How I Became a Magician

My interest in magic started at an early age when I received a card trick book for Christmas, including “30 easy to master miracles”. My family humoured me for a while but eventually started to avoid me at all cost!No one could have predicted that years later while working in the Professional’s shop at Beverley & East Riding Golf Club a member would invite me to the Hull Magician’s Circle. At first I thought it was a joke. I had heard of the magic circle before but I thought it was shrouded in mystery and not accessible to the likes of me! In just a few short weeks I was performing my beginner’s magic tricks to a room of 30 experienced magicians. What could be more nerve-racking? Nevertheless I was made to feel extremely welcome and invited to join the Circle. I have now been a member for more than 5 years and I haven’t looked back since. However, it was only recently during a backpacking adventure around South East Asia that I gained the confidence to try and make a living from magic.
In October last year my journey began with a 16 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur. In the first Malaysian hostel I stayed in I quickly made friends but refrained from telling anyone that I performed magic. These people seemed to like me and I didn’t want to ruin it! However, on the last night magic came up in conversation and I admitted to knowing a few tricks.Maybe it was the 16 hours practice I had on the flight but their reactions of shock and surprise were so genuine that it gave me the confidence to perform during the rest of my journey.
I decided to record videos of my street magic in Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Cambodia with the help of some friends I met on my travels. My idea was to use the footage as interesting content for a business Facebook page, although it was with some trepidation that I uploaded my first video. Not all my friends and family knew I performed magic and I had no idea how they would react. Nothing could have prepared me for how many kind comments I would receive from everyone.
Since returning home from Asia I try to post a new video every few weeks and love the challenge of coming up with new ideas. I’m amazed at how many positive comments I get from people I haven’t even met!
I have worked hard to grow my business and have received a lot of support from family and friends. I have now performed at numerous weddings, parties and corporate events and the bookings keep coming. I get so much enjoyment from entertaining people by using a simple pack of playing cards and showing them something they have never seen before.
Below is the video that I recorded in Bangkok outside the Grand Palace.