Every week, I enjoy a morning run in Central Park with my running club. I always look forward to it because the group is constantly growing and gaining exciting members. As I began my five-mile run last week, a new voice ran up next to me and asked if I was training for any upcoming races. After having some small talk about running and what I do for a living, I asked him what he does, “I’m a magician.”

I nearly stopped running. It is not every day that you come across a professional magician. Typically in New York, when asking people what they do for a living, you get a lot of the same: finance, marketing, consulting, media, real estate, law, medicine, etc. but never magic. I was intrigued, to say the least, and I had to learn more about his story.

Moving to New York just two weeks ago, Max Davidson came with a mission: Perform Magic. But his journey began far before two weeks ago. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Max recalled the first time magic hit a chord with him, “I saw a trick when I was six. There was this little store in Denver, and some magician behind the counter did a trick for me, and I was hooked. My grandma then bought the trick for me, and I learned it.” Davidson recalled that for about four years after seeing his first trick, magic became a hobby for him. Then he ventured into getting lessons, “For my 10th birthday, my grandma got me magic lessons, and a magician came to my house and taught me magic.”

Between the ages of 10-15, Davidson’s magic teacher transitioned more into a mentor, introducing him to a network of fellow magicians and got Max performing at shows, “He really opened my eyes to the world of magic, and I started doing shows for money around the age of 12.” Davidson said.

Max was doing shows for birthday parties and events up until this point when he then went to a coveted magic camp in Pennsylvania. When he told me this, I paused at the thought of a magic camp. I had never heard of such a thing and was enthralled to learn what a magic camp entails, “It was like a real-life Hogwarts,” he continued, “around 100-150 people attended. It takes place in an old Pennsylvania college, so it really does look like Hogwarts. I met so many of my current connections and friends at that camp.” Max explained.

After his camp and high school years, Max packed up and moved to Washington, D.C., for college, where he studied political communications. Unfortunately, there was no option to major in magic; however, that did not stop Davidson. While in college, he would rent out his school’s auditorium and put on magic shows.

Following graduation, Max was presented with a fork in the road- move back home to Denver or go to New York City and pursue magic. He chose the latter, “I was considering moving back home to Denver, but I knew it was just not the right call. Everyone is here. Everyone is in New York. Yes, I would’ve gotten gigs in Denver, but I would not have the community I have here in New York. It’s not just about getting shows, it’s about meeting people, learning from people, and there are so many magicians here, so why would I not come to New York?”

Max explained to me that being a part of the magician community is a really tight-knit experience, “There are so many people who are geniuses in the magic world, and the general public will never know because magic is such a small and insulated community; but I kind of like that because I can reach out to my heroes. Like I am one degree of separation away from the most famous magicians in the world.”

Growing up, Max drew inspiration from two greats: Derren Brown and David Blaine, “Derren Brown is phenomenal. He did mentalism, mind reading, and hypnosis. No one was really doing what he was doing beforehand. On the other hand, I really looked up to David Blaine. He did stunts and blended reality and magic at the same time. He’s just unbelievable.”

I started talking to Max about how I felt like magic has such a child-like wonderment to it and how it takes someone special to tap into that particular mental realm of curiosity and play. He agreed and explained why he loves magic so much, “I think it is one of the only art forms that make people question reality and really take them out of the moment.”

He compared comedy and magic, “With comedy, you get a very visceral reaction of making people laugh. And that’s very real, which is nice. And then magic does have this side of reality to it, like, ‘oh, this thing actually did happen,’ Like you’re reacting to the fact that something real happened, but you don’t know the tie. You don’t know why it happened, so it is a really satisfying moment to create” he paused, thought a bit longer, and then continued with an inspired grin, “like there is this moment where it’s like if you’re doing a trick and its constructed well, the audience can see the ending before it happens. It’s like a twist ending in a movie where you get the audience far enough ahead that they are hoping that this thing happens, and then it does. But it’s the moment before it does. It is that moment just before you have them. That is the most satisfying moment.”

I asked Max what his grandest vision for himself in the magic world is, “I want to have my own show. I don’t know if I want to tour or just have it run in a city. They are both appealing because I love to travel, and there are other magic hubs like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Nashville, and London, but I want the autonomy of having my own show and having creative freedom over it. Corporate shows are cool, and you have a say, but artistically it’s less satisfying.”

Max shared his advice to people who want to pursue magic, “Just keep doing it. There is no magic bullet. I think you just have to keep trying and not be afraid of failure.” I loved that advice because I believe it truly applies to any path in life.

For just being in New York for only two weeks, Max has started to pave his way in the magic community; already performing at some of the hottest lounges and clubs in the city, such as Zero Bond, I’d say Max is well on his way to success. I even got to experience one of Max’s tricks firsthand, and I will say I was blown away. You won’t want to miss any of his upcoming shows, so make sure to follow Max on Instagram at max_a_davidson to see where he is performing next!

Max, your upbeat attitude and passion for your work were really special to be around. Thank you for taking the time to speak with Moments Mag.