You don’t have to sit at a desk from 9-to-5 to make a living. Finding a job you love is all about following your passions. Here’s how one man went from chef to mind reader.

How would you describe mentalism?

Mentalism is the art of using five senses to create the idea of six. These techniques require years of experience to master and are the very same techniques used for centuries to fool people into believing psychic powers existed in the first place. It’s a branch of magic. It really is the last frontier of magic, where people think, ‘that possibly could be real.’

How did you get interested/started in the business of mentalism?

I always had an interest in the paranormal and all things bizarre. I was interested in the Amazing Kreskin and mind reading when I was a young child and from there I learned the basics of mentalism and hand magic.

Did you ever do anything else besides mentalism?

I am a trained chef, but I began to get into magic more. I wasn’t doing anything theatrical, and the mentalism just started to click and shine through more and more.

Is it all about mentalism now?

I’m an exclusive entertainer; I do about 300 shows a year. Mysterion is my creative character, based on what I like such as monsters, science fiction, and wrestling (Mysterion moonlights as a professional wrestling manager under the moniker The Grand Wizard 2). I do corporate events, bar mitzvahs, weddings, private parties, galas, theatre stage shows, you name it, I’m all over the place. Around Halloween (Mysterion’s birthday, naturally!) I perform Victorian ghost séances, both at Theatres and re-occuring at Black Creek Pioneer Village.

What is a typical day for you?

A typical day starts with the tasks of morning phone calls, emails, updating Facebook, and the day-to-day domestic chores. Later on I usually have a gig to do, or I’m working at promoting a gig. If I don’t have an event and I’m at home I usually watch a movie or read ( 2 books a week) and I always make sure I have a good dinner. I’m a vegetarian and take pretty good care in what I eat. I’m a pretty average guy though, I don’t live in a castle or a dungeon as some would assume although I wouldn’t mind (laughs).

What has your most interesting show been?

I did a show in the Bahamas and they loved me. I was featured on their local news and some locals thought I was a witch from Canada. I’ve been pretty lucky in that I have no real crazy tails of being on the road. My strangest local gig – I was hired by a dominatrix to do events at their dungeon on customer appreciation day (which is ironic). In one day I’ve managed to do a children’s party, a corporate event, a bar mitzvah and then a show for 300 bikers, I really had to adapt to the environment I was in and it was then I realized that I can entertain any crowd.

What reception did you get from family/friends when you decided to make mentalism your career?

I got a lot of people saying I was throwing away my career, but I knew it was going to work. I had to pound the pavement and paper the city with notices about gigs, and people began to realize that I wasn’t stopping. I’ve had people say, ‘you’re a fake, you’re a quack,’ and I’ve had people say ‘I just don’t believe.’ I bring them into a world where spoons bend and you can communicate by thought. People are just people and people are still kids. It’s just for entertainment and I don’t claim it’s legitimate like others do.  Once people realized this they caught on, even if they were being fooled.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to try becoming a mentalist?

There is nothing more important than understanding people. You have to be a people person and be able to really interact with them. You need the desire to make people smile and just have a good time. Then, get out and do as many gigs as possible, do shows for everyone. I’ve done a show for blind people that I made all about description and thought provoking. Mentalism takes years and it’s not about a few cool effects, but based on a psychology on how to get into peoples patterns and play with perception.

For more information, or to find out where Mysterion will be performing next, check him out at www.mysterionthemindreader.com