someone wanting to help me.. shoud i or not

I was approached by a lady yesterday while painting at our Mardi Gras celebration here in Lacrosse Wi. she said she would like to help me out painting and learn and such..as you ladies well know festivals can be really hectic..and the lines long if you are the only painter..

Im kinda scared as one of the post here in the forum one lady said she hired someone and trained them and only to get burned..
i would rather teach my husband how to do glitter tattoos..

she was very persissant and when I was painted her daughter she kept taking pics and the flash kept going off..very distracting to me.

she also talked and talked and talked while i was painting other children which was very distracting..

any was I told her I would think about it..and that if i let here she would have to buy her own paints and insurance and such
giving her a starting amount of around 500.00 when all is said and done..you know insurance and paints and supplies...

didn't seam to be a problem for her she hung around the hole last 2 hours i was painting..finally she walked away to look at some other things. but when i was packing up, back she came...she was very annoying to me, but my husbans said she was just curious..

what should i do

help..

barb

Hi Barb,
In my personal opinion, I would stay far away from this woman. Why? Because the behavior that she's displayed thusfar throws up warning signs about future relations. I'll expound:

1. she was very persissant and when I was painted her daughter she kept taking pics and the flash kept going off..very distracting to me.
The fact that she was so inconsiderate in being persistant leads me to believe that she is desperate. She no doubt sees the earning potential and wants a piece of that pie. The problem is, once you open the door to her, she will have the ability to get a foot into festival work. Not that she couldn't already, but how much worse will it feel to know that YOU helped her? Secondly, the fact that she was inconsiderate enough to take pictures while you were painting speaks loudly. What it says to me is "I WILL get what I need from you...one way or another, even if I have to steal it." The decision is YOURS and her persistance and rude behaior are a testimony to her lack of respect for your right to make that decision an informed one.

2. she also talked and talked and talked while i was painting other children which was very distracting..
She has put her desire for your knowledge easily trumped her concern destracting you from what you were there to do. If she can't tell herself that it's about the children and to let you provide those smiles, she's already off on a bad foot as a painter. I've seen many a painter who's clearly shown the customer who's more important by talking to others while painting (instead of the child mere inches away from the) and talking on the phone.

You already sound as if your insticts have kicked in, follow them. Many have ignored their first instincts and wound up training up their fierces competitors. If she is THAT interested, you can point her in the right direction, but step away from any futher assistance. I'm sorry that you had to endure that, but in a way I'm glad that she displayed her desparate and irrational demeanor to you (much better than playing meek and mild at first only to show teeth and claws once she's gotten all she needs from you); that kind of desperation and rudeness is a sure fire warning sign: If she couldn't respect you BEFORE you agreed to train her, it's not likely that she'll pay much credence once you've trained her.

I personally get a kick out of getting my husband to handle glitter... he acts like it's Kryptonite or something. I would go for keeping it "in the family"... though there have been instances of family members behaving badly as well in this industry... you know where your husband sleeps

Another option would be to hook up with an already established area painter that you trust and have him/her go in with you on the larger festivals. If this woman turns out to be the nasty piece of work that I think she is, I think your area painters will thank you avoiding her (she wouldn't just become YOUR competition).

she was very nice,, but i think she would turn out to be competition for me
my husband just thought she was so curious and wanting to help cause i was so busy any way I don't think I will ask her to help..I just took her phone number to so I could finish packing up..lol a lesson learned..

im the only one here in my area.. suzy sparkles is in milwaukee and lori is in eauclaire. to far to get them for help..another lady about 25 miles from here but I don't know her...and i guess maybe I should ck her out....

thanks

Much luck to you Barb!

thanks I hope to meet you one day at a convention..i was laid off my job in august..I hope I can get to one this year

Same here... I'm so much more weird in person!

I'm in agreement with Lady Jayde. I get regular requests like this all the time. Can you teach me. Will you teach my teens.... etc. Praise God I have 5 kids because they are able to help out either line managing, glitter tattooing, face painting & balloon twisting & won't be competition till they're older & then, I'll be happy if they branch out on their own. When people ask I usually say I'm a small business & don't really need anyone right now. Thank you.

Hi Barb,

Go with your gut feeling. If you decide to train someone make sure it is someone you like and can develop a working friendship with. I have several face painter friends who are technically my competition. But we are what I call "friendly competitors". We share ideas, resources and ultimately gigs. We respect each others work and have a certain understanding when we do each others gigs. We all charge different rates, market differently, and sometimes even lose gigs to each other. But in the end it works out really well.

Instead of training anyone you can offer classes with a nice price tag. You may be teaching your future competition but at least you are making some money at the same time. If you don't teach them, someone else will. Youtube is where I started. My very first gig was all based on a series of Youtube videos I watched the week before. If someone is motivated to learn you can't stop them so you might as well not fight it

It is also good to partner with face painters who are not in your immediate area. They may not be willing to drive the distance for a 2 hour party, but can join you for an all day event.

I have trained several people and some have moved on to start their own face painting biz. Which is not much fun and was pretty much my own fault. I have since changed my approach and only work with established artists who's work is similar or better than mine. It takes allot of time and effort to train someone and you don't really know how long it will take them to be good enough to represent your business with quality work. Some people take much longer to get it than others and it can be frustrating when you teach something, thought it registered in the trainee's head, only to see the photos of a party they did for you. Believe me it can be a mortifying shock. I've personally come to the realization that I would rather not make any money than send out a unqualified representative.

If you do decide to train someone make sure you have the rules spelled out clearly. In my experience younger people are easier to work with when it comes to training and older people are willing to spend money on supplies and classes.

I agree with Lady Jayde...
I just dont train future competiton, regardless of any ones opinions, did that once and that person really took advantage of me. Lesson learned, sometimes you get to learn the hard way. Dont let that happen to you Barb.

Here here...

Yes, they can go out and train with YouTube, infact, they will most likely supplement whatever Barb would teach with other designs from the net. True, that can't be stopped. But even in THAT, they are doing some of the work. Also, it take a lot longer than a conversation to deem whether someone is a 'safe' friend and acquaintence, given the the state of the economy (I don't care WHAT the talking heads say) people are desparate and attributes like ethics, fair play and good old fashioned kindness are luxury options for some people.

There are too many stories about people who seem nice enough and want to "help" out who, once they've gotten the hang of how things work, suddenly lose interest in helping , start canceling gigs (or getting clients to cancel them if you don't require a retainer and rebook with them) and then starting a competitive business using not only the knowledge they gleamed from a veteran painter, but some of their designs (and sometimes thei paints!). It's just not worth the risk. I too have a small band of FP nuts that I hang out with, we're all competition, but we bounce jobs to each other back and forth and undercutting is a major pet peeve. If I didn't have those three gals, I'd probably have hung my hat up a looong time ago! I think it's almost better to befriend a fellow painter than to train up a painter and hope she remains your friend.

yes i agree with all of you..I had this happen to me when I tried to start a cheerleading school here...a guy in my husbands car club.. well is wife was a gymness when she was young and she was still very good at alot of things. so I thought my knowlege and hers would be good together.

what a big mistake...I put up all the money and then ended up walking away from it..most of the girls did follow me but what a lesson..I think I will
just try to teach my husband to do some of the easier designs like spiders dragons and stuff for the boys and I will do the harder stuff..

thanks to all you ladies for your feedback

barbb919 wrote:I was approached by a lady yesterday while painting at our Mardi Gras celebration here in Lacrosse Wi. she said she would like to help me out painting and learn and such..as you ladies well know festivals can be really hectic..and the lines long if you are the only painter..

barb

Barb... RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

Seriously. I can't tell you how many times I've been approached in the same fashion. The very fact that she was annoying and persistent sets off warning signals that she will not respect your boundaries, not respect the work and time you've put into your business, and will take whatever she can get and run off with it for her own gain. People see us making some money at a festival, and go a little crazy inside I think. Avoid such people like the very plague.

Why in the world would you consider training someone who drove you nuts? Good or bad, training your competition or a lifesaver helper-- it doesn't matter. She was annoying to you. If you need help for festivals, get help for festivals. But at least find somebody that you like for goodness sake!

geekophile she was just getting her daughter painted..i guess she could see i had a line..good for me..but buy the end of the mardis gras.. people that were waiting everyone got painted..I only stayed a few minutes past the time..and people were still tearing down their games and such..So I feel I did a good job. I think I painted over 40 people by my self in the 5 hours I was there I took about a 10 break to go to the bath room and straighten up my table.. clean brushes and such..but all in all it was ok
my husband said she was just curious and all.. she kept asking for info on where i got paint and stuff , thats when I realized she was just wanting info..and to help me out would just give here what she needed to do this on her own..she was very nice and all. but she can find out just like the rest of us did.. I looked at paint info for months before buying any and looked at alot of videos and books..I did take art in fashion design school, so I had color and theory classes so it helped..

she kept telling me she had a art back ground..if so she can do the leg work. she was just very distracting to me while I was painting..and the flash on the camera every few seconds while I painted her daughter was just to much..but I let it go..anyway.. I won't call her back.. and I hope she does not call me...

Maybe she was taking pictures for a "steal-your-own" step by step! The scary thing is, that soon, according to Amanda (see following link), she will have easy access to paints- I think she is exactly the person everyone is concerned about!

http://www.facepaintforum.com/t4509-brand-new-paint-brand-by-tulip-revealed-at-cha

If you ever need help I would be willing to help you out sometimes... Stay away from that lady though, she gives me the creepy vibe!!

First - GO WITH YOUR GUT!! Always.
Second - just because she asked doesn't mean you even need to consider it. NO is a perfectly acceptable response. I use it often .
Third - GO WITH YOUR GUT.

i will go with my gut feeling..and thanks suzie..I just need to paint faster...
Im just to picky I guess but i did not do one butterfly with dots the kids never new the difference.. so I will go with that when the line is long..
I have no one to practice on but me and my husband...and my old skin is not the best to paint on..very dry lol

thank all of you for your imput to this problem that may happen to all of us every once in a while...

I dont know, it's kind of hard to be able to trust anyone to train them and trust that they wont brun you in the long run. But then there are some peoople who wont. This lady seemed a little weird about it all. I mean maybe she was just curious and hopeful of persueing the FP world. But there is a diffrent wat to go about it. But i mean if you are worried about doing big event alone then i would train family or a close friend you know. its just too hard especially now to believe anyone wont screw you over. Because when you think aboyut it you are teaching them a trade, and once they learn the basic who knows if they will steal your business or what you just never know. It sucks that people have to be like that but they are, not all of them but alotl. Let them work hard for it and study the tricks and teach themselves but not mooch off anyone for a free ride. idk you just have to be careful.