Start with a Blank Piece of Paper
Photo by Mark78_xp on Flickr
I had a conversation with someone recently who wanted to become a professional magician and to be honest I was a little jealous of their freedom to choose where their career in magic would take them. I started off on the street and spent a long time try to shake off the “street” image in order to move into the world of corporate entertainment, ironically my street performing background is now part of my whole marketing strategy.
Essentially my career has followed no distinct path but has grown out of opportunity and necessity and this has thrown up different problems along the way. I am now tied to the path I’m on and like a large Tanker, (I said TANKER), any change in direction takes a lot of effort and time. These ties come from financial obligations as well as personal ones and not all of those have been my choice. I have few regrets but occasionally I wish I could wipe the slate clean and start again.
So my advice to anyone who wants career in magic, or in anything for that matter, is plan ahead, set goals and don’t be distracted from those goals until you achieve the success you desire. The beauty of the business that we are in is that allows you the freedom to choose simply because none of the routes you take are certainties, there are no guarantees. It’s what makes the whole thing exciting and worth pursuing.
So start with a blank piece of paper, not a blueprint from someone else’s career. Make your choices carefully and be true to what you really want from life not just performing magic. General Eisenhower said:
“Plans are useless but planning is essential”
You need to be flexible in life but still remain focused, try to be pro-active and equally allow yourself to react to changing circumstances, always using your plan to guide any decisions you make. But be careful of what you wish for……
