In which I explore a new career direction.

I was pretty taken with R. Azulai's magical amulets (such as the one on the right) which I described earlier. (For the interesting fallout see this post). Not just because my daughter wrote a paper this fall about fortunetellers and the laws against them; not just because of the spectacular Rev. Williams who promises, as does R. Azulai, to protect you from voodoo as well as all feelings of generalized unease.

But also, because this seems like a pretty darn good business to get into as long as we're going to be having a Depression and nobody is going to be willing to pay musicians such as myself. After all, even jobless people will obviously be needing magical amulets: to help them get new jobs, to help them pay their bills, to help them get girlfriends even though their cars have been repossessed...

I think the market for good-luck charms and potions is probably pretty recession-proof and secure.

And it looks like the startup costs are pretty low - paper, ink, a brush or a pen, and you're in business!

So I tried my hand (so to speak) at a hamsa for Illustration Friday this week. According to Wikipedia, the Hamsa symbol - named after the Arabic word for "five," like "five fingers" - is widespread in Islamic countries as well as among Jews. It protects against the evil eye, something we all need to worry about these days. And incidentally, "among some Jews, particularly Kabbalists, fish are considered to be a symbol of good luck, so many hamsas are also decorated with fish images."

My hamsa contains fish, birds, and creatures which might be sea lions or might be flying grey teeth depending on how you look at them. And they are surrounded by writings which I think are almost as good as those on the professional amulets sold by Reb Azulai, whom I hope won't have some blackhat Cosa Nostra come get me if I horn in on his territory.

And it's just my first try! I see a new vocation appearing on the horizon!

While I was working on this, I was musing that it might be profitable to go into business with a psychiatrist; we could split the advertising costs ("For sale: Psychiatry and Magical Amulets") and we could refer our customers back and forth, with a small finders' fee.

Unfortunately, it's possible this would be frowned on by the medical board, which we amulet makers don't have to worry about, but psychiatrists do, so I had to SUBTRACT the psychiatrist from my plan.

There are plenty of other businesses with which I believe magical amulets may create synergy. Weight-loss programs, for instance, or employment agencies. Perhaps I'll work up a business plan and look for investors.

Technorati Tags: Illustration+Friday, hamsa, amulet