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Using Magic in your Real Job

Yes!  You LOVE Magic…

But is Making the Decision to become a
Professional Magician the right choice for YOU?

Arthur Benjamin, Ph.D

We all know of magicians who have decided to turn professional that have become successful… some more than others.  But can you name some magicians who have become MORE successful by choosing NOT to turn professional.  Is it possible to use Magic in your Real Job to make you stand out in your chosen career?

I talk about this a lot in my lecture to young magicians so I’ll go first.  Three names I always talk about are Gene Anderson, Art Benjamin, and Tim Moore.

Gene Anderson was a Ph.D. Chemist for Dow Chemical, but he used his presentation skills within the company to become the go-to person for any public speaking situations that came up for the company.  He was a was in demand within the company not only because he was an excellent chemist but because he could entertain and speak to an audience… not a talent many of the other chemists had.  Gene used Magic to make himself unique within his industry, and was very, very successful.

Arthur Benjamin is a Ph.D. Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College.  I met him when he was just a high school student taking courses at CMU in Pittsburgh.  Art is an amazing entertainer, but he is also off the charts brilliant.  He is a mental calculating math wizard.  Now he has the best of both worlds, performing when he chooses, doing TED talks that have millions of views and teaching mathematics, which is first love.

Tim Moore is a dentist from Ohio.  Many years ago he and Lance Burton were working theme parks and Tim was trying to decide if he wanted to be a magician or a dentist.  Lance chose magic (Excellent choice for Lance) Tim chose becoming a dentist in Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics (Excellent Choice for Tim).  Tim went on to build one of the most successful Pediatric dental practices in the country which brands itself around his love of Magic, and how he creates a Magic Smile for the kids.  Doing magic tricks for the kids to calm them down before the dental work begins is pure brilliance!

Why is this important?

Because young magicians who LOVE magic need to understand that there are other ways besides becoming a professional magician to use your love of magic.

They need to take some time and explore those options, which just might give them the best of both worlds, a steady paycheck, benefits and a 401K plan as well as a performing outlet.

Personally I’m very happy that I chose to do magic professionally.  It’s worked out well for me.  But I often wonder what would have happened if all the people that saw me so obsessed with magic when I was 16 years old had commented on my fast hands had told me: “With hands like that you could be a magician or a brain surgeon.”  I wonder if I might have considered that other opportunity… because while being a professional magician is a lot of fun… being a world-class brain surgeon who is really good at sleight-of-hand magic would have been pretty cool too!

Can you name a magician who is more successful because they chose to NOT turn Pro and how they use Magic in their real job to make themselves unique?
That magician might even be YOU!  Love to hear from you.

 

 

Paul Gertner is nationally recognized speaker and corporate magician, whose honors include multiple Tonight Show appearances, performing at a presidential inauguration, and winning three international competitions. He can be hired as a trade show magician or keynote presenter. For more information, visit gertner.com.

Posted in Magicians Only on June 17, 2015 by Paul Gertner.