How Good Are You - at Face Painting

[Alison]

I'm wondering now - Just How good do we really have to be?
Sometimes I get so efficient at stuff like full face 3D skulls,
or some other such advanced work, and then I get to my
job and a I get wiggly kid who can't sit for one minute.
Then a mother who insists on just a Happy Face on the cheek,
and why did you do that if I dare to wipe a swipe under it.
Or a long line with ' Oh but you have to finish us all in your
last ten minutes of being paid.  That sort of stuff. 

Then I come on line, and I'm super inspired by that magnificent work
I see here.   I feel humbled - I feel like even my best stuff doesn't compare.
And I think of how impressed people are with me at my jobs -
they regularly say things to me like:

"How did you get to be so good?"

or "Your Face-Painting is Special.  It's so much better than expected."

So I wonder - do we have to be The Best to do our jobs?
Can't we just go to work like everyone else?
And spend our time doing non-work related stuff when we're not at work?

Alison
facepaintingexpress.blogspot.com

[Sherry]

Funny, I had a lady at a party a couple weeks ago, that just wanted me to paint 3 large dots on her daughter's cheek and add lots of glitter.  That's it... dots!  I was rather disappointed with this request, but I didn't show it... or at least tried not to.  I pulled out my small spongit and sponged 3 dots, added glitter and the mother just loved it!  This amazed me.  Luckily other party goers did request other work, but the mother tried to talk several of them into getting the dots like her daughter.   

[Whitney Myers]

This is the whole reason that I love what we do. If we were painting on canvas, there would be no personality to display through the painting. We paint to give something personal to each and every client. As long as it is what they love, I'm happy. I have a smiley face belly painting coming up next week. In my head, I wonder why they are hiring a professional for a smiley face, but some things are personal to people for reasons that we may never understand.

[Alison]

Yeah - It seems like we have to understand what our job is. 
It's not to do the hardest painting in the world - not to convince everyone that we are Arteeests,
but to have the skills necessary to make people feel special. 

Abs

[smoothdansa]

I get pi**ed off when I paint next to a face painter whose stuff looks like crap and they get a tip, while I paint the same design and make it look 10x better than theirs and paint it faster and don't get nothing but a "Thanks."

I've trained face painters to work at the boardwalk with me for 4 years now (we are a separate company from the boardwalk and I'm just the manager of the booth) and it amazes me how a newbie can come in and do a crappy job of painting my designs (I make the boards) and get praised for their work.  Yes they are new and usually get better as time goes on, or they don't bother to paint better and yet still get tips.  When we have a line I usually end up painting the most people because they are my designs and I never have to look at them while I'm painting (and I do change the designs every 2 years). The other painters have to still look at the board, take their sweet time, and the design usually looks nothing like it is on the board, yet they still get praise, most of the time.  This is not to say I don't get tips, but sometimes I do wonder if I did a crappy job on my paintings would I still get compliments and tips.

[Alison]

Like yeah - Do we have the nerve to do a crappy job?
To just show up at work and put in our time
like other people who actually have jobs?

Do we feel like we have to prove something?  To ourselves?  To our clients?  To our family/friends? 
Or is it just that we spend our lives hiding in and enjoying visual creations?  Something else? 

I really hope the people here on this Forum will answer these questions.
It's probably different for each person, but maybe I can understand myself better if I bounce off your attitudes.

Abs 

[Party Picassos Facepainting]

I think lately I have noticed some new creativity come out of me.
Trying new ideas and having them look better than I thought.

When I really have a ton of kids to paint in a short time,
it breaks my heart to "pull back" on the extra details.
I REALLY want every face to be a "masterpiece!"
What kills me is that when I am thinking "it's ....ok..."
the kids are STILL delighted. Parents compliment my abilities. And I'm thinking,
"you have NO idea!" Give me more time, so I can completely blow your minds!

[Sherry]

I know what your saying Wina!  I've been surprised at myself lately.  I've been at this for 4 years, but it's been a pretty intensive 4 years, because I do work practically every week and many times multiple times a week.

When I first started, I would cringe when someone would have a special request or something not on my board, but I've noticed lately that I can do a lot of things and know the shape of them. It just comes with experience and practice.  I'll hear people in line throwing out random designs and I'll find myself saying, "I can do that!"  That's a good feeling.   

 Throughout my life I was a real job hopper.  Face painting is something I've stuck with the longest, so the experience part was something that snuck up on me and surprised me.  I'm really thankful to God that the idea for this profession came to me out of nowhere.   

[Party Picassos Facepainting]

I have been drawing all my life. Did art school and worked full time as a graphic artist for 17 years.
Face painting started when my church needed volunteers at their festivals.

I used the hobby paints; yes the evil stuff. I stuck to cheek and arm art. But since I worked full time already,
I did not pursue doing face painting full time; I wanted to have a life. I was single then and had other interests.

But since becoming a mom, I have slowly pursued the full time face painting career.
And it is an AMAZING match, both for my artistic abilities AND my personality!
LOOOOOOOVE kids and people! Love being challenged with something that's not on my boards.
With every stroke of my brush, I improve my talent and confidence. It's a job that I look forward to.
Losing my weekend time is a downfall, but the rest of being a face painter is great.

With a goofy/silly personality, I have thought that God put me here to make others smile.
My face painting is a part of that. This is what I was meant to do!

[Alison]

You all speak so well.  Quote:  it breaks my heart to "pull back" on the extra details.
I REALLY want every face to be a "masterpiece!" UnQuote.  You put it so well Wina.
That's what I was trying to say.  Thank You.

And 'the idea coming out of nowhere' Sherry - Well, the idea was brought to me out of (nowhere) - but I consider it the Holy Ghost.  Why some things are brought to me.  Why I spoke to another Artist's wife who made me feel welcome to jump in to the Face-Painting world - to get my feet wet (or shall we say - to get my brushes wet).  It was just a short one-time conversation with a woman who's husband I barely knew.

I feel like I've been guided this way - along the Artist's path.
Told I was an artist by my Mommeee, got awards in School, looked for a Career,
first school art teacher, then private art teacher, then portrait artist, then alla-prima-artist, then party artist, then face-painter, and all the other avenues this sends me to.....

I'm starting to be confident enough to take it for-granted.  Well, enough to handle parties and events easily.  So I can finally reeeeally enjoy it.  Which means I'm wondering about some other Careers that I've been interested in.  Doing so well here, so why would I be tempted to be a newbie somewhere else?  Like, well, now I represent Young Living Essential Oils.  And I dream of something more physical - perhaps massage therapy or
yeow - like I could do this?  perhaps massage therapy or -  I so hesitate to say this because I'm not qualified to be a
Personal Trainer?  Not Yet.  Unless I want to 'get my feet wet'.......

Maybe it's a personality.  Of people who want to DO this stuff.  Of people who want to get good at doing stuff.  

Abs
facepaintingexpress.blogspot.com

[Party Picassos Facepainting]

Having gone to art school back in the stone age; many of my friends are illustrators, teachers, designers, art directors and such. Some are mail carriers, moms, and other non related art careers. We all landed up somewhere. But despite that many may EASILY have the ability to face paint, they couldn't do face painting.

Why? People skills, patience, a great love for kids and an entertaining attitude. Sitting in a chair for 6 hours may sound like torture to some people. But sitting, chatting and painting for endless hours to me is HEAVEN! I LOVE the small talk. My husband could NEVER enjoy that for hour after hour. It's all great until I have to leave. Then it's "can you PLEASE do my son, we have been waiting for hours! One More...." You get the picture. Parents fighting over "did your son cut in line?" "That's not fair...." It can get ugly.

So occasionally my heaven turns into hell! But that's few and far between! I am blessed!

[Sherry]

Yeah, I've always felt like the idea came from God too, but I don't always come right out and say it, but it is so obvious!     The perfect career fit for me.  I look forward to my job too Wina, especially big, long, busy events.  It can be hours, as long as I have a steady line, I'm happy and it's a pretty fulfilling job.  I feel like I've entertained people with the fun faces, accomplished something and received a good pay for it.  Win, win!

 I have people at events marvel a lot and say I must have so much patience.  I usually feel like a pretty impatient person, but not with kids and people crowding around.  They can be practically climbing on me and it doesn't phase me.  The thing I am impatient with is when they start messing with my stuff... yes, that's the part of my job that bugs me.