People who want to get into the profession of performing as a magician should know about the ins and outs of the business.

Being a professional magician is a field which is quite hard to get into without the proper motivation, know-how and guidance.

Here are some helpful tips on how you can land a gig as a magician and break into the field of performing magic tricks professionally:

1. Search within yourself and find out what you wish to gain from magic.

You might consider this field because you have found out that you are good with magic tricks. Another motivation could be that you love to perform in front of people. Whatever it is that pushes you to go after the art of magic tricks, you have to make sure that they are the proper reasons and that you see yourself doing it with passion and flair for many years to come.

2. It takes one to know one.

If you want to be a professional magician, learn everything you can about the field first. Check out the tricks of the trade.

If possible, study the ancient magic tricks and learn about how the greatest magicians started out and what their ’signature tricks’ were.

If you are a magician who is just starting out, you should watch as much magic as you can.

Go to magic shows and see how the magicians perform and interact with the audience. Watch videos and imitate the performers if you can. The more tricks you have up your sleeve, the greater a magician you will be.

3. Be what you want to be.

You can be a mere hobbyist, or have a professional career in performing in front of a crowd, or you might want to be the next David Copperfield or Harry Houdini.

You need to work hard and invest more time, effort and practice if you want to be the next “great” magician.

4. Practice.

Perform a trick in private and make sure that it is perfect before attempting to perform it in front of an audience.

Also, never reveal your trade secrets, even to a friend, because this ruins the illusion.

Another important thing to remember is not to repeat the same trick in front of the exact same audience.

5. Know the right people.

If you plan to perform professionally for a particular group, either children or adults, you need to look for the contacts to help you land a gig or a performance to practice and hone your craft.

About the author:

Preston Houer has been involved with the art of illusion and sleight of hand for over 30 years. Let Preston show you how to Have Fun With Magic. Visit His Site Today! http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com

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As a certified NLP trainer, I am often asked ‘What is NLP?’

The term NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming and was coined in the early seventies by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. They began their work by studying: Fritz Perls, psychotherapist and originator of the Gestalt school of therapy, Virginia Satir, well-known family therapist and Milton Erickson, a world-famous hypnotherapist. Their intention was to model outstanding therapists (i.e. identify patterns) in order that others could use these patterns to generate similar results. You may say that NLP is about identifying excellence, and then devising means for others to use those patterns to achieve similar results.

And NLP is more than that.

NLP also draws on earlier work, such as Ivan Pavlov’s conditioned reflexes (1904). In NLP this is called anchoring. You could say that NLP takes theoretical results developed by others and makes them available to you and me so that we can improve our lives and well-being.

And NLP is more than that.

NLP had its origins in therapy and is now applied in all areas of human endeavour - education, health, sports, business, and the list goes on. For a list of NLP books and audiotapes, please see www.renewal.ca/books.htm.

And NLP is much more than that.

Let us look at the terms Neuro Linguistic Programming.

Neuro refers to your brain and your neurology. It is about how you take in information. For example, you can use your eyes to see something. Other ways to experience an event include: hear, kinesthetic (tactile touch or emotional feeling), gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell).

Linguistic refers to the language — pictures, sounds, feelings (kinesthetic), tastes, smells and words — that you use to remember a particular experience (or to forecast a future experience). For example, did you have breakfast this morning? When you remember having breakfast, can you see a picture in your mind, can you hear sounds (maybe a radio was on or someone said something to you), what about tastes and smells, how were you feeling - happy, tired, excited?

For a future experience, do you see yourself being successful? Or failing? The pictures, sounds, feelings, tastes, smells and words that you use to describe future experiences have a bearing on what actually happens! You do create your own reality!

Programming refers to your habits, patterns, programs, strategies, etc. If it is a workday, do you follow a particular pattern, as you get ready for work? Maybe you like to lay in bed an extra 5 minutes after the alarm goes off. Do you shower right away or have breakfast first? If you take time to look at what you do, I am sure that you will see a pattern that you follow in getting ready for work. If for some reason you do not follow that pattern, do you find yourself feeling that something is missing?

You have patterns, habits, strategies, programs for everything you do. Some of these patterns serve you, others do not - resulting in unwanted outcomes. You maybe fully aware of some of your patterns. You may become aware of other patterns only when someone else brings them to your attention. And you may choose to quickly forget about these patterns because you do not want to address that part of your life. And there are still other patterns that you are not aware of at all; yet they continue to influence how you look after yourself, communicate with others, etc. If the patterns serve you - generate positive results in your life - great! If you find that some patterns do not serve you, would it be useful to discover which patterns they are and to change them?

Question: Who put your patterns, habits, strategies, programs in place? You did! So who can change them? You can! First, you must be aware that you run these patterns. For me, this is one of the biggest benefits of NLP - become aware of the patterns, habits, strategies, programs that I have been running unconsciously and then use NLP techniques to change them so that I achieve the outcomes that I desire.

And NLP is MUCH more than that!

In subsequent articles, we will explore NLP in more detail, giving you insights as to how you function, how you communicate with others and how you can change your life, if you choose.

About the Author

Author: Roger Ellerton is a certified NLP trainer, certified management consultant and the founder and managing partner of Renewal Technologies. He can be reached at Renewal Technologies http://www.renewal.ca or by e-mail at mailto:info@renewal.ca

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Magic is the art of diverting the attention of the audience by creating an illusion that amuses them and creates an impact that something extraordinary had been performed. The act is definitely entertaining. Nevertheless, the reality is that it is just an illusion.

However, the income that the magicians derive from performing such activities is not an illusion. It is real money. They use the money that they have earned to buy their necessities in order to survive.

What most people sometimes forget is that magicians are people, too, who need a job to earn a living. They do not have powers like what they appear on stage to create money and make it appear on top of the hat.

That’s why it is important for every magician to know how to increase their bookings because it is the only way they can increase their incomes.

For people who want to know how to land a gig as a magician, here is a list of some tips that can be used:

1. Print ads can do the job.

If a magician really wants to increase his bookings, onet way to advertise his craft is to place a “one column inch” advertisement in the newspaper. This size is already enough to catch the attention of people who are trying to find magicians.

Best of all, with this size, the price “magicians” have to pay is very affordable.

2. Perform your best on every show.

It is true, indeed, that people will cease patronizing something if they have found out that it’s not worth their money. For magicians who want to always have bookings waiting for them, it is best to stop counting their schedules and pay attention to their presentation.

It would be better if they will hone their skills and improve their craft so that they can always have the best entertainment they can provide to their audience. From here, bookings will soon follow. This is because one of the most effective forms of advertisement is through the “word of mouth.”

If people like what they see they will talk about it. Their praise will spread among peers and social groups, which in turn, will reap more bookings.

Boiled down, there’s no secret in marketing the business in order to earn a booking. What magicians should always remember is that it is important to improve their skills in order to earn a booking because it is through their performance that the next show will follow.

About the author:

Preston Houer has been involved with the art of illusion and sleight of hand for over 30 years. Let Preston show you how to Have Fun With Magic. Visit His Site Today! http://www.have-fun-with-magic.com

Technorati Tags: MagicalHypnotist, Magical, Magician, Illusionist, Illusion, Comedy, Comedian, Mark Hamilton, Hamilton, Magical Hypnotist, Comedy Magician