Face Painting as your full time job...

It's a bit strange to consider anything you do mainly on the weekends as full time.
If you want to earn the same amount as you were earning in your regular job, then you have to avidly seek work. Like promoting yourself to local clubs and venues and corporates, getting a partnership or affiliation with a well known company or something like that.....
still ... this is all that I do... run my own business, so during the week I'm free to do the school run or be at home with sicklies if needed, clean house etc.
I just wanted to say that even if it qualifies as 'full time' in the pocket, really it's only paid work on the weekends, and if I had another job there is no way I could put the effort in needed to pull my min $500 a week averaged out.

It's just a hobby for me personally. If you are using it as a full time job I highly suggest that you start paying into your retirement ASAP, otherwise you are going to find yourself up the creek without a paddle.

I have a full time career that offers things that my face and body art job could never provide such as retirement, SS, health insurance, dental and other perks.

I would never work a job for commission so trying to use face painting as a main career would be very scary, since there is absolutely no certainty in being able to count on the money....like you can with a career.

I would be curious to know how many single income individuals honestly can support their families on face painting alone. I can see it happening as a second income very easily, but as a main income...I would stay nervous about not being able to count on the money. Not saying it can't be done, just my opinion.

Tash, I understand what you are saying. What you said is one of the major reasons for my new business plan. I really want this to be a weekday thing for me with no weekend gigs. I haven't really seen anyone do it who doesn't do make-up so it could be a suicide mission, but I'm up for the challenge. I just think it requires small changes in how and who I advertise to. I'll let you guys know how it went for me at the end of the year.

Tash wrote:
I just wanted to say that even if it qualifies as 'full time' in the pocket, really it's only paid work on the weekends, and if I had another job there is no way I could put the effort in needed to pull my min $500 a week averaged out.

This leads to interesting thought processes for me. I guess I'd consider "full time" to be anything over 30 hours a week. I don't work quite that much so technically I am part time, thought I DO put a LOT of time into my business that isn't actual "paid work" on the job on weekends. Marketing, researching jobs, practicing for jobs, working on promotional materials or websites, fielding calls and networking with other FPers - if done in an office with a paid salary - would be considered "work". So why not consider it work for a work-from-home FPer? When we charge $100 per hour for face painting, we aren't just charging for an hour's worth of face painting... we're charging for the whole package. So, the whole package should count as work IMHO. Thoughts?

Angie, I agree with what you said. I spend hours everyday doing something business related. It's amazing the amount of time that goes into "just being a face painter".

that is very true, we just have to be careful that we aren't just "being busy" doing that work and are actually being productive... if it isn't going to lead directly to making money, it isn't productive, it's just making a poster or looking up pictures or whatever. It's easy to think we're working when we're just spinning our wheels sometimes.

But we should be paid for the other work that we put in as well as the materials and insurance, etc. All of those things are factored into the price other than just the hour or two we are actually at the gig.

As much as I love it, I don't want it to be full time. Full time money would be great of course but I need to be able to be home to cart the kids around, stay home with sickies, clean house, and run my other online business from home. It's perfect for a work-at-home mom like me.

Angie, I agree with ya. I consider what I do full time because I work on my business every day. I have a few weekday gigs here and there but the bulk of the actual face painting labor is done on the weekends.

I make more money with my face painting "career" than any job I've had working for someone else and I absolutely love it. It's a dream come true. Yes, face painting is my career Well not entirely true, I also twist balloons. I'm a party artist LOL. I have several friends who also do this as their only means of income and have for over 10 years!

Work is seasonal. I do a variety of make-up related services so I am generally busy all year.

Theatre season is Sept through May. I am usually involved in between 3-8 of the productions each year in one capacity or another. When working a show I am putting in 9-15 hours a week.

Summer FP season (outdoor!) is May through August. Generally I am working every weekend.

Winter FP season (indoor) kicks off with Halloween (BIG BUCKS!!!) and then corporate Christmas parties through to the weekend before Christmas.
Typically I work every weekend through Nov/Dec.

I do clubs for "holidays" like Mardi Gras, St. Pats, etc.

FP lulls are Jan/Feb/Mar and Sept/Oct for major events - I have repeat annual events in Feb and Mar generally but otherwise it is quiet.

May through August is grad/wedding season - I do bridal and grad make-up.

Birthdays are scattered throughout the year but I predominantly do "corporate" and public events.

I have a full-time (40hr) M-F job too. The make-up work is weekend and evenings.

And I do spend a lot of time on administration, marketing and networking too - and working on new projects.

I think I probably could call my Make-up a fulltime job when you add it all up.

It is interesting that this came up. I have been killing myself to do this "full time" and my husband said, you are working sometimes 30 or 40 hours doing this so, it is full time. But, to me I was thinking of full time more so being a steady stream of consistent work each week you know that I could count on. Which, I am doing at the moment.

I think that Angie has a great point because I spend lots of time emailing and setting up appointments and booking events. If you go to a festival and slam dunk it then it is like back pay for the hours that you don't get paid for what you are doing.

We have been very blessed with our business. I am grateful to be doing something that I love and would really like to expand it further into more cosmetics. Shannon, you sound like you stay really busy. To me it seems that you are working two full time jobs.

Yeah, actually it is THREE full time jobs. I am also my mom's caregiver - we have an aide for her when I am not home, but when I am home I have to care for her.

Wow...that is wonderful that you are taking care of your mother too. I applaud you for that. I am sure your mother appreciates it so much.