Career & Entrepreneurship
In Conversation with Josephine Lee – Part 3
You might remember her as the stunning magician from Britain’s Got Talent who charmed everyone with her illusions and elegance. Josephine Lee is now all set to cast a spell across the world. Vivamost brings to you the leading lady magician up and close in her own words in our three part interview series. Read Part 2 here.
Source: Josephine Lee
Reception
V: Which audience do you think are the most difficult to entertain and easiest to entertain?
JL: I found Russia a challenging audience. Places like the Caribbean and America where everyone’s full of enthusiasm, they are very expressive. Whereas, the Russians are very conservative. They may be feeling an emotion, but it’s not always portrayed. I’ve just been in China, and I thought the Chinese audiences are fantastic, they love the shows, and they’re very enthusiastic.
V: Being a magician is a coveted power, you are an undeclared angel. Tell us about instances where people have come up to you with bizarre wishes?
JL: Yes, it happens all the time. Most frequently, with children. As funny as it may sound, it’s something that you need to be very careful with. Often at the meet and greets, after the shows, I always have a group of children asking if I can teach them how to cut people in half (laughs). I always tell them that they need to wait till they’re much older and those things happen only when you’re a certain age, hopefully by then they will have forgotten!
V: Have you ever used your magic on vanishing your problems? Has your skill come in handy for you?
JL: I think I wish I could clean my bedroom up a bit quicker (chuckles embarrassingly). On a serious note, magic has given me an incredible opportunity to perform and let me do something that I really really enjoy doing and it’s a career which doesn’t feel like it’s even work. So I think, in that aspect, yes, it has helped with my life.
Source: Josephine Lee
Giving Back
V: You are now among the leading female magicians in the world. How do you feel about it?
JL: Sometimes it’s thrilling and exciting but sometimes it’s quite daunting because there’s not many other females out there doing it. I find it almost as a responsibility of mine to do well, because there’s been quite a few female magicians who have tried but unfortunately not really succeeded and have been categorized as failures as they are women. So, I feel a bit of pressure being top of my game because I’d like to inspire other women. There is room for women in the magic industry and is just about working hard and if it doesn’t work the first time you gotta try again. I’d say I feel 80% excitement and 20% pressure.
V: One advice you want to give girls and women who want to pursue Magic and Illusion as career choices?
JL: Keep going, really! There will be times when you will get knocked down but you need to get back up. Consider it as a growing and developing phase. It can be a little bit scary as you question whether it’s because of your performance or if it was because you’re female, but you just need to keep going…..it’s as simple as that.
V: Is it important that not just the promising fields such as STEM but also unconventional fields such as magic as well require increase in girls’ participation?
JL: Yes, of course. Often people dismiss the importance of a profession by saying “it’s just magic”, “oh, she’s just a dancer”, “she’s just a singer”. Perhaps I’m not a doctor, maybe I can’t save lives. But when you have the attention of a large group of people, you have a voice and that is very important. You gain a voice when you have a platform. It is important that you use that voice in a positive, inspiring and motivating way. If someone has passion for magic, that doesn’t mean that they’re not going to be able to help someone, in fact they can help by portraying a story with the use of magic. Recently, I learned about a woman who is also a magician, and used her magic going around schools to educate children on global warming. It is an incredible way to get kids’ attention. Use your art to get your message across.
V: Since you mentioned teaching, do you also have plans in future to teach magic?
JL: I’ve never actually thought about that. I think for now I’m focusing on performing. Regrettably I feel that women have a shorter life on stage than men. It’s a pity but as women get older competition can get harder. We live in a world where this does exist, especially in the entertainment business. There’s no point in pretending it doesn’t. I would like to enjoy being on stage while I can still move, and my body is still physically strong enough to perform magic. But if I had to take a backseat, then maybe I’d like to teach someone my show and send them off and, you know, a gift to the next generation, especially for women because the standard difficulties they experience are different from men.
V: Like how physics is important for engineers and tailoring for fashion designers, what is the subject that one has to master to become an expert magician? What are the basics to study Magic?
JL: Acting. It is the basic learning many forget. Everyone focuses very much on the actual skill, of course it is crucial, but one of the most important things to me is carrying one self with assuredness. No one will be interested in you if you can’t flaunt your character, your personality and I think this comes from acting. You need to be able to hold a stage and feel comfortable and confident. You need to use your eyes and your body to draw people in.
Source: Josephine Lee
V: You include social issues in your performances like witchcraft and black magic. What is your reason behind it? Do you do it for awareness or for fun?
JL: Like I said earlier, when you have a platform, you have a voice. This is my opportunity to convey my thoughts to millions of people. I try to put a message out there whenever I can.
Josephine Lee is among the illusion artists in Peter Marvey and Friends – Stars of Illusions at Maag Halle, Zurich. To learn more about Josephine Lee, visit www.josephinelee.co.uk
