No choice!

I am back on the wagon of looking for a "REAL JOB" boo..... and it sucks! how many of y'all have "THE OTHER JOB" besides the awesome one we talk about all day on here!

Thats right, I too am on a regular job it can be quite interesting at times but long day after taking about 30 patients a day it can be really exhausting. Im in the Dental field.

yep..I clean in old people's houses for 15 hours a week..my husband has a fulltime job...

I have a fulltime (40 hr/wk) office job, I'm on call casual for a convention centre kitchen/concession staff (when they need extra for events), I am my mother's caregiver (we have an aide that stays with her when I am out), and I work as many hours as possible on my own make-up/FP business...

I've been a mass-market designer for 30 years (freelance). For the past 10, exclusively as a Halloween costume designer/artist. I LOVE the work itself, HATE the business (which is the Fashion industry). Trying to get out of it eventually. Click below to see what I do all day during the week!
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QZsmThu3bKK2o

I'm now a full time artist, but I had to expand my talents to do it! I had to add painting to my henna (Oh the hardship!! LOL totally addicted!) and now airbrushing and glitter tattoos. Not over fond of glitter tats, but that's what some people want soooooo...........
I have been doing ok, but would be really scraping by in the 'starving artist' catagory if I didn't have a working husband. If I had staff (independent contractors) I would probably be doing better, but the hassle and the paperwork and that my standards are stupid high and so is my parinoia(sp) so not worth it for me.....which is too bad.....

RN in a hospital Operating Room. Average about 50 hours a week with some of those being LATE at night. This is my therapy!

My Maternity Leave will be ending Sept 18th and I don't think it would be worth it for me to go back to my minimum wage fast food job... Being a 20 year old mother has really made me rethink my life. I'm actually doing very well with my face painting lately... I have raised my rates so I don't have to bust my butt all month.

I also sell my daughter's outgrown items on Kijiji. I received almost everything as gifts so I'm in the Green with that. Not to mention I hate to buy anything that is not on sale (Face Paints kill me in that category!)

My bf works full time as a truck and trailer mechanic with his dad, but I hate to say that after his insurance, car payments, and rent... there's not much left so I tend to make the daily purchases since I don't have a car to pay for.

My family is so supportive, we're living with my mom and stepdad for cheap to get a good down payment for a house.

I am interested to see how many artists on here do make a decent living off face painting. My bf's dad has told him many times to make me get a real job (What a ****). He says it's a hobby not a career. Then he gets jealous when I can charge $80/hr to paint some faces and he struggles to charge $60/hr to fix massive trucks.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you choose!

Kim...your work is AMAZING, especially the Henna and full body art! Loved the look of your website when it came up with the Indian brides with their beautiful clothing and Henna art! I CANNOT believe you're in the "starving artist" catagory, as you say. I always find it horrible that so many talented artists are "starving". People fork over more money, more easily, to their car mechanics! It's a damn shame!

To Jessica....it really annoys me to hear your BF's Dads comments! I think a lot of people feel that way. I even have a lot of artist/designer friends who kind of laughed or raised eyebrows when I first told them I was getting into this. When I told them what I'd be charging, they stopped laughing!
I'm not supporting myself with just this right now, but I really only went after the business recently. It's been a good addition to my income though. I'm a good business person and because of the mass markets I've been in, with my regular job, I know that MARKETING is EVERYTHING. I may not be the best face painter in the world (but getting better with practice, lol), but watch me by next year...my business will be booming because I know how to handle the business end. But I've been doing commercial art for 30 years and it's annoying how people don't take ANY kind of artist seriously. BTW, I was a well-known costume designer with my costumes in all stores and in commercials, etc. and my friend, who was an administrator in a hospital, once said to me while talking about HER job.."Well, you wouldn't understand, because you don't have a REAL job"!!!!! (I gave it to her for saying that, lol)

Does anyone paint for any Peadiatric Dentist, Or has tried to reach out to them directly. I just started with them I went to a few kids dentist and offered them my services. They often have conventions or they go to festivals I offered them to contract me and what do you think would get a child to a dental booth? FACE PAINTING!!!!

I have a day job as an engineer at Honeywell. I began face painting when I was in college (to pay for college). I still love to face paint and find it to be a great artistic outlet.

Full time job working for a mouse, plus own 3 side businesses and the odd entertainment related jobs when they come up.

I teach private art lessons (think home school kids, after school art, etc), I am a Potter,Tie-Dyer, Fused Glass Artist, Custom Pottery Painter (think wedding signature platters) as well as face painter. I do birthday parties, scouts troops, after school programs in the school systems, one time field trips. In essence, I am a mobile art studio. This is my full time gig, all art, many forms-feast or famine...my 6 weekly art students keep food on the table & gas in the tank. The Face Painting and custom work pay the few monthly bills I have. Husband pays the rest.

I just live on face painting... and my fiance works painting utility trucks...

I make more than him in one weekend (sometimes) then he does working 2 1/2 weeks 40 hours a week!

Part time Art teacher...Full time Artist:D

Full time as a supervisor in Information Technology...an hour plus commute time...

So y'all are saying there is hope i can make a living out of this??lol all my life i have been told im "so artistic" and creative yada yada yada!! my mom and sis really want me to start doing henna cuz "the temp tattoo" thing is in now! and then i got my fp and gt..then i got a friend whos a model who "knows people" and my oldest wants to work with me and maybe in the future my other 3..so with all that i can see myself making DECENT money, just i need to get my name out there...if i could make $400-$600 a week that be freakin awesome...cuz i hate hate hate bustin my buttocks for chump change!

but thanks you all for putting your lil bit in..im going to reread this post a few times to get more out of it!! all of y'all are a super duper cool group and keep me motivative to keep painting!!