For Andino, magic tricks are more than just a form of entertainment, they are an expression of faith. He tells Jessica Morris why being a magician is ‘the most fulfilling job in the world’.

When did you fall in love with magic tricks?
Whether it was magic, circus tricks or just human stunts, I have always been fascinated by what the human body is able to achieve with a little bit of creativity. Magic wasn’t my first love—when I was younger I wanted to join the circus. 

When I was 18 I saw my first magic show, and it wasn’t necessarily the tricks that I loved, it was the theatre in it all. After witnessing my first live show it ignited a flame in me that would soon consume my entire world. 

Becoming a magician is an unusual career choice. Why did you decide to pursue it?
During 2014 I became sick with chronic fatigue, major skin issues and insomnia. I had an early forced retirement from plumbing, and my only choice was to give magic a red hot crack. 

Magic is the greatest, most fulfilling job in the world. My job is to entertain people, to make people laugh, to give someone that feeling of astonishment. Every day I perform I look at the faces of unbelief and awe, and that’s why I pursue it.

What’s your favourite magic trick? How long did it take you to learn it?
My favourite trick is my ‘box trick’. The essence of the trick is a signed card ends up in a box someone else is holding. I constantly get people come up to me; they keep their card in their wallet and remember that feeling of magic. The trick itself takes 10 minutes to learn, but to perform it takes years of practice. 

How do your share your faith as a magician?
Magic gives me a great opportunity to share the Gospel. A few years ago God gave me a vision of using magic to do this. I soon developed a message I call ‘Misdirected’. As a magician my job is to misdirect you and convince you that what you are seeing is real. In the same way, the world tricks us into believing wrong theories and stories about God. Through my message, I emphasise that we need to see beyond these ‘tricks’ and go back to the Bible and stand on the truth of who God is, and what he has done. 

Some people struggle to align Christianity with magic tricks. How do they integrate for you?
We have to remember magic tricks are just tricks. I recently heard a magician say, ‘A magician’s job isn’t to fool anyone, but to give you all the ingredients to fool yourself.’ All that I am doing is giving you the right ingredients for you to say it’s magic. I never want people to think that I use special supernatural powers, but the truth is I’m just good with my sleight of hand.