Elaborate stunts and illusions. Beautiful assistants. A crew of well trained exotic animals. You are intrigued by the magician's life and have decided to give it a shot. Well, don't be fooled by the magicians you see on T.V. There is more to the profession than that, and you need to learn it from all different perspectives in order to be a true success.



In addition to stunts and illusions, you need to understand the basics. Palming techniques. Small tricks. Not all of your shows will require you to use your big tricks. A true magician knows a combination of both, and knows them all well.

Here is what you need to know to become a magician.

Learn the Basics. Learning the basic techniques is very important. Simple card tricks, coin tricks, and small tricks with props like ropes and hats are good to learn. You can learn from a book, take a class, or learn from a DVD or instruction online. The methods you choose will depend largely on your learning style. Keep in mind that it can be very helpful to have an expert show you how to do it and critique your technique.

Get a Mentor. In your road to becoming a magician, getting a mentor can be a tremendous help. A mentor will not only teach you how to perform tricks and illusions, but will also assist you on the business side of being a magician. Most are self employed and are responsible for booking their own engagements. It can be a big help to also learn things such as marketing, etc from your mentor.

Go to School. Yes, there are magic schools. Some are part of clown school. Others are designed as enrichment programs in middle school and high schools. Attending a school that focuses completely on magic can help you learn quickly and put you on a schedule for success.

What Kind of Magician? What kind of magician do you want to be? Each successful magician out there has some kind of niche. Do you want to be a clown/magician? Would you like to do elaborate stunts? Or maybe you want to focus entirely on card tricks. It's up to you. Once you define exactly how you envision your future career, you can take the steps necessary to achieve it.

Your Tricks. Each performing magician has not only a broad knowledge of their field, they also have a select amount of tricks that they master. Granted, depending on the performance, you will want to vary your lineup. However, if you have a few tricks you can depend on, it will make your job a lot easier.

Stage presence. Being a technical magician won't get you far. You need to develop a stage presence. Each trick and illusion you learn needs to have a routine attached to it that will captivate the audience. You can be a mediocre magician and still entertain the crowd with your jokes and anecdotes. What truly matters is that your audience has a good time.