How is it like being a magician in Singapore? That depends on what type of magician you are. The vast majority of magicians in Singapore consists of hobbyists and part-timers. Then there are those that call themselves “Professional Magicians”, not because they are “better” than the part-timers or hobbyists (In fact, there are many that are highly-skilled), but because it is the sole thing that they do for a living.
Only a handful dare to venture into being a full-time magician as some people just enjoy the magic making part. Being a professional magician, you will need to be able to handle the business side of things, and to some, it takes away the joy of magic. Another reason is the fact that it is not the most stable job in the world. How much you earn depends on how often you work and you need to actively put yourself out there. This is where many have tried but eventually decide to treat it as a hobby or a part-time job instead.
Humble Beginnings
After being inspired by the wave of “Street Magic” phenomenon started by David Blaine in the early 2000s, I took it up as a hobby, started to get serious with it, entered my first magic competition locally and managed to get the 2nd prize award. This opened my doors to the local magic community, including magic clubs and I made up my mind that I was going to be a professional magician once I graduated from University – much to the horror of my parents.
The usual concerns included it not being a stable job but I knew that if I did not give it a try, I would regret it. I started performing part-time while I was in the university, seeking out events through companies and directly through clients. With some experience under my belt before I graduated, I felt that I could become a full-time magician and have not looked back since.
Daily Life
You might think that it is all glamourous and fun being a professional magician, with opportunities to perform around the world, performing in venues that you would otherwise never visit, being on TV and more but that is not the full picture that is portrayed on social media.
There are also days of waiting for work and worrying about whether there will be enough jobs this month. Days of just coming up with ideas and putting together an act only to drop it as it is not good enough for the public. This is on top of sending out emails, invoices, going to meetings, calling clients and a whole lot of other administrative work.
We wear many hats and usually “do-it-all” by ourselves because if we get someone to do it, extra costs will be incurred. These are all part and parcel of the life of a professional magician. That is why I feel that the greatest illusion a professional magician can pull off is making it look like it all happened overnight effortlessly.
Affected By The Pandemic
In early 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic struck Singapore. For the first time since starting full-time, I was worried about the uncertainty. Many others in the entertainment and events industry were badly hit, even till today. As the international community of magicians and everyone around the world were suffering the same fate, the idea of doing virtual magic shows was suggested.
There were mixed responses and being sceptical at first, I attended one virtual magic show as a guest and decided to give it a go. Doing a few shows privately with my friends and family, there were a lot of trial and error. Getting used to the medium, choosing the right material and at the same time not letting the fact that the audience and I were separated affect the effectiveness of the magic were some concerns.
Virtual Magic Shows
From these few private shows, word got out and I started to market myself out of Singapore for my virtual shows, both privately just by contacting people and platforms like Airbnb. Till date, I have done close to 400 virtual magic shows. This has been a blessing in disguise as now, I need not travel to perform and could do multiple shows in a day, which I am thankful for.
Through virtual shows I have been able to let my magic touch people around the world and performed for big corporations like Facebook, LinkedIn ,Amazon, Nike and many others – all from my home studio. Who would have thought this was possible 2 years ago? This proves that a crisis can be also an opportunity, and those that are able to grab on to the opportunity and make the best of it will benefit from it.
As the situation improves in Singapore, I am very much looking to forward to performing in person – performing in restaurants, cocktail banquets, private parties and on stages. At the same time, the virtual space will not be totally gone and will remain as an option in the future.
So if you are reading this and would like to support me, book me for a virtual show. This could be for a virtual team meeting you are having, or a corporate event happening online that would like to have some virtual entertainment, or even a family gathering with family members around the world, or a virtual date night where you would like to just stay at home.
And finally, when everything is back to normal, I look forward to sharing my magic with you in person 🙂
Website: MforMagic | MagicalProposals
Virtual Shows:
- Airbnb Online Experience “Beyond The Magic”
- Airbnb Online Experience “Shadows In The Dark – A Spooky Magic Show”
This article was brought to you by Ming Da. Perhaps the greatest illusion the magician can do is to make it look like all he does is effortless and done overnight.
