A little picnic & body painting gig @ nudist colony
carla winter
canvas from just arms & faces. A nudist social club and non-
threatening environment.
A pleasant afternoon and I especially enjoyed being able to paint
barefoot on the grass.
Marianne Bartley
As I have a few moments, I thought a would share a few more trials and tribulations as well as things I learned. I know I have nothing the long-term pros haven't figured out already but maybe some of the newbies might benefit from my glorious wellspring of newly acquired knowledge...lol.
Ok...so I wanted to see how I felt about being part of fairs and festivals. I am trying a broad range of venues to see what works best for me and my personality as well as which ones pay well enough to do again. I chose 3 fairs this year,...one small, one medium, and one rather huge. It was such a great experience for me. I got in lots of practice and my style improved substantially and I can now see where my needs are greatest to improve further. People were AWESOME! They were supportive and complimentary and the kids were delightful.
Now...the downside....
I discovered that the fair had allowed a church group to do free face painting a short distance down the row from me. I paid for this booth and understood when they said I might have to cease doing the glitter tattoos if the other tattoo lady objected since she was there last year. I heartily agreed to do so if there was a problem but she was airbrushing and they are two different types of tattoos so we were going to try it out and see how it went. But I was amazed when people kept coming up and asking me if I was the free tattoo place. Kids were running by and seeing my booth and asking if they could get a face painting and their parents were telling them they already had one. The church was doing small cheek art but that was enough for many parents to get a free painting and not feel a need to frequent my booth. Some came anyway and had me face paint and some said I could remove the other one. I believe I lost about 50 percent of my business because of this. Now here is the dilemna. I got my foot in the door at this event. It is one that there can be a waiting list for...and I want to come back again next year. I don't want to tick off the people who make the decisions but I feel it was terribly unfair for them to let this happen. I paid for my booth and drove a very long way... 3 states... to get there. I made enough to pay my expenses and a little bit more but I could have done very well. How would you approach talking to them about this?
What did I learn?
Hmmmm.... lots. I learned that people really do need visuals and I cannot stress how important photos of your work plastered everywhere makes a huge difference in whether they stop or not. The photos market you and it just takes one photo to appeal to a person to make the difference between stopping or passing by.
I learned that people see something different in your artwork and you need to be sensitive to that. I have a mask I do with a small snake on the nose of it. It is my Cleopatra mask. I was amazed by how many little girls immediately latched on to that one photo and wanted that mask. I few days in, I asked if she wanted the snake a different color...assuming the snake kinda appealed to them. She looked at me blankly and said, "What snake?" I began asking every little girl that wanted the mask about the snake. Not one of them even noticed the snake. They liked the colors. So I gave them the option of a rose or decorative ribbon instead and they all chose one of the three. I never considered that they weren't really looking at the detail but the general look was what attracted them. So I know ask what they like about that particular choice so I can be sure to get the glitter or the colors or the shapes right for them. I need to see it through their eyes instead of just my own.
Although I am still struggling to get my prices up... that whole ego thing that makes me feel guilty charging too much because my work is flawed or too slow or....I found that having a daily special made people want to go for it. I had a dollar off hour at the beginning of the day so people didn't wait to do it and then lose interest. I had a discount for two children or three children so families felt I was giving them a break with multiple children. The specials were fun and I got creative day after day and it seemed to bring results.
I learned that even the squirmiest child is fascinated if you let them paint a spot on your nose. The spot doesn't necessarily intrigue them... the idea that you let them do that and are you absolutely insane seems to keep them thinking long enough for me to get the tough lines done. They stare at the mark on my nose and then look into my eyes and you can see them thinking about this crazy lady with the sponges and the brushes. I learned that kids sit still better if they are NOT on Mom's lap most of the time. While the mom is trying to help, the kids feel more focused on me if they aren't being held down by their mom. I often got amazement from the parent when I got them to let go and just quietly observe because the child was so cooperative once the wrestling stopped. It is just a thought.... some kids just don't sit still for nuttin' but it did seem to help to let them feel empowered and in control of their own body.
I learned that people tip because they want to and, while I always tell them that they don't have to... I don't go overboard in trying to refuse overpayment. There is a balance there and I think I found it.
I learned that when a parent and a child are arguing about which design,... there is a reason and the reason might be easily resolved. In some cases, it is money and the parent wants a half face to save some. If I pick up on this, then I tell the child I can make the half-face a little fancier than the full anyway and they are happy. Sometimes the reason is that the parent is in a hurry and doesn't want to wait for the full face version. I tell them I will try to speed it up for them and give them an estimate and they are usually ok with the time... assuming it was going to be much longer. Sometimes the parent wants to see that design on their child and thinks the child will be happier with the finished product. I usually tell the child that I will do whatever they decide but that since the parent is paying for it, they should agree on it first. Sometimes the child wins and sometimes they give in to please the parent but they never seemed to be disappointed once the decision was made.
I learned a great deal more but this is one long email already. I just thought I should share a few of my experiences with you before I head off to the "medium-sized" fair. I am so proud to be part of this group and have learned so much from you all. Lots of room to grow and improve and I am so looking forward to every minute of it.
Marianne
Giggle and Grin!
Life shouldn't be about years spent...
just moments truly lived.
Marianne Bartley copyright@2005
Shay Armstrong
Thanks for the feedback! As a newbie, I’ve already run into some of these things, and it’s nice to know that it’s not just me!
Shay
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Katie Williams
From: succesfu...@googlegroups.com [mailto:succesfu...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shay Armstrong
Sent: Sunday, August 23, 2009 1:21 PM
To: 'Marianne Bartley'; succesfu...@googlegroups.com
Subject: 4success Re: Lots of thoughts to share
Terra Fender
Niki Belvin
----- Original Message -----From: Marianne BartleySent: Sunday, August 23, 2009 3:33 PMSubject: 4success Lots of thoughts to share
Niki Belvin
----- Original Message -----From: Terra Fender