How did you start?

So, I'm not a new face painter but I really want to start booking my own gigs and start up my own business. I've mostly been either contracted by a company or volunteered for things and that's all been fine to learn how to face paint and I've had a lot of fun. Now I want to start getting serious.

I know a few things:
- Birthday Parties are fun but intense - however you can book these hourly. I've enjoyed them in the past because they are shorter gigs

- Pay Per Face events and venues - It's a crap shoot and in my business I am considering avoiding these unless I am working to get some advertising out as well as make a few dollars. But is this the most common job?

- Hourly events - This is what I think I need to target to guarantee some sort of income and make my time worth while as a mom of two young ones (babies still).

I am painting at an event in August that is out of my "area" but it's a tourist attraction that draws lots of people from where I live so it could potentially lead to good business. I'll be PPF there and its at an event my family has been associated with for years so its low pressure. I hope to also maybe do a craft fair at my church in November provided they think it would be a good fit there (not sure if this would go over well with the people that typically attend but I'll talk with the organizer. Could still be good publicity and my table fee goes to charity). I am working on booking an event in September, October and December (I thought a good goal would be maybe one event or party per month for now).

So my thought for Oct and Dec would be to target community events in my area. Have any of you done this? How do you go about getting in touch with the organizers? Would I just call the chamber of commerce or community center? Is there a good place to go find local annual events (I guess I don't know whats all out there all the time either). AHHH!

And - how did some of you get started with getting business? Any tips or stories very appreciated!

I got started by doing festivals which I love. I am at my happiest when driving to a festival to work all day. I smile all the way there. I'm not sure why you feel like they are a crap shoot. I've never had a bad one yet. Some I make a bit less money than others, but they've all been worth doing. My best photos are from the slower events.

Right now I'm booked at every single worthwhile festival within 50 miles after August, as I don't work in the HOT! I recently began doing business with a local VFW for their events as well.

festivals are very dependent on the weather and the advertising of the event... be careful which events you choose to do and if you aren't sure about how busy the event will be, try to negotiate a percentage instead of the standard booth fee.

I started out doing only birthday parties. I find them less stressful than an hourly event by far. Hourly events are always a never ending line of kids and people are always mad when you say you are done. Private parties, I book based on the number of kids and when those kids are all done, so am I. Put up a kijiji ad and maybe find a farmer's market to establish some regular clients.

Yes, I learned from yesterday that doing festivals during the hottest times of year is not going to be great. The paint was literally melting off people! I was there over 5 hours and totalled $47 (I only got a cut of that because I was contracted as well so made a little over half, and then had to pay a babysitter). Now, I also paint under contract at a mall and we do well there in a PPF setting. Not every day is good though. I guess you take the good with the bad. This last experience just really left me with a bad feeling about it. I mean, usually the 4th of July is great! But this was a record-breaking heat wave...

Again, I feel I'm gonna have more success (and fun?) going on my own than contracting out all the time.

So how did you find out about these festivals? How do you know if they are worthwhile? How did you book them?

Ooh - VFW that's a good idea. I agree with you Perry, about the birthday parties. I enjoy them too.

http://www.minnesotafairsandfestivals.com/eventSearch.php

Try that link....you will learn to judge festivals pretty quicky. Try to do ones that are at least 5000-10,000 in attendance. The best ones have you register months in advance. I'm already booked for ones as far out as Thanksgiving! There is a direct link to each one's webpage right above the map.