Hi! My real name is Kyle Hohn (höhn- german for chicken.) I would like to work at a resteraunt when I turn 18 (currently 15). I have been practicing magic for 3 years and will have 6 under my belt when I start. I am a die-hard card specialist but also perform everyday objects( i.e. Forks, matches, coins) I think that I should have 4 routines of 4 tricks each to do at the diffrent tables. Is that enough? I perform at school and have done theater for the past 7 years and that helps tremedously with the presentation. I have done some paid performences but mainly do charity. The local hospital, thanksgiving for the homeless(that one was interesting), and blood bank. I am a perfectionist and will not perform a trick unless I have practived it for a month and somtimes I think that is too little.

Basically (paddy, Sirbrad, Falling blood, ect.) what else do I need to do to prepare for such a commitment. I plan on using this as my main source of income for the rest of my life.

Get Kirk Charles guide on resturaunt magic and Live at the Jailhouse. Those two sources alone will give you a lot of information to go on.

Please reconsider. Do you realize that if you decide to flip hamburgers as a living, you might get a promotion to manager one day, and end up making 10 times as much money as you could make being a table-hopping magician? I'm making that comparison just as an example, to illustrate what a horrible career choice magic is.

Magic is a wonderful art form but it's NOT very marketable. In fact you might say it's one step above pan-handling. Find something else to make money from and then you can spend your free time honing your hobby. Seriously. This is good advice.

Actually, many people make a living from being a magician. Resturaunt magic is only one side of it. It's not suppose to be used as a person sole income. It's suppose to get you contacts to do other shows. There's a couple of people on this site that make a living by doing magic.

He's not saying it's not possible.

I work as an entertainer for my income, but I'm also a full time student in my 2nd (graduate) degree at University. I still get to enjoy performing everyday and also getting paid work every week.

Nothing wrong with magic as a career at all I'm just saying you can have your cake and eat it too

From who, the people who come there to dine? So you end up passing out your business card to some Jew who's waiting for his pastrami and the next thing you know you've got a Barmitzvah gig? Puh-leeease. You are only proving my point: it's hard work, for little pay. How many barmitzvahs do you have to perform to get enough money to buy a house? And don't forget--you have no medical coverage or anything like that, so you have to pay for all your "benefits" out of your own pocket.

Don't get me wrong -- I love the guys who are so obsessed with the art that they have to do it for a living, because to them there is nothing else in the whole world. God bless em, without them there would be no magic.

But for most 15 year old kids who are into magic, it's obviously just a "phase." Then they grow up and their perspective changes.

Ok, well I both agree and disagree with you coolsnail. I disagree with you on the part about not being able to get bookings for shows while doing table hopping or walkaround. You can easily do an effect using your business cards such as a StockHolder effect or moving holes effect. That way you ask them to keep the card. And they can look at it later on, talk to their friends and you might just have your next show to do. But I do agree with you when a 15 yr. old says that they will only do magic for the rest of their life and that will be their only income. Well for him, I think it's too early to say that you will be a magician and only a magician. It's your own business and it takes a ton of things to think about when doing your own business. I want to be a Police officer for my city of Cincinnati and "hopefully" be a part time magician, but that is not guaranteed, and I know that. Just something to be thinking about.

I forgot to mention that I am going to get an assosiates degree for being a dental hygenist.

I'll listen to Snails advice and just use it as a part time job until I become good enough to "quit my day" job. Actually I don't know if that will work either what do you guys think?

I agree, for most 15 year old kids, it's just a stage. However, I don't agree with your first paragraph. Resturaunt magic is basically nothing more then a way to get connections. Either for birthday parties, private parties, barmitzvahs, coporate gigs, etc. It's lets people see you perform, and it makes many of them interested. So they hire you for there own parties, or recommend you to others.

Watch what you say, no longer you cant make it as professional even if you wanted to.

Watch what you say, no wonder you cant make it as professional even if you wanted to.

I really do love magic. Did you read the part about the assosiates degree? That will be my first job and I am going to keep performing until I perfect my routines then work part time through school(after 18) and full time after working for 5 years.

Sorry about the double post but. All that everyone is doing is discouragin me and saying that I can't do it I don't care when I start it could be 3 years even 5 or 10 just tell me what else I need to do to prepare. Thanks. I really don't care about the money the joy of performing magic for the rest of my life would make me happy.

First, not everyone is discouraging you. I gave you the sources that you need. Go out and buy them, and they will answer the majority of your questions.

No one has said anything discouraging to you. If you think they have maybe you should give up magic now. The comments have been between coolsnail and fallingblood. What I have seen is people giving you some DVDs to check into taht will help you.

I will tell you that from my experience, and the experience of every pro I have ever met, it is NOT the effect that you perform that makes you the money. It is the PERFORMANCE of the effect. Look at Gazzo in his whole street routine, every trick is very simple and easy to do, yet when he performs them they are wonderful flights of magic.

Look at Penn and Teller with their version of cups and balls. Not only do they use transparent cups and they do the whole effect so everyone can see the secret. They perform it so well that no one can tell you what the secret is after they are done. It is always the PERFORMANCE. Remember that and you will earn your living with magic.