How do you become a professional? - What is it?

[StevenLevitt]

Let's first of all try and define a professional magician - A professional in my view is a magician who has a passion in what they do, and are very good to earn something (whether if it is money, experience, or publicity), but to earn these is for the magician to put in all they have got, in order to take it out as an achievement.

So to be a professional, do you need money, experience and publicity? If so, how do you get it?

Do you need to be seen in order to perform for experience to earn money?

What steps have you taken, or wished that you had taken, and would you like to be a professional magician?

 

[FadedTemp]

I personally am not a professional magician nor do I claim to be one so what I'm about to say is mere opinion.

I would assume that becoming a professional magician would mean earning money doing what you love (obviously magic).

I think it's an on going process through the years really. You start out with small parties and work your way to restaurants, having a website and doing bigger gigs. However; I don't think to be professional you need to do big gigs, find a niche for yourself and as long as you can make a living then I'd say you're doing just fine.

I think the view on professionalism for this differs depending on the person, obviously most would agree that you earn money doing it. Experience would be a must, how could you become a professional anything without experience on your side?

 

[praetoritevong]

There was an interesting debate a while ago about the definition of an amateur, and in the course of this discussion the exact nature of the term professional was also scrutinised. I simply think that a professional magician is one that relies primarily on magic for his or her livelihood.

"Professional" can also in a limited situation act as an adjective referring to a magician's behaviour or actions - i.e. acting in a professional manner. The definition you're looking for though, I think just about everyone was agreed on this, is simply one who makes money; similar to the term amateur, it does not define someone's skill.

 

[magicman]

I read somewhere (probably on these forums) that the differences separating an amateur and a pro is this:
an amateur practices effects until they get it right and are usually hobbyist; a professional practices until they can't mess it up and gets paid for it.

 

[Ineski]

Professional magician gets his main income from magic. It's ones job. Being a professional is a lot more than just doing the tricks well. Marketing skills are essential. You have to keep contact with your agents and clients and at the same time keep your money flow constant. You're really selling a product, which in this case, is your show.

Ever seen some not-so-good magicians and wonder how they can keep themselves in business? That might be because they are just really good at marketing. A good salesman can sell anything.

 

[MitchellStafiej]

Let's first of all try and define a professional magician - A professional in my view is a magician who has a passion in what they do, and are very good to earn something (whether if it is money, experience, or publicity), but to earn these is for the magician to put in all they have got, in order to take it out as an achievement.

So to be a professional, do you need money, experience and publicity? If so, how do you get it?

Do you need to be seen in order to perform for experience to earn money?

What steps have you taken, or wished that you had taken, and would you like to be a professional magician?

If you're a great magician your name will spread and you'll be in business. It's like anything, it's about the people you know. If someone wants you to perform they'll find a way to get in touch. A few business cards don't hurt.

Your a professional when your main income comes from magic. Don't take amateur as a derogatory term, because it isn't. It just means you don't make money. There's no shame in that.

I remember when I was younger that being a magician was all I wanted to do, but I realized that it wasn't a realistic goal for me. So I did some shows on the side for small cash and I focused on other things. If you really want to become a professional you have to perform, perform, perform, perform, and perform. I would recommend performing for friends/family birthday parties and hand out business cards. Your name will spread and you might get a few calls. It's really not that hard. Once you get those calls, you do the same thing. Hand out cards and keep on performing.

Just spread the good word of your magic!

Mitch