© Christian Lavey
A steady salary as an educator was not enough to hold Christian Lavey, who traded his classroom for a life of illusion, becoming a professional magician after the pandemic prompted a radical rethink of his career.
The constraints of a traditional office job – fixed hours and predictable routines – became an untenable future for Christian Lavey during the pandemic. The former educator from Luxembourg decided to make a radical career change, turning a lifelong fascination with magic into his profession.
Inspired by his grandfather
Lavey's journey into magic began in childhood, learning his first tricks from his grandfather. What started with a booking at a children's birthday party over 15 years ago has evolved into an international career. He now works as a professional magician, specialising in sophisticated mentalism.
He is quick to clarify the nature of his craft. "It's not lying", Lavey says, preferring to call it "deception". The appeal for him lies in the interaction. "I enjoy giving people the feeling that I know what they're thinking [...] But it's more about observing people and reading their body language", he explains.
Despite the wealth of inspiration available online, Lavey emphasises that secrecy remains a cornerstone of magic, upheld by a community-wide "magician's code". New tricks are primarily developed through creativity, experimentation, and exchanges with peers at conventions.
This need for constant evolution is what makes the profession so varied, he notes. Some tricks fail with an audience, while others require refinement. For Lavey, the ultimate goal is to captivate and fascinate, an outcome achievable with both simple tricks and complex illusions.
From local gigs to global stages
Now in his fourth year as a self-employed magician, Lavey's career has expanded far beyond his Luxembourg base. While he still performs at local events like children's birthday parties, his work through an international agent takes him around the world. He is a regular performer on cruise ships, with contracts that send him on multi-week journeys to destinations from the Arctic to Australia.
"I would never have experienced all of this without this profession", Lavey remarks.
© Christian Lavey
His portfolio also includes small roles in the film industry. A recent drive back to Luxembourg from a film shoot in France provided a moment of clarity. Seeing commuters stuck in traffic, he reflected, "They might have big, expensive cars, but I wonder if they're really that happy with their lives. That's when I appreciate my decision and my profession even more."
Lavey is a strong advocate for pursuing a career based on genuine passion, noting, "After all, you spend a large part of your life at work." He sees a positive trend in the younger generation's prioritisation of work-life balance – an attitude sometimes criticised by older generations, but one he fully supports.
For Lavey, magic is more than a job: it is a way of life. Through his illusions, he aims not only to bring wonder and smiles to his audience but also to serve as a living example that it is worth taking the courage to follow one's dreams.
