Since I’m a magician, I must be cooler than you

I already know what you’re thinking – and it’s not because I’m a magician.  You’re probably reading this because you think of magic as some mysterious superpower that requires a degree from Hogwarts and comes with a free top hat. While that would be pretty cool, that’s not exactly the case.

Magic is all about performance and skill.  You need people-reading skills as well as good timing in order to pull off some powerful effects.  Unfortunately, the list of “powerful effects” is usually pretty short and does not include me being able to pull a rabbit out of your baseball cap or me being able to seemingly saw your girlfriend in half. 

I do card tricks, coin tricks, ring tricks and sometimes even balloon tricks.  I love performing small miracles right in front of people’s faces.  Magic for me is not about making others think I’ve signed a contract with the devil or taken lessons from Criss Angel – it’s about getting a good reaction and taking them out of their realities, even if just for a few minutes, to make their day a tad bit better.

Don’t get me wrong – magic still requires plenty of hard work and dedication.  It takes a long time to develop the dexterity to do certain moves, and then to learn how to do those moves quickly right under your spectator’s nose.  

One of the tricks I’m most proud of is being able to make females disappear so easily. That one took a few years to learn, but don’t worry, I’m great at it now.

Anyway, being a magician is usually associated with certain stereotypes that are hard to avoid.  When people know you’re a magician, some pretty crazy assumptions are thrown around.

At a family event? I hope you know Jesus, because you’re now expected to turn water into wine.  Run into a former spectator while you’re walking to class?  Sorry, I can’t show you the same card trick again just because you were too drunk to remember the whole thing.  Plus, I’m already late since my magic carpet just ran out of gas. 

All in all, I don’t do magic because I have awesome superpowers or because I’m so desperate to impress people.  I do magic because it’s fun.  I do my act in a way that makes people laugh while experiencing something entertaining. I wouldn’t ever want to perform something people could fall asleep to.  

If I wanted that, I would’ve just been a hypnotist.