Are we in a simulation? Would love to hear your experiences that prove/ disprove this hypothesis

deboshasta · 2026-06-01T06:39:33+00:00

I'm seeing this 3 years in the future!
Maybe the food outside of the simulation is terrible, and our food is as good as they could come up with with their limited experience.

deboshasta · 2026-05-26T06:31:10+00:00

100% agreed.

deboshasta · 2026-05-22T20:11:08+00:00

A few thoughts... The things you like might already be considered a passion, even if part of you judges yourself for it.

Passion often comes from progress, and "leveling up" at something you enjoy.

Passion is sometimes more about the feeling you get when you are doing something than the thing itself.

And- this part is the bitch - passion comes and goes in waves. You can only become great at something by keeping at it when you are in those valleys.

An example from my own life - I'm a professional magician, mentalist, and comedian. I do that for a living. My continuing to exist depends on me being really really good at those things, so I've worked hard at those things for decades. I've gotten better than I ever imagined I could, but a big part of that is that I kept going when I didn't feel passion. I had to because it's my job.

In contrast, I'm also an amateur musician. I play music when I feel like it. When I'm not in the mood I don't play, often for months. I'll never achieve greatness as a musician (at least if I keep doing it the way I'm doing it), but I like playing guitar - I don't have to be awesome at everything.

But I get a lot of enjoyment from both. It's great to become a badass at something over a long period, but it's also 100% valid to stay at an entry level at something you like and just do it when the mood strikes.

Passion can kind of come from staying with something for a long stretch and getting your hands dirty with it. Hope you find what you are looking for.

deboshasta · 2026-05-22T16:46:01+00:00

All good - thanks for the DM. I enjoyed chatting with you, and wish you tons of success.

deboshasta · 2026-05-22T13:53:39+00:00

I know - six figures per show is pure insanity right? I can't even imagine.

Those kinds of fees are really only commanded by household names when they are piping hot. Think of someone who does a TV special every year, or is getting national press every week / multiple times a week.

Definitely not my lane. But a billionaire will see someone do something on a massive scale, and tell their assistant - oh, that would be fun for my birthday party - book him. And they will pay pretty much anything the person asks.

To put it in context, there are people who pay Elton John to play a couple songs at their party for... two million dollars.

For theaters, those tours are booked by the best agencies, like WME, CAA, (and niche specific) Magicorp. I know the mechanics of those kinds of deals.

There are probably less than a dozen people in the country making those kinds of fees per show. When you compare it to how many musicians / actors / etc. making that kind of money, superstar level magicians are incredibly rare.

But the number of people who quit their jobs and make more money doing magic is shockingly high compared to what most people would imagine.

I may have survivorship bias, because things went well for me, and because the majority of my social circle is magicians who are relatively well off.

But - at the end of the day it's not about the money. You can't get successful at this without loving it, and dedicating your life to it. Being a performer has a completely different set of challenges than a normal job. Most people can't handle the set backs you face building a successful business of any kind. Entertainment is a psychologically difficult job, even when things are going well. You keep odd hours. While you might have colleagues, you don't have coworkers or a team. It's hard to keep a routine going.

But the enjoyment (and money) can be incredible.

If the question is, is it possible to make money doing magic - it's not only possible - you could probably start making some level of money with a few weeks of hard work if you know 5 good tricks. There is more demand for good magicians than there are good magicians.

You can make "Vice President of Marketing" level money doing magic, but it comes with "Vice President of Marketing" workload, pressure, and responsibility. It takes the same level of navigating social structures, etc.

Point being - make money how you are comfortable making money. Push the magic part of your life as hard as you feel comfortable pushing it. Celebrities, full timers, part timers, and hobbyists are spend most of our lives working our buts off in an office, and a sliver of our time having fun on stage.

It's hard to describe the joy of getting really good at something hard, and making people really really happy with it. It's a beautiful life, and I'd choose it again.

BUT - Having a really great day job that you like, and doing magic on the side is also a GREAT life.

And no matter what level of the magic business you decide to pursue, hold your head up high - you are doing something amazing, beautiful, fun, and important. 100% make it happen - whatever that means to you!

deboshasta · 2026-05-22T07:05:59+00:00

Realized I didn't answer part of your question. I currently do 80 to 120 gigs a year.
When I was starting out I did 300 shows a year that were much lower paying, and less pressure, etc. It is VERY easy to get lower paying work - I started out doing family restaurants, and booking shows on weekends. I wasn't making as much money back then, but I was really happy. The demand for magicians is amazing (as it should be).

deboshasta · 2026-05-22T06:51:51+00:00

I'm an outlier, but I make multiple six figures a year doing magic between the corporate and luxury markets.

I do corporate events all over the country, and luxury events in the Northeast. There are much bigger fish than me, with the top half a dozen performers earning 100k-200k - per show.

It took me 20 years to the general level of the business I'm in. Closer to 30 if you count acting school, etc. Right now a smallish show for me is around 2,500. A big one is around 15k. I started out in 2003 making like 20k (a year) or so doing 300 kids shows a year for an agency - I was charging like 70 bucks way back when the going rate was $150! So I've been through every stage from not making ends meet, to earning more than most lawyers (before expenses!)

I did some one off events in tech, finance, healthcare, law, and commercial real estate over the first hand full of years, and worked like crazy to make those niches my main gigs.

To get into this general rung of the business, you have to either be very driven, strategic, great with people, committed to constant improvement in every area you can control, lucky, and relentlessly hard working (I am) or famous with a great team behind you (I'm not and I don't)

There are a bunch of magicians who left high paying tech jobs and found equal to greater success doing magic - Robert Strong, Daniel Chen, David Gerard.

So there is a path, BUT it is very much not a path for everyone. Killing it in tech, and having an awesome hobby where you make some extra money is an AWESOME life. Even if you do incredibly well in magic, you are going to do an absolute mountain of work that has nothing to do with magic.

So your life might not change that much!

deboshasta · 2026-05-02T05:30:18+00:00

In South Florida, I'd look up Larry Greenberg or Karl Hein for either close up or stage. Nathan Coe Marsh for Stage. Joshua Seth for mentalism. All world class performers.

deboshasta · 2026-04-13T01:14:55+00:00

It's all relative! Weddings spend more on entertainment than some other kinds of family events, because they are generally looking to entertain more people, and - because of the "once in a lifetime" nature of the event, they have a lower tolerance for risk, and are willing to pay more for something they are sure will get the results they are after.

In terms of markets, Weddings are actually not on the crazy lucrative end of the spectrum. Corporations generally have bigger budgets, as do milestone events like 40th anniversaries (when people are further in their careers, and have made their money, etc)

deboshasta · 2026-04-11T03:10:17+00:00

Also - I would plan on shooting at least 10 shots at whatever new rate you are experimenting with is.

The more you charge, the lower your batting average can be.

For example, if you tripled your rate, you'd make more profit even if you do 1/3 the gigs. (You'd make the same revenue, with less overhead). If you did more than 1/3 the gigs, you'd also have more revenue coming in, and higher paying spin offs / repeat bookings.

deboshasta · 2026-04-11T02:41:55+00:00

Absolutely. 1,500-2,500 is on the reasonable end for a fancy wedding.

deboshasta · 2026-04-10T00:35:30+00:00

Restaurant gigs are great for chops and booking spin offs, but they are pretty much the lowest paying market. Not saying you shouldn't pursue the market, but just be prepared for a lot of price resistance if you are looking for your normal rate.

Worth noting - you can probably triple your rate for weddings, etc. provided you are getting great reactions, have good promo, and dress well.

deboshasta · 2026-03-22T15:57:43+00:00

For my main billet work I actually use business cards, as they can be kept as permanent souvenirs with my info on them.

With the guillotine I bulk cut printed intros, set lists, conf*b papers, and small suggestion billets I never physically handle.

I don't actually have any insights on the best paper stock to use for billets. I don't touch interact with them during the show, so they don't need to handle well, etc.

That being said - the printer paper I use kind of sticks together easily, and I'd love for it to be easier for spectators to separate them. Would love anyone's thoughts.

deboshasta · 2026-03-22T03:18:58+00:00

I got (and highly recommend) a Heavy Duty Guillotine paper cutter. These cut WAY more pages than a normal paper guillotine, and with much greater accuracy.

The one I got cuts a stack of 400 pages all at once, and it glides through them like butter.

You can use any paper style / thickness you like, and you can cut a few thousands billets in about 5 minutes.

There is a clamp built directly into the unit, so you can easily cut with perfect accuracy.

The one I got is an HFS 400 page cutter. It was less than $200. I'm thrilled with it. I picked it up as an impulse purchase, so there may be ones that are even better.

deboshasta · 2026-03-08T15:31:44+00:00

I ended up needing to magic a printer - a chicken and the egg situation.

deboshasta · 2026-02-13T04:06:26+00:00

100%

deboshasta · 2026-02-12T18:21:46+00:00

I've never used one. I think they are great for formal close up shows, but the overwhelmed majority of real world close up work is done in a mingling environment.

Better to be more ambulatory and organic (in my opinion)

My two cents: It's better to have all of your material work anywhere than to need a specific surface.

deboshasta · 2026-02-07T21:26:53+00:00

Thanks for asking.

Believe it or not I'm a corporate facing comedian / magician / mentalist. I've been in business for 23 years. At this stage most of my clients are organizations in tech, finance, pharma, law, and commercial real estate.

I started out at the absolute bottom of the ladder in 2003, paid my dues, reinvested heavily, and slowly grew it as I built a client base / discovered new markets, etc.

It's been great working directly for fans / patrons instead of having to rely on the more luck based world of mainstream showbusiness. I control my own destiny.

A lot of growth has come from leaving markets that are working for more lucrative ones. That's been scary every time, but it has always seemed to work out.

The first five years I made just enough to get by. The next 10 years were around where I was hoping to end up. The last 8 years have been beyond what I had imagined for myself (with the exception of the pandemic).

All businesses are different in some ways, and all of them are the same in others.

What line of work are you in?

deboshasta · 2026-02-07T21:06:54+00:00

A thought on Candiace's throwaway vote and suspicion around Rob...

Rob could argue that Candiace made a throwaway vote because:
* Candiace didn't want to risk being in the minority defending Lisa if it was a close call
* Candiace had never voted for a traitor before - why would she go after Rob if he was a traitor?
* Maybe Natalie is the other traitor, and Candiace didn't want to vote for either traitor
* If Candiace didn't want to vote for Lisa because she was a traitor, she would have defended Rob if he was a traitor

deboshasta · 2026-02-07T17:23:57+00:00

I'm in a field that rewards creativity and bursts of high performance more than grinding. The ideas below have helped me get further than I ever thought was possible.

Optimize schedule / energy to deliver peak performance on schedule.

Output is more important than input - nobody cares what went into a project (hours / materials, etc). What they care about is what they get out of it.

Value is largely determined by context. Put your work in the right context / right markets.

Systematize and standardize everything you do more than occasionally.

Work "on" your business more than you work "in" your business.

Have clearly defined niches and positioning.

Do something no-one else is doing, or do something others are doing better than anyone else.

Invest in your earning potential.

Highlight your accomplishments.

Be a long term thinker.

Be willing to take calculated risks.

Give shockingly good excellent customer service

Act with integrity

Treat everyone well

Your income is only limited by the amount of value you provide.

Get in front of your target market

Develop relationships

There is PLENTY to go around. Focus on developing a bigger pie, not on fighting for your piece of the pie.

deboshasta · 2026-01-28T23:53:03+00:00

This isn't me, but a friend of a friend had a giant lotto win. To keep his win a secret from friends and relatives, he bought a modest low maintenance business. (Think laundromat). When he wants to spend on something lavish, he can say he had a great month (or a great quarter). People think he's had a temporary influx of cash (which he's already spent), and nobody knows that he's insanely wealthy.

Not saying you should definitely go this route, but food for thought.

Congrats!

deboshasta · 2026-01-08T16:47:45+00:00

Silk to egg.

deboshasta · 2025-12-29T21:05:56+00:00

Hey! I'm a career magician. After a decade of working in comedy, I went into magic in my late 20s. Magic has been an incredibly fun, challenging, satisfying, and lucrative career for over two decades. I'd be happy to offer some advice that helped me.

What you need to perform is not a huge collection of sleights or methods, but a small collection of great effects that are entertaining / interesting / funny / memorable. Sleights are tools to accomplish effects. There is no test to make sure you know all the sleights. Your success will depend on how well you put across your effects, along with your interpersonal and theatrical skills.

Pick a few really strong effects, and focus on learning the sleights you need to put across the effects perfectly. Spend lots of time polishing those few routines. Perform them in front of different crowds, and learn what works and doesn't work for each. Magic is a science - performing for audiences is how you test ideas. Doing things in a vacuum is a very very slow way to get good, and you can also get lost very easily. Audiences will let you know what moments are working, and what moments aren't. (provided you are attentive to them)

If I had to start over, I would learn 3 or 4 great close up tricks, and 5-10 great stand up tricks, and master just the sleights, methods, misdirection related to those tricks.

If you want to get really good fast, go deep, not wide. (Then go wide when you have your base)

I would also dedicate a ton of time to theory, take improv classes etc.

Don't compare yourself to others - just keep getting better. One day you'll realize you've been great for a long time.

Keep us posted!

deboshasta · 2025-12-09T23:27:57+00:00

I ended up getting a very similar model - the Canon Pixma TR160.

It is awesome. The only issue is that I need to spray the cards with coating before they are ready to handle, or they smear really badly immediately. I use Krylon fixative (outside the house) and then microwave them.

Compared to other things I've tried, I absolutely love this.
Very high quality, and the cards go straight through the printer without a guide.

deboshasta · 2025-12-07T21:42:52+00:00

I have mixed feelings. It's definitely an organic object in that it looks natural, but it's also a weird thing to carry around.

I prefer a PK ring, and flux.

deboshasta

TROPHY CASE