I'd wait a couple of years until your legal working age

Flight2,
This has been brought up with you in the past. For one you may have to draft up a contract for certain jobs and going by your writing skills that will be virtually impossible.
Another, you say that you are GREAT at close up. Maybe sitting at home you are but doing these in a restaraunt atmosphere is a different story. On your site you claim to be an amazing magicican and you can do Corporate events and BD parties. But you cannot post one 'Live' show on your site. I appreciate your enthusiasm and willingness but slow down and practice the craft, you are only 13.
Quit claiming to things that you don't have.

Most excellent insight Sluggo.

I think we've been down this road with flight2 before. I will agree with anyone who says that if you have to ask if you are ready, then certainly you are not. Asking if you are ready means that you have doubt. And if you have doubt, then you are destined to crash and burn.

Flight2,
If you wanted to call yourself, "The Amazing Elston" or something like that, that's ok. But the last thing you want to do is to start claiming that you are "amazing at close up" or similar statements. If you feel it necessary to make these statements about yourself, then it is apparent that you are the only one saying it. Someone else saying that you are
amazing will be worth much more than YOU saying that you are amazing.
I never claim that I'm amazing, good, etc. However, I do claim to be entertaining. That is what it's all about. You can be flawless at performing a magic effect and still not be entertaining. On the other hand, you can botch a magic effect (which really shouldn't happen) and still be completely entertaining.
Anyway, keep practicing and have fun with it. If you're not having fun, then it's time to give it up.

Good luck.

Hey Creecy,
Where Have you been?

I've been around. I'm staying pretty busy and have less time to frequent the forums. Your new website looks great. It's open and easy to navigate. I'm thinking of reworking my site when I have time. That probably won't be for a long time though.

I completely agree that a 13 year old is not ready to jump into the world of professional performances(especially walk around and restaurant style work), but some of the stuff you say here isn't relevant.

"Ready with the right theme songs". What? If he's doing walk around, you expect him to bring around a cd player and do silent acts at each table?

"Know how your tricks/props work". Knowing how it works proves nothing, knowing how to use them effectively in a good interactive routine, is what matters.

"... if you ever placed less than first in any kind of talent competition..." I've never been in a talent competiton, and I don't mean to sound conceided, but are you saying that I'm unqualified because of it? Entering a competiton does not have any bearing on your ability or professionalism. Honestly if I think a professional magician enters a local variety show, it would in a sense lower himself to a form of 'novelty act', and not the image you would strive for. If this is a magic competition, then it's different, but a talent show is nothing big to have on your resume.


Matthew, I remember about a year ago you came in here saying you were going to be doing kids shows and you were ready for it. Looking back, do you still think you were ready? Do you think that if you waited 6 months, you would have been more prepared? Now look at yourself again, think about how much better you'll be in 6 months from now, if you do some real research into the art of table hopping and get some experience by volunteering. To get more experience in closeup situations, offer to go to retirement homes/childrens hospitals and do some closeup for the people there. In this work, you will realize some of your flaws and improve on them before you try to really get work professionally.

Realisticly, if a business has the option of hiring a 16 year old magician who claims to have 2 years experience, or a 13 year old magician with 2 years experience, who will they pick? They're going to pick the older guy, because he's going to have more life experience and maturity. So think to yourself, if you wait a few years before trying to get work, they can have the option of a 16 year old with 2 years experience, or yourself a 16 year old with 5 years experience.

No matter how much you THINK you know, there is always going to be so much more that you don't. So why not try and learn? From simply reading books on magic history, you can get ideas you had never even considered before. Those who ignore their history are doomed to repeat it. If you don't research, you could spend 3 months trying to develop an idea that had been created 300 years ago, but you just never took the time to find it.

In other words, spend less time trying to get a gig with a big corporation, and more time doing your school work. Junior High is lame enough as it is, once you get past it then you'll have the knowledge, experience, and maturity you need to even consider starting to try and get work.


Just a couple refrences here for you to consider:
Kozmo's Live At The Jailhouse series, fantastic dvd set all about restaurant magic.
Peter Lansing's Making A Living Entertaining In Restaurants, great info from Paddy himself.
The Illustrated History of Magic, and Hiding The Elephant. Magic history books that I have a feeling you haven't read yet(just from your age), these will benefit you greatly and open many doors for you and your art.

You haven't seen his video. Otherwise, you would be able to spot my dripping sarcasm without the use of a smiley.

My son who is 12 does some walkaround. Not so much close up, he does do rubberbands, packet tricks, cards, but his main thing is balloons. Kids and mostly adults think it's neat that someone his age can do this. He works for tips and the restaurant pays him also. You don't need gobs of routines, if you know a few that you're really comfortable with, then go for it.

You know what your son is doing is illegal right? And the restaurant could get into quite a bit of trouble for hiring a 12 year old.

Take it easy fallingblood..He's not walking the streets or working sweatshops. He fills in for the regular magician at times. The point is he is comfortable in his magic and the patrons like him.

Fallingblood is just stating the facts. It is illegal for a restaurant to hire a child of 12, regardless of the circumstances. But, on the other hand, it's good that the patrons like him and he's good/comfortable with his magic.

I disagree you can work at the resturant and get paid,Just not by them but by tips
So ya really who cares I dont think most people go hey A 12 year works there isnt that illegal
Well ya good luck flight2 hope you do good
And there really isnt a certain age I dont think so
As long as your comfortable then Its ok
But the thing is if your not i suggest you dont try it

You'd be surprised. When I was working for my dad doing construction, on more than one occasion, he was reported for hiring someone to young. It was legal for me to work for him, since I was his child, but people still called him in. He never got in trouble, since I was his kid, but if I wasn't, he would have gotten in a lot of trouble, and probably would have ended up loosing his business.

The simple fact is that you have to be of a certain age to legally work. It was put into place for a reason. And it's in place now for a reason. There are people who will call others in for breaking this law, and the penalties can ruin a business. And I beleive it could also effect the parents as well.

Finally, age does matter. Someone 12-13 years of age simply doesn't have the maturity to handle many of the things that will be thrown at them. I don't care how mature they think they are, some events will happen that they simply can't handle. Anything from angry boyfriends demanding that you perform for their girlfriend right now, even though you are in the middle of performing for another table, to a woman deciding it is time to start breast feeding her child.

Restaurant magic is much more than just the effects. Basically, you're an ambassador to the restaurant. And with that, comes responsibility, and will cause circumstances that 12-13 year olds simply won't be able to handle.

That could be true; however, the fact stands, it's quite illegal. And the establishment can suffer some heavy penalties if someone decides to turn them in, or if they are caught in other ways. Those penalties may even effect you, since you are his parent. Also, your son may be a very mature person, but I can gurauntee that he will run into circumstances that he won't be mature enough to handle. There's a reason why it's illegal to work at such a young age.

Im going to try to explain this as much detial as i can for you thats reading it can understand.


You know when you are showing a small kid a simple trick, lets say color chaning balls to the jumbo square and when you finish his reactions are amazing, the little kid screaming how the you did that!


Then later you show the same trick to a grow-up(older than you), and when you finish the trick he's not so amazed with the trick as like the small kid.

To me this is because of age. For the little kid he is now looking up to you, as a hero. But as the adult he just doest give a fuc*.

Is this because of your age? I think so.




what do you think? age or not age?


Thanks