I am a high school student, I do not currently perform for money, but i do perform at every chance i get, (haha, my favorite time being during a math test ) and latly after pretty much all of my performances, someone has come up and told me that i should get paid for doing magic. And ive been giving that some serious thought and that combined with the "what are you gonna do with the rest of our life?" questions that have been flying around, have made me think a lot, and the truth is, I dont know what i want to do!!!!!!!!!!! I would love, more than anything, to perform magic for a living, but i dont know if thats a reasonable dream. I am 100% going to go to college to study (i have not clue what yet, thats why im asking you guys to see what my options are), but i was wondering, is there any (not to sound rude to buskers because i admire you guys.) but more like, concrete, magic carreers? because i dont know, i just feel like i wouldnt be able to make it as a busker, it seems so like shady... are there like schools you can go to to study magic etc? get like a degree or something?

DON'T EVER SAY "PERFORMING FOR A LIVING ISN'T A REASONABLE DREAM." And don't let anyone tell you that you can't perform for a living.

The first step to running a successful magic business is to realize that it is a business.

If you go to www.paidtoperform.com then you will see that I give marketing advice for magicians.

My primary goal is to finish med school, but I see myself putting on shows once I practice medicine. I'm putting a good act together for parties and events and like you, I perform for groups without any monetary compensation, but only because I haven't demanded it. I want it to mean something when magic happens so that it isn't just a trick show so that I feel like I deserve the paycheck. I can definitely see myself booking gigs and making extra money with magic in the near future but I will not stop school. I will never stop magic either since they are both intertwined in my life. There is no rule against combining the two so do both if they make you happy

Hildner17, don't be fooled by Benji and think that being a pro magi is easy. It's HARD. Benji is right, it is possible go pro, but it just is not easy.

First. Develop an act. Start with a good 15 minute routine consisting of 3 effects and patter. to really get it down take it to the streets and do some busking with it.

Second. After that then lengthen the act to 30 minutes, and start to audition at many places. it's possible to succeed at being a performer but you have to put in hours of work at it.

I never said it was easy.

I said don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something

Ok, Paddy, i like what your saying, it makes sence. where are you referring to when you say audition at many places? I think im going to put together a routine that goes from coins to cards, to sponges, and ive been looking to learn the cups and balls, but i dont know where to start, could you point me somewhere for that? I would like to get more books in my collection, but if you have a video ou could reccomend, i think that would be easier to learn out of. also, ive always kind of been wondering, what do you do in your act paddy? from reading the forums, you seem to be a pretty successful busker, so like what works in your acts and what dosent? And benji, i havent looked at yours yet, ill post again in a couple of minutes though

benji, I've read your blog and you really don't let people know some of the crap you had to go through to get where you are today.

Hildner17, there are a LOT of DVDs and books out there, anything by kozmo, Gazzo, or Bobby maverick will be a good start. Gazzo has the best cups & balls in the world today, kozmo uses a chop cup. I just reworked my act and now use just rope. With 4 pieces of rope I have an act that I run from 5 minutes to 25 minutes. I'll be taking to the streets after New years in Phoenix AZ, NM and TX. I've done this before, start a trip (sometimes a vacation) with about $200 and my credit card for emergencies. I'll pull into a town, look for a pitch, set up and start my shows. then work until I reach my money goal or the cops stop me.

My goal for Sun & weekdays is $100 minimum. For Fri & Sat it's $300 minimum. i have ALWAYS returned home with a profit for the trip. When my wife & I went to the face painting convention a couple of years ago it cost us $1200 for the week. I deposited $2000 in the bank when we returned. Get a GOOD ACT and remember that FUNNY is MONEY.

I still want to see a video of you performing on the streets.

If you are set on going to school, here are some thoughts to consider. Why not learn a subject that could help you be a better magician? Business, psychology, science (I'm thinking chemicals and aparatuses) and of course art all have great benefits that can earn you a "safe and reliable" income while adding to you as a person and as a magician.

It is true, you can make it as a professional magician if you REALLY want it and your willing to work that hard for it. Truth is you can really do anything you set your mind to. Me personally, I think college has alot to offer someone asside from a career. I wouldn't trade my education for anything, and has helped me fund everything else I am learning to hopefully have a part time career as a magician.

To be more specific to your topic question:
Restaurants can hire magicians for walk around entertainment
The street is loaded with audience members you can earn money from
Event planners are sometimes looking for someone to perform for them (Actually had someone try to hire me off the street for such after they saw me practicing flourishes)

-ArchAngel_G

I love that wording! Is it original?

Wish ity was mine but Kozmo told me that when we worked together. It doubled my hats when I started to follow it.

Hey, just wondering, Ive been looking around, and this is what i found for cups and balls, do you know if these cups http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/S2481 would work well with this http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/1419?

I have yet to see an answer to this poster's question.

You can perform professional magic at restaurants, luxury cruises, hotels, conventions, parties (public and private), schools, almost anywhere you can think of. You can even practice your performances at daycares or retirement homes.

Yes, there are "schools" you can go to to learn magic. Join a magic "ring". Search for one near your area. You can join SAM (Society of American Magicians) or IBM (International Brotherhood of Magicians) or one of the many other organizations.

IBM: http://www.magician.org
SAM: http://www.magicsam.com

One can certainly perform magic at all of the places you mentioned, but the number of people who can successfully make a real "concrete, magic career" out of it is very low. I think there is no defined, standard career path for a professional full-time magician.

Nor are there really any schools to go to in order to get a magic degree. Though there are conferences and short workshops one can attend (e.g., McBride's Magic & Mystery School). And one can certainly network at local rings and at meetings of national magic organizations.

My advice would be to get the college / university degree in some area that he / she finds interesting and is yet practical and employable ... use the time at college to develop your magic skills and start doing / developing shows ... and see what happens. Many professional magicians have two careers ... one doing a regular job 9-5 (e.g., law, accounting) and another in the evenings / weekends doing magic. Use the former to support the latter at the start and, if the latter takes off, turn to it full-time.

But what I described is sort of a sensible conservative approach. If one is a real risk taker, he / she can take a year or two after college / university and devote themselves to full-time magic. If they succeed and can continue doing this, great. If not ... well, then they may be sort of pooched if they are no longer employable (because they no longer look attractive compared to the new college / university graduates) in the other career they went to college for.

Now, I actually do know a couple of people (one in particular who is becoming quite famous) who made a go of magic from early on. They went to college / university, but they've only ever worked in magic since they were adults. No one is more surprised than I am that they succeeded, because I really thought the odds were against it. So it can be done. But I think they are the exception, and not the rule.