Magicians have been with us for masses, if no longer thousands, of years. Historians date the first usage of the phrase as early because the 14th century, and hint its etymological origins to the magus, a kind of ancient Persian priest, and cognate maghdim, a Chaldean term for “understanding and philosophy.” rapid-forward a handful of centuries later, and the word’s primary connotations nevertheless apply, at the least to fashionable-day magician John Rizen, a Canadian-born magic grasp and tycoon presently based in Vancouver, BC. For the past six years, Rizen had controlled to carve out a profession path doing what he loves, through difficult work, self-described hustle, and of direction — and please forgive the mandatory pun — a little magic.
magic
(photo credit: Antony Mayfield/Flickr)
call: John Rizen
Age: 31
occupation: Magician
length of Employment: 6 years
fatherland/cutting-edge area: Vancouver, BC
PayScale: What do you do, and what makes it your dream activity?
Rizen: i’m a contract magician. i’ve usually cherished magic, ever when you consider that I first watched a David Blaine road magic video. In my early days, i’d perform for random people on the street, even though i was terrible – and still made errors, ha ha. I simply enjoyed the few times that a trick worked flawlessly, and the reactions i might get from the audience. on the facet, I teach magic and construct web sites as well. My largest magic internet site is www.rebelmagic.com. i love sharing popular hints and sharing my opinion of them.
PayScale: How did you turn out to be here? What interesting or sudden jobs or studies have you ever had along the manner?
john rizen
Rizen: i am a honestly introverted kind of character, so i’m still amazed at myself that I chose magic as a profession. Magicians have a good way to carry out and communicate with people honestly with the intention to enlarge the consequences in their hints. quite a few people have the misconception that to be a magician, you have to be an extrovert and love speaking to human beings. I hate being the center of interest, but I in reality adore it only whilst i am acting a trick. i love sharing my craft, and i love seeing the expressions on human beings’s faces on the stop of a trick. if you love magic, you will comprehend that it is no longer approximately being funny or attempting too tough to place on a great show. if you genuinely love what you do, it’s going to obviously display on your act.
PayScale: what’s a mean day on the task seem like for you?
Rizen: I don’t perform a good deal. There are different freelance magicians I know who attempt to e-book gigs each unmarried day of the week. They need to due to the fact they charge so little. I determined early on that it is now not the course I wanted to move down. I do one to two gigs per week, and rate sufficient in which it’s sufficient. I inspire all magicians to head down this path.
Of path, I do different paintings as well. On an average day, i am continuously practising and improving my arsenal of tricks. and i also weblog, and take part in a variety of communities, in particular regionally. that is simply critical. You need to network with humans, and position yourself as a top-class magician. it’s how i am getting most of the people of my gigs.
PayScale: Describe your workspace.
Rizen: I do business from home. i have a separate room where I hold all my gadget and commonly like to exercise.
PayScale: what is your favourite part of your activity?
Rizen: For one, i really like being able to freelance and just earn a living from home. i have attempted the normal nine-five jobs and located they weren’t for me. I don’t have any interest in climbing a company ladder. the opposite part is, obviously, that i am capable of do what i really like and get paid for it! there’s nothing higher than that. i love magic, and as a way to make a dwelling from it is amazing.
PayScale: Did you go to college? if so, how did college put together or now not prepare you for what you’re doing now?
Rizen: I went to university for 2 years. There are magic faculties, however to make it at a professional level, you actually need to do the paintings yourself. Magicians are like musicians or artists. it is as much as you to make a call for yourself inside the business. You simply want the talent, and dedication to exercise. And of path, you need the hustle! You need to network and get your name accessible a good way to begin touchdown your first gigs.
PayScale: what is the incomes ability for a magician?
Rizen: As a freelance magician, you may make anywhere among $1,000-$20,000 in keeping with month. not anything’s sincerely set in stone and all of it depends on how you role your self, and how well you could community. like any career, your rates will increase as you gain greater enjoy. at first, it’s all about improving your craft, making connections, and constructing up that network.
PayScale: Is there any recommendation you’ll give a person who wanted to follow the identical direction as you?
Rizen: Magic is not a useless-end activity. in case you are able to exercise enough to get your abilties to a high-class stage, then it is smooth to make a full-time earnings. The best component is, there are a whole lot of mediums you may use to develop. It would not need to prevent at freelancing. I endorse is squeezing as a lot as you can out of your abilties. as an example, I run revolt Magic and some other magic web sites. they’re a laugh to make considering that I simply write about magic. they also make money for me and cause the occasional high-paying gig. other matters you can do are create YouTube videos or share your hints on structures like fb. The possibilities are limitless. There are lots of freelance magicians who started out a YouTube channel as a aspect-task and it became their foremost business. Magic is a pretty popular subject matter.
PayScale: what is next at the horizon for you?
Rizen: i’m currently operating on creating my own education motion pictures, which i will additionally use as some other sales circulation to feature to my enterprise. that is the advantage that we’ve nowadays. generation is higher than ever and anybody is at the net. you are able to do a lot more along with your craft than others within the beyond ever dreamed. We need to take benefit of that, and use it to its complete capability.
