Entertainer or Artist?

Okay, so I know that the majority of us here love what we do, but what is it about it that you love? I know many face painters that enjoy the entertainment value. They do what they do because of the smile on the kids face sitting across from them. Others, like me, enjoy the art of it. I love doodling and coming up with new designs and finding a better understanding of my own personal style. The fact that children love it is just the icing on the cake, but I sometimes find myself aching to have an adult sit in my chair. A model who will be patient and allow me to perfect every detail and finish the work. Please don't misread this and think that I do not enjoy kids or painting them. That is not true at all. I love painting children because they always have an amazement that no adult could ever duplicate, but there is something about having the time to just sit down and get lost in the art that brings me the most joy out of it all. So anyway, I am very curious to see... Are you an Entertainer or Artist?

Goodness, this is a hard one. I started to say entertainment, because I really adore working with children, making them smile, making them feel special. But it isn't JUST that, or else I would be balloon twisting or clowning, etc, and I have no desire to do those things. The ART of it pulls me in just as strongly as the kids do. I get such a thrill when things "click" and everything pulls together and looks wonderful. Color combinations and accent techniques fill me with love for face painting.

So... it's a rather dull answer, but I'd have to say BOTH.

Am I an entertainer or an artist? My answer is YES!
I think to be good at face painting, you need to be both. There are different styles of painting depending on if you have a squirmy 5 yr old or a full grown adult. I also love having the opportunity to face paint someone where the creativity can flow & I can take my time. I don't get this as often, unfortunately.

I'd say I'm a very entertaining Artist.....lol
I agree with Linda - if you were just good at art and not a people person you couldn't do this job.... you have to like people and it helps if they like you back.
I consider myself an artist because I don't dress up - so I'm not a childrens entertainer, I don't do magic, balloons, songs, stories etc but I have been known to throw a few jokes in!
My insurance says I'm an Entertainer and i'm on Entertainment websites.... so I'm thinking it's a fine line... what I do is entertaining to watch but I am not an entertainer as such..... just a painter...lol

I feel the same as you vm.
I love facepainting children and seeing the amazement in their face when them selves in the mirror, but I get so excited when I have an adult or a belly... or a really really patient child, because then I really can get in to it.

I think it depends on my mood. Sometimes I really enjoy the entertainment part of it and other times I really feel more artistic. It depends on the venue too. If I am hired for a party then the entertainment seems more prevalent but if I am working PPF at a festival then definitely the art takes the cake.

I agree, I'm a little of both.

Being an art geek, I love the art in it, but the look the children give me after I'm finished....awww! It's the best of both worlds

I'm always looking for quick simple designs for kids, but I love playing around with full face extreme designs for adults.

I'm so new at this...but the thing that amazed me is how everyone crowded around at my very little gig last Saturday. I was talking to my boyfriend and he made I think a critical observation. When we paint we ARE putting on a show. It's entertainment at that wonderful pure level that adults and children really delight in. We are like a shaman, kind of, using a ritual to bring a new being into life in front of everyone's eyes...sans worms and fires and primitive settings.

I have to say so far I love both equally even though I don't necessarily intend to entertain. Just make magic...

While I have had many people call me an artist while they watch me paint, I consider my art to be what ALLOWS me to be an entertainer. I'm trained as a singer and music teacher, so I came to it with that art and used my abilities to pick up balloons and face painting fairly quickly which are what allow me to be a clown.... no one would hire a clown that couldn't do at least one of those things.

I love being an entertainer, I love doing the art.... but let's be honest, I do it for money LOL If I didn't do this, I'd have to do something else to bring in some money... I'd rather do this

Artist. The kids are incidental. I paint because I enjoy it, enjoy the response MY work gets, and the challenge of coming up with "new" ideas or spins on others work.

It is the same reason I enjoy doing theatre make-up, special effects make-up and the other stuff - the creation of something that garners a response from people is very satisfying.

And yes. Painting older teens and adults is MUCH more fun as they can sit still for a couple hours!!

I've always been an artist - drawing, painting, sculpting, etc. This is another media but still art to me.

I am also a ham, so perhaps some entertainment aspect comes into it on occasion BUT I do not "entertain" while painting except for providing something for people to watch - I don't talk much as I am concentrating and thinking of the design.

It is art to me and always has been. I have always been creative and had an eye for color and worked in different mediums.

It's so funny when people find out that I do this they are not shock at the idea of face painting itself, but moreso the idea that people who are so very technical or "left brainers" are not supposed to be creative people. I became an engineer because of my sheer need to figure things out....and plus that's what my mother said I was gonna be...lololol

I saw someone facepainting and said hey???? I can do that, and it became something for me to figure out, just so happens by the time I did I was hooked.

I started out doing this for 2 years without even thinking about getting paid for it and if I didn't charge another red cent I'd still being doing it with the same amount of passion and intent to get better that I do now.

But isn't it just cake to get paid for doing what you already love?

I don't purposefully set out to be entertaining, but it's just natural for me to be that larger than life personality and to be engaging.

But I totally get sometimes wanting that adult in your chair, so you can really show off what your capable of and have someone truly see the art in what you do.

ChangingFaceDesigns wrote:I became an engineer because of my sheer need to figure things out....and plus that's what my mother said I was gonna be...lololol

My mother is an artist - so I decided that was what I wasn't going to be! It's so cool now though to be able to share with her, but not really be doing what she does.

I was just thinking the same thing yesterday. I was thinking that there seem to be artistic entertainers, and artists that don't mind or even enjoy working with children. Of course, there are some people out there that actually don't have artistic talent that "face paint" and some that are bad with children. I'm amazed at the stories I hear about these people, but I'm sure there aren't any of those on this forum.

I am definitely the artist first. If I were more of an entertainer, I would work in party games, maybe clowning, maybe magic tricks and definitely balloon twisting ...but I'd rather just paint. I have always enjoyed traditional painting and crafts but there are so many advantages to face painting and body painting over those things for me. First, the kids' reactions, then the compliments, the appreciation of my talent, the fact that I can get PAID to paint (even if I'm not a genius painter), the free tutorials, etc. Even though I do enjoy kids (for short periods of time), I'm way too much of an introvert to be an entertainer.

The kids are fun, but I'm about adult painting. I paint, and everything else falls away. It is great, and has helped me through a pretty tough couple of years.

Both for me! I always say this medium combines my two favourite things...people and creativity

The worst thing you can do to me as an artist is lock me in a room all alone to create on something 2 dimensional! I think that's why so many artists go crazy

When I'm working I always have a crowd watching. Some of them will stay and watch for 4 hours! It's entertaining to watch our creations form. I chat a bit, but not too much. I do get into a 'zone' when it's a more complicated design and I have more time. I love painting adults. When I'm hired for a kids party, I start with the kids, but invariably adults end up painted before the gig is up. They watch and see what I do and I encourage them, which is all they really need. They WANT to in their hearts be painted, but want someone else to tell them to do it. Afterwards they love it. They're the ones that pay the bills so I like to make a direct impact on them. How better to do that then paint it on their face? LOL

I like the transformation that happens, the relationship with the person you are painting, the problem solving and improvisation and the immediate gratification and praise. I love entertaining a crowd and I love spending hours painting a body. It is so much more interesting to me than painting something that can't talk to me.

Artist....
Karen Sawyer once taught me in one of the first classes that I ever took (for face painting) to say "I am an Artist"whe...and to believe that I really was.

I love when I get asked if I'm an artist

Artist. and I'm usually asked if I'm an artist.
Also do Fibre arts cloth doo making Paper arts.beading. Anything creative I love to try.

cloth doll I ment