the time)
• Are practical to perform
• Fool everyone
• Have pretty good performance angles
• Work every time
• Are quick

FURTHER READING: Where Do Magicians Learn Their Tricks (A Complete Guide)

You need to know a lot of tricks, all types, not just card tricks. And you need to be comfortable & confident performing them.

Start with the basics. As a beginner you want to learn magic tricks that are easy to do so you can get experience performing. There is a ton of incredible, practical, and easy to do magic on this website. It is all free.

CHECK OUT: Magic Tricks for Beginners Amazing Enough for Professionals

It is important to be strict about the tricks you choose to learn. I have a process I follow when adding in a new trick.

CHECK OUT: How To Learn a Magic Trick – My Complete Process

Constantly Practice

When should you practice? All the time. You will improve if you practice, plain and simple.

Learning and practicing magic is like fitness. It takes commitment, diligence, dedication, hard work, and a lot of energy. Great results come over time, not immediately.

Practice makes progress.

Some tricks don’t require much practice and you can perform them almost immediately. Other tricks will take hours, weeks, or even longer. The better you get, the better your tricks will get.

Make sure you take each trick to performance level before learning a new one. Slowly you’ll develop a nice repertoire of magic tricks.

I believe that you can measure a magician based on how good he is with a deck of cards. Invest your time into practicing card magic, it will serve you well.

You should always have a deck on you, it is easy to carry. There is always time to practice. I can’t remember the last movie I watched without a deck of cards in hand.

No matter how long you work on a magic trick, if it isn’t getting good reactions or you don’t feel comfortable performing it, get rid of it. All failures are learning experiences and must be seen as motivation to work harder.

Be honest with yourself. If you perform a trick and it doesn’t go well, sit down after and think about why. What can you change? What can you do differently?

Should you get rid of the trick? When you start thinking this way, you are well on your way to becoming a great magician.

Practicing can be difficult. Step out of your comfort zone. Push yourself, work hard even if you don’t want to. This will help you grow. Be results driven and know that perseverance and hard work leads to mastery and success.

CHECK OUT: How to Do Close Up Magic Tricks – The Complete Guide

Performing

• Stand Up Straight
• Smile
• Be Positive
• Speak Slowly
• Speak Loudly
• Make Eye Contact
• Stand Still
• Don’t Tell Long Stories

I recommend always being polite. I say please and thank you constantly when I perform. I see so many magicians bossing around their spectators – “Give me your hand” or “Hold this card.”

I don’t like to be commanded and neither do your spectators. If you add in “please” and “thank you” I guarantee you will have more success.

When working on a trick, perform it everywhere, every chance you get. Do your tricks for friends, family, at school, at work, wherever. Perform your tricks for the girl at Starbucks, the guy at the bank, for anyone who will watch.

You need to get comfortable performing and the only way to do this is through experience.

When performing be happy, be positive, be energetic. Enthusiasm is contagious. I genuinely enjoy performing and it shows. Make sure you smile, stand up straight, and speak loudly.

Always carry mints and use them. Only carry tricks you feel comfortable performing, otherwise they are a waste of pocket space.

What if You Feel Nervous?

Feeling nervous is completely normal. Over time your nervousness will be replaced with confidence. Force yourself to perform, just do it! Challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone. If you mess up a trick, so what?

Be proud that you tried your best. Experience is the only way to get past your anxiety. You need to push yourself. Nothing good comes easy.

Over time you will get comfortable and confident performing for people. Believe in yourself, believe in your magic. Constantly work on your tricks and you will improve.

Promoting Yourself

Promoting yourself will only work if you have a great product. Your tricks have to be amazing and your performances have to be mind blowing.

It is important to have an impressive website and at least one social media account with performance videos. Prospective clients want to see some past performances.

Getting Gigs

You will book most of your events from people seeing you in action. Don’t waste time emailing, messaging, or cold calling. Get out there!

When you are growing your business it is a good idea to perform for free at certain prestigious events. Donating your time at a Fundraiser is a great way to get in front of prospective clients.

For years I performed in restaurants. This is a great way to gain experience and get work.

Go to the hottest restaurants and do some tricks for the staff. Try to meet the management, do some tricks for them. Suggest performing for their guests. This is how you get a restaurant gig.

Be creative and take chances. When you put yourself out there you never know what can happen.

One time I read about an upcoming black tie gala at the Boathouse in NYC. It was in a few days. I found out who the organizers were and went to their office. I showed them some tricks and got myself hired.

Always make sure you have some tricks on you. I never leave home without a deck of cards and a few other items. Be ready to perform at any given moment. Perform tricks everywhere you go, you never know who you will meet.

Seek out agents, party planners, and event coordinators. They put together events and usually hire magicians. You can also talk with florists, photographers, and anyone who might be able to recommend you.

Don’t just contact these people, make sure you do some tricks for them. They need to be blown away if you want them to hire and recommend you.

Word of mouth is the key. If people like you and your magic they will want to hire you. They will tell their friends about you and this will lead to bookings.

Promoting yourself is a snowball effect. Keep at it and slowly it will build. Once you get some momentum it gets easier and easier. The more you perform, the more you will be seen, and the more you will get hired.

How Much to Charge

When you are starting out don’t worry about the money, you need the experience. I used to charge restaurants $25 per hour. I found that most restaurants eventually don’t want to pay a magician.

I’d recommend finding somewhere with upscale clientele and performing there for free. Consider it your marketing cost.

When people ask what you charge have a number in mind. Start out charging $100 per event. As you get busier and gain experience increase your price. Make yourself valuable and desirable.

Professional magicians make anywhere from 30K per year to 500K per year. It depends on how good you are and how you promote yourself.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: What It Costs to Hire a Magician & How to Find the Right One

How To Dress As a Magician

You do not need an image or alternative style to be a magician. Let your magic speak for itself.

I like to blend in at an event and usually wear a suit, no tie. If it is a summer event I wear dress pants and a button down shirt. Here is what I recommend:

• Dress clean cut (jeans & sneakers are fine, as long as you are neat)
• Dress age appropriate
• Comb your hair
• Clean your nails and hands
• Carry breath mints and use them!
• DO NOT wear sunglasses (you need to make eye contact)

How To Become a Master Magician

There is no formal school or training required to be a magician. You must do it on your own. The skills you need are:

• Passion
• Desire
• Organization
• Discipline
• Diligence
• Dedication

Learning tricks, practicing, performing, and promoting yourself never ends. Becoming a master magician takes time. You should always be improving. Continuously work on your magic and grow as a performer.

In Malcolm Gladwell’s incredible book “The Tipping Point” he says it takes 10,000 hour of practice to achieve mastery and become an expert at anything. I believe this to be true.

Consider what this means. You will have to practice 10 hours a day for the next 3 years to hit 10,000 hours. Get to work! You must put in the 10,000 hours of practice if you want to become a master magician.

It is a marathon, not a race. Just consider – to be a doctor you have 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 4 years of residency, and then 2 years of fellowship. Why should becoming a master magician be any different?

ex·pert- somebody who has failed in every way possible

You must also work on yourself as a person and as a performer. I recommend listening to audiobooks so you can practice your sleights at the same time.

I highly recommend reading Dale Carnegie- How To Win Friends and Influence People. This book is exactly how you should treat others. Learn these principles and people will want you at their events.

I constantly go through my tricks and evaluate them. Be brutally honest with yourself. Focus on the tricks that work for you, weed out the ones that don’t.

Constantly think how you can improve and make your magic better. Improve your skillset and step up the level of tricks you perform. Differentiate yourself by doing tricks nobody else does. Don’t be scared of advanced sleight of hand.

Operating & Growing Your Business

You are running a business and need to keep yourself organized. I use an event info sheet when a client books me. Everything I need to ask about their event is on there.

Download Event Info Sheet

Using this sheet insures I get all the necessary information from someone without having to go back and forth.

I set up a custom database on my Mac using software called Daylite. It is a contact manager, calendar, and “to do” list. It makes it easy to keep track of clients and generate professional contracts & invoices.

I live by my calendar and recommend you do the same.

I usually get a 50% deposit upfront when someone books me, which is good for both parties. Your client can count on you and you can count on them.

I send a simple contract which states the date, time, and important information about the event. The client signs the contract and returns it with a deposit.

The most important thing is to do a great job. This is how you will grow your business. Make yourself easy to work with, arrive early, be polite, be positive, and amaze everyone.

I don’t have an assistant, a manager, or a booking agent. My clients like to speak with me directly about their events.

I charge per event, not per hour. This might not work for everyone, especially when starting out.

Conclusion

Becoming a magician takes dedication and hard work. The key is passion. If you have this, the sky is the limit. Keep learning tricks, always practice & perform, continuously promote yourself, and work hard to become a master magician.

Success is moving from one failure to another without losing enthusiasm.