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Hi there, My name is Thomas Banks. I'm 24 and have been involved with magic for as long as I can remember.

I have mainly joined this forum for to ask about advice on turning my hobbie into a career. Recently I've been finding myself getting more and more fed up with my run of the mill job and handling my magic more and more, I can to the decition recently that I should attempt to follow this path in life.

I've handled cards for pretty much the entire time I've been into magic but also have spent the last five years building my mental performances up. I wouldn't call it mentalism as it seems like there is a bit of a mentalism camp on this site and I don't want to be limited to a side. I love performing close up and although I'm only now talking about going all out pro, I have performed at several table hopping events so I have had real world experiance. My style of performing is quite calm and arty rather than out there and in your face, not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just not really the style I feel fits with what I want to do.

Anyway, I hope to get a lot of good infomation from the other working professionals out there and hopefully make my money from magic from the near future onwards. No dout in the not to distant future you'll be seeing posts from me.

Thanks in advance.

Tom

Welcome to the forum, I am sure the guys here will make you feel more than welcome, we are a friendly and helpful bunch.

My first word of advice is KEEP THE DAY JOB!

The majority of those recognized names out there do magic more "on the side" than in the full-time profession many of us assume. The reasons are quite simple; it's darn hard to get a full enough schedule at decent per gig cash on a steady basis and it's even harder to manage those funds so they stretch. In my 30 years of doing this stuff I saw times when I was pulling in big money and working as many as five gigs a day and doing so steadily. Then again, I've seen those multiple years in which it was tough to just cover rent let alone a luxury item like food.

Show biz, in general, is a cold and unpredictable mistress; even with success on must pay a price. Typically this comes in the form of having close relationships, a family, or anything resembling "stability"; especially during those formative early years when you must hustle and push yourself on an 18+ hour a day, 7 day a week schedule. If you're not performing your selling (pushing to get the gigs).

Oh Yea! Just because you have a table hop gig locally that's covering your bills does not necessarily mean your a "Pro" in the greater sense of things. Each gig is just one part of a bigger pie -- a single stream of income. Even in the more traditional world we are in a situation in which multiple streams of income are required; when it comes to magic, that close-up gig must be your spring board to greater things -- private parties and corporate functions being the primary focus. Depending on what your personal goals are this could be kid/family oriented stuff (which isn't exactly the best income source at first; there is potential when you create a stage show that's "commercial"). . . understand too, the kind of facility you work in can set the tone when it comes to which markets are available to you; working at Chuck E. Cheese more or less insures that you are doomed to kiddie shows while a steady gig at Olive Garden or Red Lobster and open doors to the business and adult party venues.

Look at things from a business point of view NOT through the rose tinted lenses of a day dreamer. This IS A BUSINESS and if you don't approach it from day one as such, you're screwed! So learn how to be a businessman; marketing, salesmanship, bookkeeping/accounting, tax codes, investment making, etc. I emphasize this because in hind-sight, this area was my biggest weakness (still is) but is likewise the primary reason the majority of small businesses fail, especially in entertainment. Which takes us back to what I said in the opening; GET A DAY JOB AND KEEP IT! Unless you are able to generate the kind of income that will cover your life 110% don't give up that primary income source or, I should say, one or more key income generating areas of venture that are outside the sphere of "show biz" (and that doesn't mean writing 1001 eBooks, pooping out a new trick a month, or opening yet another on-line magic store selling the same exact stuff all the others sell).

I've run out of time to go into more, but this should give you plenty to think on

yep... you need a day job. Ive found that out the hard way ( Almost)
The most important thing is, make sure you have a day job that allows you evenings, and weekends. I had a job for over 11 years, that couldnt guarentee me spare time, so i couldnt always accept gigs.. and the magic suffered a set back as a result.
Fingers crossed, the job Im in now, which i have only just started after 9 months redundancy, will let me do things, and therefore Ill start to pick up a few gigs.

Times are getting better... but its still tough out there, and nobody should ever give up a job, unless you have one to go to.

Hi Thomas, welcome to TM

Next bit of advice - give the Search Function a tryout as there are dozens of previous threads full of very useful hints, tips and solid advice on this very topic.