Female magician needs help...

[StevenLevitt]

How do you mean talk business? - Getting business? Starting business? Producing business? Depends what type of business talk you are talking about

If you got any questions specifically, I am sure we can help.

 

[Cedric Taylor]

How do you mean talk business? - Getting business? Starting business? Producing business? Depends what type of business talk you are talking about

If you got any questions specifically, I am sure we can help.

i think i know, she means making money, being hired by a restarant or bar owner, or cooperate businesspeople, they don't take hiring her serious....she wants to know how can she change her fortunes...

 

[The Tumbleweed]

I'm just gonna restate that you should read William Draven's threads on How to Get Gigs and Keep Clients. Great read, and tell you everything you need to know, and much more.
Good luck

 

[7uPyOuRs]

Same problem when your young.

 

[Fritts1223]

How do you mean talk business? - Getting business? Starting business? Producing business? Depends what type of business talk you are talking about

If you got any questions specifically, I am sure we can help.

Getting business mostly. More or less, how to get an actual interview. I think once I was in one, I would do alight. It's just getting in there, lol.

 

[visualartist]

Here's the awful truth,

People don't take ANYONE who calls themselves a magician seriously.

You have to prove yourself to be charming and entertaining even before you whip out your first trick. I would suggest trying to work every single night (without pay). Try restaurants, downtown, parties, college functions anywhere you can gain any kind of "practice". From there you should be able to try to get a paying gig at one of the restaurants in your town.

However, it seems like you are happy doing nursing homes and hospitals and that is fine too. But to gain confidence as an entertainer to the "real world" (Meaning getting paid) you need to just bite the bullet and get yourself out there.

Also, you might not want to go about saying "I'm a magician" to anyone right off the bat, people still get the idea that people who do card tricks are the people who wear capes and role-play Dungeons and Dragons in their parents basement. Instead, say "Hi I'm Amanda, Can I show you something real quick?"

Practice... practice... practice.

Katie

Im going to back this up as I was about to write something very similar.
Another way to introduce yourself,if they dont know your going to show them magic, is tell them that your a performer or Illusionist. Illusionist sounds alot more serious thing than if you were to say magician.

 

[Bruno19]

Welcome Amanda.^^
No worries, people found it weird wen i say that I do magic, it is just an unusual job.
I am 19 years old is hard to be taken serius.
You are not alone
Just dont give up.
Sorry about my crappy inglish i'm brazilian

 

[Nikki]

Welcome Amanda.^^
No worries, people found it weird wen i say that I do magic, it is just an unusual job.
I am 19 years old is hard to be taken serius.
You are not alone
Just dont give up.
Sorry about my crappy inglish i'm brazilian

i get the same thing, im 16..almost..even harder to be taken seriously, never give up.

oh! and welcome :]

 

[Mat La Vore]

Hey Amanda,

Although I am not female, I find people generally have a preconception of what a magician is. If you say you're a magician they automatically go to the cliche' of what a magician i s (corny jokes, top hat, rabbits, kid shows, etc.). So I generally don't tell anyone I'm a magician. Instead I just show them what I do and let it speak for itself. So perhaps just saying you're a "performer" or maybe something more obscure like an "astonishment artist" might work for you. Then just offer to show them what it is you do.

It seems to me since people already have a preconception of what a magician is, and being female doesn't fit into that cliche' little box, simply avoiding use the word "magician" might be a good idea. That way they don't have the option to make a prejudgment about you or what it is you do, because what you do is something they're not familiar with until they've actually seen it. And by that time you've already impressed them and drawn them in.

Happy Magic

 

[baller08]

So perhaps just saying you're a "performer" or maybe something more obscure like an "astonishment artist" might work for you.

"Astonishment artist"? Aaaaaand you wonder why people have crappy perceptions of magicians. For reasons such as this...because we come up with dorky things like that.

We're no different than an athlete or a good dancer. Does a basketball player come up and say, "Hi, I'm a Jump Shot Expert" or "Hey, I'm a Dribbling Technician"?

Does a dancer say, "Well, hi there...I'm a Limbs Choreographer"?

Do you hear how stupid that sounds? Why do we have to constantly try to justify what we do? In the effort to justify it or make ourselves stand out as something special we end up contributing to the disconnect between the general public and magicians.

Be cool, be engaging, be funny....be normal. In that normalcy you can show your unique skill and that will be enough. Instead of going after people to astonish them....give them a little and let them come to you.

It is far more powerful when someone says, "Please, just show us one more before you go" rather than you saying, "So do you want to see one more?"

 

[Fritts1223]

"Astonishment artist"? Aaaaaand you wonder why people have crappy perceptions of magicians. For reasons such as this...because we come up with dorky things like that.

We're no different than an athlete or a good dancer. Does a basketball player come up and say, "Hi, I'm a Jump Shot Expert" or "Hey, I'm a Dribbling Technician"?

Does a dancer say, "Well, hi there...I'm a Limbs Choreographer"?

Do you hear how stupid that sounds? Why do we have to constantly try to justify what we do? In the effort to justify it or make ourselves stand out as something special we end up contributing to the disconnect between the general public and magicians.

Be cool, be engaging, be funny....be normal. In that normalcy you can show your unique skill and that will be enough. Instead of going after people to astonish them....give them a little and let them come to you.

It is far more powerful when someone says, "Please, just show us one more before you go" rather than you saying, "So do you want to see one more?"

I can't say I agree with you on that. I didn't think it sounded stupid at all. In fact, it's quite clever. "astonishment artist" might be a little much, yes, but if you were to call yourself just a performer or an illusionist, then it makes you all the more mysterious rather than calling yourself a magician. People know at least a little bit of what to expect when you call yourself a magician (even if it is the cliché). But if you call yourself just a performer and they wouldn't know what to expect.

 

[baller08]

I can't say I agree with you on that. I didn't think it sounded stupid at all. In fact, it's quite clever. "astonishment artist" might be a little much, yes, but if you were to call yourself just a performer or an illusionist, then it makes you all the more mysterious rather than calling yourself a magician. People know at least a little bit of what to expect when you call yourself a magician (even if it is the cliché). But if you call yourself just a performer and they wouldn't know what to expect.

Then say "magician"...at least it's something people recognize and can identify with. When we (or anyone in any specific group) start to assign strange names to themselves it seems very forced and unnatural. Part of the difficulties you've faced is a result of those who came before you that did dorky things that created the perceptions. Perceptions aren't created out of thin air, most of them hold a general level of truth.

But I think the best advice has been from Cedric and Katie. Do that and you'll find it to be much easier.

The other thing that works is just starting a normal conversation with people. There are two things that strangers often ask fairly early on: "Are you from around here" and "What do you do?"

It's boring because people usually can't come up with anything else interesting but you can take advantage of it. When someone asks you what you do, simply say, "I could tell you...but how about I show you instead?" Say it with a smile and confidence.

It creates curiousity and its a natural transition. It's not forced and it happens within the context of a conversation. If you don't go in looking to show magic you'll find that natural opportunities present themselves within the context of social interactions.

 

[RDChopper]

Hello there.

So I'm fairly new to the forums here at Theory 11. I've been hanging around here for awhile but i haven't really participated much. But, I thought I could start by asking for some advice.

It's no secret that it is rare for girls to be magicians. Which, in turn can make it really hard for people to take me seriously.
I've been doing magic for almost three years, and not to sound cocky in any way shape or form, but I'm good at it. I've done many performances in nursing homes and I work at two local hospitals from time to time in the pediatric ward. It's definitely fun and rewarding to see those kids have a good time :]
But I'm finding it a little difficult for the majority of people to take me serious. Usually people's first response when I say I'm a magician is, "...are you serious?" and they usually laugh until I prove to them that I actually am.
I usually just bust out a card trick or something so they believe me.
I just find it irritating honestly.

I'm sure I'll just have to get used to it, but I was wondering if there was any advice you guys could give to me to make people take me more serious in a business sense. I would really like to start doing restaurant work and such. I'm just a poor college kid trying to make money where ever I can, haha.

I'm not really expecting you guys to know too much on the subject, being the vast majority of you are males but any little tips would be absolutely fantastic.

Thanks in advance! Oh, and I suppose I should introduce myself, haha.
I'm Amanda. :]

I think that being a women that performs magic, actually can be an advantage to you, think about it, I actually got a job as a host and as a performer in tv because they actually liked the stuff and is something that the people rarely see, and I mean face to face, not just a performance to the computer screen...

Now, Im really glad that you already have experience to back you up, now that is a good thing and if you have worked in nursing houses and hospitals, even better, you can ask for references there and then present them in the job you want as curriculum

Now, use the fact that you are a girl to your advantage. For example, that can sometimes throw them off guard if you play your cards right, it disarms them, and gives you the chanse to really astonish them (with 3 years of experience Im sure that you have some pretty good tricks)

You also should be carefull with the way you aproach people, because if you aproach to them saying"im a magician!" well, as you said, it will be hard for them to take you seriously, you need to sound "interesting" to them when you aproach someone that you dont know. You have roughly like 10 or 15 seconds to earn their interest in you ( and I mean by words, not a trick) and to build some rapport before you move into your first trick, try to find the rwords that suits you for this kind of situations,it helps to imagine that you are approaching a group of people to meet them and to initiate a conversation with them,WITHOUTH MAGIC IN IT, im sure you will think of something.

Now, being a girl can be a a double edged sword....People often are more open to interact with girls but at the same time, it can hurt your magic badly... to be sincere, a lot of the guys out there are going to put a lot more attention in "You" rather than the wonderfull trick that you are showing.

If you want to get a job in a cafe or a restaurant you can get "David stone: Real secrets of magic" vol. 1 and 2.. it has alot of great material for restaurants and cocktail parties along with useful tips on how to get you booked on a restaurant, how to maintain your work, how to impress the manager there etc..

I hope this helps you somehow and good luck!

 

[RDChopper]

Then say "magician"...at least it's something people recognize and can identify with. When we (or anyone in any specific group) start to assign strange names to themselves it seems very forced and unnatural. Part of the difficulties you've faced is a result of those who came before you that did dorky things that created the perceptions. Perceptions aren't created out of thin air, most of them hold a general level of truth.

But I think the best advice has been from Cedric and Katie. Do that and you'll find it to be much easier.

The other thing that works is just starting a normal conversation with people. There are two things that strangers often ask fairly early on: "Are you from around here" and "What do you do?"

It's boring because people usually can't come up with anything else interesting but you can take advantage of it. When someone asks you what you do, simply say, "I could tell you...but how about I show you instead?" Say it with a smile and confidence.

It creates curiousity and its a natural transition. It's not forced and it happens within the context of a conversation. If you don't go in looking to show magic you'll find that natural opportunities present themselves within the context of social interactions.

I actually agree with the second part, your first paragraph is the one I have a little of trouble with...

Yeah, It can be weird to people if you use strange names or things like that with your persona, and yeah they can have "dorky" perceptions of magic itself, but these are perceptions that you can change.

If we use things like "astonishing" wathever ( that Btw I dont use, it dont fits me, but for some other people it can) people in their minds are going to start thinking "well prove it!" then they go back to their experiences with magic and compare them with the things you are about to show them( that in a lot of the cases they're experiences with magic are just crap) then you astonish them and give a reason to your name...

I mean, we are all different, what works for me , could not work for you and bice versa, I mean, she could try both things and see what works for her... in the end, it is what we should try doing... experiment with different things to see where our "comfort zone" is.

Cheers!

EDIT::// Uff, I just noticed that I may be contradicting myself there, just to clarify that in the first post I talked about what works for me and why, and in the second post about how using that can serve someone as well.. as I have said before...just try it people!

 

[baller08]

I don't think you contradicted yourself RDChopper...I thought your advice was really good.

You're right that perceptions can be changeds....that's why it's important to not give awkward names to ourselves or anything of that nature, by doing so it continues the perception.

 

[Chrisfecto]

Alot of people will say to use your gender to your advantage. I completely agree. But I would add to that. Use it to your advantage as far as getting paid for your magic but I would also say use it in your magic as well.

I was watching the world magic awards and one of the performers was a woman. I forget her name and what award she won but she did some pieces of magic that was uniquely feminine. One of the best examples was changing the color of her lipstick. Something i doubt very many males would get away with doing.

So i guess my challenge to you would be come up with magic that is feminine and then use that magic to get you paid.

Hope this helps

 

[ZacEckstein]

To Help You Out,

You Need To Do Something Right Off The Bat. Don't Go Up To Them Saying "Hello! I'm ____ Would You Like To See Some Magic, I'm A Magician."

If Your Into Cards, You Can Do Two Things That Are Really Cool. Palm Off Half The Deck And Make Cards come Out Of Your Mouth. Or You can Palm Off Cards And Make Them Appear Out Of An Audience Members Ear.

If Your Into Coins, Make One Appear Out Of their Ear, And Go Into Some Sort Of Patter And Routine.

Also A Side Note: I Don't Recommend This But, If You Know Any Flourishes Go ahead And Do Them For The Audience, Or Wait Until They Come To You ETC. The Reason I Don't Recommend It Is Because You Don't Want Them To Think Your Skilled. I Am Probably Telling You Something You Already Know Though.

Just Some Thoughts,

- Zac

 

[Dima]

It's interesting to see some people go right in for the kill while others encourage a conversation without magic to first establish some sort of rapport. This just shows the diversity of people's approaches and perhaps both work at different times and for different audiences. It's all about context.

 

[ZacEckstein]

It's interesting to see some people go right in for the kill while others encourage a conversation without magic to first establish some sort of rapport. This just shows the diversity of people's approaches and perhaps both work at different times and for different audiences. It's all about context.

Your Right! My reasoning Behind it is If You Are Gonna Go Out and Perform, Be A Magician. If Your Gonna Go Watch Some Football and See The Dallas Cowboys Win! Be Yourself.

 

[RDChopper]

To Help You Out,

You Need To Do Something Right Off The Bat. Don't Go Up To Them Saying "Hello! I'm ____ Would You Like To See Some Magic, I'm A Magician."

If Your Into Cards, You Can Do Two Things That Are Really Cool. Palm Off Half The Deck And Make Cards come Out Of Your Mouth. Or You can Palm Off Cards And Make Them Appear Out Of An Audience Members Ear.

If Your Into Coins, Make One Appear Out Of their Ear, And Go Into Some Sort Of Patter And Routine.

Also A Side Note: I Don't Recommend This But, If You Know Any Flourishes Go ahead And Do Them For The Audience, Or Wait Until They Come To You ETC. The Reason I Don't Recommend It Is Because You Don't Want Them To Think Your Skilled. I Am Probably Telling You Something You Already Know Though.

Just Some Thoughts,

- Zac

What!?

To be sincere, if you are going for this kind of magic, then you are going for shock magic, that means that you are going to just come, do magic and that's all, they're just to remember you as a guy that does cool card tricks...

Now, as performers, we are aiming for something more than that, we are aiming to get a lasting impression in them, something emotional, something that goes beyond a simple "cool card trick".

That's where the patter and the rapport comes in, we need have a motivation for everything we do (including the way we approach people)..... For example , in an ambitous card routine, you put the card in the middle, you make it come to the top, bla bla bla, but why? why do you put the card in the middle and make it jump to the top? It all has to have a reason.

Including when you approach people... Let's imagine this situation:

" I am eating with my friends , we are talking, we laughing and then from nowhere , a guy appears, he makes cards to come out of his mouth, he puts them in my face and says "hey! I do magic! take a card!" and he puts this deck of cards in front of my face"

I mean, don't get me wrong, it does sometimes work, but let's remember that we are entering their personal space, we are asking for their attention and time, for what purpose? it is recommendable to try to know them first withouth cards so that you can gain some rapport (wich can help you later) so you can perform easily and with better results.

It is kinda sad that later on when you see this people again, they remember you as "the guy that does tricks" rather than "the guy wich name I remember that gave us a memorable time"...

Just my thoughts people, im open for a nice discussion here...