In a Name

[Maaz Hasan]

So I had my first day of school today, and for my one class, I introduced myself as a magician. However, it felt very awkward coming out, and people gave me blank looks. So in the next class, I wrote down "Sleight of hand magician", and it definitely felt lighter.

Would it be wrong of me to call myself a sleight of hand artist, or even a sleight of hand entertainer, even though I do a lot of stuff besides sleight of hand (though sleights are a majority of my arsenal)? I feel like that is my persona, but I'm not sure it will bode well.

Thoughts?

P.S., I know this discussion pops up a lot, but it is never in a direct question or thread.

 

[Justinquill]

Let me get the obvious out of the way first, call yourself what ever you identify with. If you feel like your persona is best suited under the sleight of hand moniker it's up to you. At the end of the day if you call yourself a magician or a sleight of hand artist, people are going to expect the same type of things from you, tricks. For a ley person I've noticed they don't really differentiate between illusions, sleights, and mentalism, it's all tricks to them. Just remember, when and if you start branching out don't get caught up in the "magician or sleight of hand artist, or illusionist" you're Maaz and all that other stuff is just a descriptor.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

Let me get the obvious out of the way first, call yourself what ever you identify with. If you feel like your persona is best suited under the sleight of hand moniker it's up to you. At the end of the day if you call yourself a magician or a sleight of hand artist, people are going to expect the same type of things from you, tricks. For a ley person I've noticed they don't really differentiate between illusions, sleights, and mentalism, it's all tricks to them. Just remember, when and if you start branching out don't get caught up in the "magician or sleight of hand artist, or illusionist" you're Maaz and all that other stuff is just a descriptor.

Thanks, but I was talking more so on 2 seperate fronts.

A) Would it be unfair to other magicians to call my self a Sleight of hand artist if I don't do 100% sleights?

B) I have actually found people react badly to the term magician. In fact, I was hesitant to call myself a magician when I first started performing, mainly because when I myself heard "magician", I thought of the creepy dude who did weird stuff to people. Look it all the skits about magicians. The term magician is portrayed pretty weirdly (obviously, this doesn't end up being the case, but first impressions start with a name). Plus, old school magicians, which a lot of people imagine, were seen a ton as obnoxiously cocky guys. I personally feel like if I say "I'm Maaz, I'm a Sleight of Hand entertainer/artist, would you care to see some Magic?," I will sound A) More professional, B) Less Obnoxious, and C) Less like a cocky jock, compared to just saying "I'm Maaz, I'm a magician, I do magic, would you like to see a trick?"

 

[HectorE1]

I think it's best not to label yourself especially right out of the gate and so bluntly like that, I say this because I know how people can be especially now days, I mean you yourself described how people reacted and you also say it felt awkward... just as justinquil said you are you, just know when where and to who to perform and do you're thing if any body asks then yeah, you do magic

 

[Maaz Hasan]

I think it's best not to label yourself especially right out of the gate and so bluntly like that, I say this because I know how people can be especially now days, I mean you yourself described how people reacted and you also say it felt awkward... just as justinquil said you are you, just know when where and to who to perform and do you're thing if any body asks then yeah, you do magic

I am actually going to have to disagree with you there. If I want to perform to people, I am not going just say "I am Maaz, you wanna see some magic." That's pretty creepy lol

Plus, a label gives the laymen something to grasp on to.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Marketing! Yay.

Here's the thing - you should use the label that most efficiently conveys the idea of what you do to the people who might see you perform. Don't worry about other magicians. Brian Brushwood calls himself a Bizarre Magician. In the parlance of the magic world, he is -not- a bizarre magician. However, he is a magician, and he is pretty weird, and when he's selling the show the most efficient way to convey that to a lay audience who might hire him, is to call himself a Bizarre Magician. Get it?

Call yourself whatever label will tell people what to expect from your show and don't sweat it beyond that. You'll probably catch flak from other magicians - don't sweat that either.

I do think you need some kind of label for yourself, too. If you don't label yourself, they'll label you automatically with whatever they can think of. That might not be great for your brand.

The other side of the coin is that the show has to reflect the label. Or, rather, the audience's perception of the label. So if you call yourself a sleight of hand artist, your stuff better look like sleight of hand. That way the words people use to describe your show afterward will reflect your branding. Anything else creates a dissonance in the branding and that hurts your ability to sell the show effectively.

For a ley person I've noticed they don't really differentiate between illusions, sleights, and mentalism,

They do when mentalism is performed correctly. The vast majority of the people currently calling themselves mentalists are mental magicians.

 

[CWhite]

Be careful of labels. A friend of mine a long time ago did some magic, some jokes, some music. It was aimed at adult audiences... he made the awkward and unbeknownst to him strange label of "Adult Entertainer" ... lol
He works road construction now... lol

 

[Maaz Hasan]

Thanks guys! I think I've got it figured out now!

 

[RealityOne]

I like @Rev's signature... it is something like "just a guy who does card tricks." Me, I'm just a guy who loves studying, talking about and performing magic. Describe, don't label.

Thanks guys! I think I've got it figured out now!

So let's take this further. Write a paragraph introduction (this does sound like a homework assignment doesn't it?) that someone would use to introduce your show. Here is mine:

David has had a life-long love of magic and has been seriously studying and performing magic for over ten years. In addition to performing, David has worked with professional magicians around the world in developing and scripting their performances. Despite his knowledge and love of what he calls “theatrical magic”, David told me that he believes that the true magic in life resides in our hearts - the magic of falling in love, the magic of holding a newborn child, the magic of being comforted by a friend and the magic of our ability to make a difference in the lives of others. The use of theatrical magic to remind us of the real magic in our lives is what makes David's show "A Different Kind of Magic."​

What's yours?

 

[Maaz Hasan]

I like @Rev's signature... it is something like "just a guy who does card tricks." Me, I'm just a guy who loves studying, talking about and performing magic. Describe, don't label.



So let's take this further. Write a paragraph introduction (this does sound like a homework assignment doesn't it?) that someone would use to introduce your show. Here is mine:

David has had a life-long love of magic and has been seriously studying and performing magic for over ten years. In addition to performing, David has worked with professional magicians around the world in developing and scripting their performances. Despite his knowledge and love of what he calls “theatrical magic”, David told me that he believes that the true magic in life resides in our hearts - the magic of falling in love, the magic of holding a newborn child, the magic of being comforted by a friend and the magic of our ability to make a difference in the lives of others. The use of theatrical magic to remind us of the real magic in our lives is what makes David's show "A Different Kind of Magic."​

What's yours?

I will think about this for a while. I'll get back to you once I figure this out!

 

[Justin.Morris]

Great stuff here. Any description you use (Labels are just one or two word descriptions) is fine as long as you feel it is clear. I use the term magician to describe myself. I was just at a gig last night and introduced myself as the magician. ("Good evening! How is your night going? Good! I hope I can make it even better. My name is Justin Morris and I am the magician tonight and I was wondering if you would like to see some magic!**") And over and over, all night long without exception, people said emphatically "YES!", and a bunch of the adults said "I LOVE magic!" We are much farther away from the stigma of top hats and bunny rabbits. I would say we still must battle the stigma that magicians are mostly for kids, but that will come! My point is that I very rarely encounter someone who reacts poorly to the word magician, and I want it to be crystal clear what I do (Marketing like Chris pointed out). I don't want people to be confused before things even start. So as long as it's clear to someone who does not know the language.

**(and yes I know that lots of people don't like to ask if people want to see magic (because they don't know what they want, so you must just show them). I just disagree. I think it's polite to ask -especially when accosting them with magic - if you may interrupt their conversations. Maybe that's just because I'm Canadian, but I try to treat others how I would like to be treated)

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

I think the preconception of "magician" will vary dramatically by region. Probably largely hinging on whether there are quality magicians performing in the area.

It's good to have a conversation with people, without revealing that you're a magician if possible, and ask them what their notion of "magician" is. The last person I asked said, "I dunno. Dude with a top hat and tux, rabbit, bad jokes." This is a nearly 30 year old performance artist (Aerialist) and she has seen performers like Copperfield live.

I don't think it's a bad idea to call oneself a magician. It's just important to know what that word means to the general populace of the area you're using it. I will also admit, if someone tells me their a magician, I usually cringe inside. But there are plenty of folks who do the title justice, and eventually will change the stereotype.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

I find that introducing myself as a magician in a setting like a restaurant, or even something like a public venue (or even a stage) is fine, but I think people will get the wrong idea in a school scenario, simply because I will not actively be showing someone a trick while or directly after it happens.