There are moments in a magician’s career that feel humbling, profound, and slightly terrifying — like when a dove refuses to leave your jacket mid-trick, or when you realize the kid’s birthday party you were hired for is actually a corporate function for accountants. But nothing prepared me for the day I performed magic for a deaf audience.
New Year’s Eve — the one night where society collectively decides that time is an illusion and champagne is a meal. For most people, it’s a chance to celebrate new beginnings, make resolutions they’ll forget by Wednesday, and pretend they’re fine. For me, a magician, it’s a chance to perform in front of an audience so inebriated they think I’m the one hallucinating.
Ah, Christmas. The most magical time of the year — which sounds great until you realize that for actual magicians, it’s like being an Olympic sprinter asked to run a sack race in a snowstorm. Everyone’s full of holiday cheer, hot cocoa, and unrealistic expectations. The lights are twinkling, the carolers are harmonizing, and there I am in the corner, trying to pull a deck of cards out of a wool glove while Mariah Carey personally ruins my concentration.
Every December, some well-meaning mall manager decides it’s a good idea to have “Santa Photos with a Magician!” And every December, I — Alexander the OK — sign up because I need rent money and validation. What follows is an annual descent into peppermint-scented madness that could make even Frosty the Snowman start stress-smoking candy canes.
The holiday season — that magical time of year when your credit card gets more exercise than your legs, and everyone suddenly becomes an expert on what you “really need.”
Thanksgiving — the only day of the year where I, a professional magician, willingly perform in front of an audience that’s already half-asleep, half-drunk, and entirely covered in gravy. You’d think the holiday built around gratitude and overeating would be relaxing, but no. For magicians, Thanksgiving isn’t a feast — it’s a full-blown endurance test where sleight of hand meets indigestion.
Every profession has its defining season. For accountants, it’s tax time. For retail workers, it’s Black Friday. And for magicians, it’s Halloween — a time when the world briefly remembers that we exist, right before drowning us in pumpkin spice and unsolicited requests to “do a trick.” Halloween is the high holy day of hocus pocus, the Super Bowl of sleight of hand — and for magicians like me, Alexander the OK, it’s a month-long fever dream of capes, chaos, and candy-coated despair.
A chaotic journey into questionable decision-making and the Amazon ‘Frequently Bought Together’ section.
(aka: Please clap, I’m holding my self-worth together with a thumb tip)
You know, people always ask, “How do you vanish stuff so well?”To which I reply: “I don’t. I simply lose things with flair.”
A raw, unfiltered cry from a man who hasn’t felt safe in a long time.
Ah yes, the glamorous life of a magician: pulling miracles from thin air, amazing audiences, and trying desperately not to look like a rejected extra from a low-budget vampire musical. You’d think buying a costume for magic shows would be straightforward. Nope. It’s like walking into the world’s weirdest fashion show, where the dress code is “Victorian aristocrat who fell into a glitter factory.”
Everyone else just got it wrong!
The OK-est Magician in the World!
The downfall of a working professional
Because someone has to make Grandma blush
A live performance that no human will ever understand
A deeply scientific and definitely-not-delusional theory by Alexander the OK
Let’s be honest: if anyone truly suffers in this whole “art of wonder” thing, it’s us — the magicians.
People always say, “Wow, magic must be so fun — adults love that kind of stuff!”
Let’s get something straight right off the bat:Magic is not for children.
Let’s talk about the one magic trick that unites all magicians, from seasoned pros to overly confident uncles with a top hat: the sponge ball routine.
Magic. It’s mysterious, enchanting, and, if we’re being honest, 85% awkward hand movements and 15% praying no one notices the coin sticking out of your sleeve.
For a writer, creating a magician can be both a delight and a trap. It's easy to get lost in flashy spells and intricate magical systems, but the real trick is to craft a character with as much depth as their arcane abilities. A truly compelling magician isn't just defined by their powers, but by their imperfections, their growth, and the human story beneath the robe and staff.
People always say "when you do what you love, you never work a day in your life." I call shenanigans! I love what I do - that's not in question. But I've never worked so hard for anything before. I wouldn't trade this for anything, I just have to make it grow. Before opening your own business, do the research on all the non-talent related business stuff. There's so much to be aware of and setting it all up efficiently can take weeks... and you still have to do the regular work.
As spectators pass by and watch what magicians do, the sentiment is usually the same: "What a cool life" (or something to that effect). The reality is that the performance is the culmination of a lot of effort. There's marketing, cold calling, planning at home, costume design and purchase, restocking on used and damaged props, new material, travel, lectures, crafting, repairs, networking... the list goes on (that doesn't even talk about all the costs).
Building a regular business of being a full time magician comes at a cost. While growing the performing business, there are still bills to pay. For that reason, I imagine, lots of us maintain a backup "regular" job. All of my coworkers know I'm a magician outside the workplace, but it always seems like they look at me like it's just my hobby.
When I meet new people who will be involved in my life in more meaningful ways, I try to warn them that I tend to have a big personality, and while the magic is new and exciting now, it will get old and boring because they will have seen it a LOT of times. The reality is that as a solo performer, I am my own marketing, accountant, manager, agent, etc. So, I try not to miss any opportunity to make heads explode with some effect or trick. You never know who you'll run into.
Everyone who thinks of magic tends to think of the traditional magician pulling rabbits from top hats, or a continuous stream of ribbons from their mouth, or any number of things usually found at a kids birthday party. However, there's a lot more opportunities to perform beyond those. I recently did a three day event working for an insurance broker at a booth in a home show. All the other booths had shiny displays, cute kids to show they were a family business, toys as souvenirs for passers by, one booth even had a very friendly dog to attract people.
Sometimes events are just great all around. While I was paid to do walk around magic for the guests in attendance, I definitely wasn't the focus here. But that didn't stop people from gathering around my table.
As spectators, we often see magicians doing wild effects. And this is perfectly fine... on tv or internet. It works because sensationalism sells. They get to design a "WOW" scenario, and practice it over and over again until it looks perfect. But then what?
Of course it's hard for any solo act to accept performing for less than they are worth. But, that is the struggle of the up and comer. We all like to surround ourselves with people who can get us to the next level or tell and show us how to do it. But there's something to be said about playing the small gigs. Those spots where you don't know if you'll make enough to cover the gas it took to get there. You try harder. You engage more. There's more on the line for you to be consistent and get it right 100% of the time.
What a crazy week!! This was my first long distance travel to perform magic. On Tuesday I got the new tricks in I had ordered specifically for this show. So, I had very little time to get them all setup. Also on Tuesday I picked up a quick stomach bug, so I was down for the count while trying to get everything together.
