A question of personal safety...

Hi everyone,

This has probably been discussed before, I figure I just didn't stumble upon the right keyword(s) to search it properly...

Just yesterday, I got my first inquiry from the contact form on my website for a possible birthday party booking late next month - YAY! So, as my husband and I are discussing all details of the submission - what kind of gig, location, number of guests and all that - he brings up the point of my personal safety. He is very concerned about me accepting a job with a complete stranger and showing up at a gig alone, especially if that gig requires a good deal of travel. "What if it's all a ploy?" he says, "And you end up an hour away from home, all alone with some psycho?" Hmm, did I mention our DVR is chock-full of crime drama recordings? Criminal Minds is the top priority on our "To Be Recorded" list.

All that aside, I do feel his concerns are valid. We really do need to be cognizant of our personal safety. So my question is...how do you insure that you will be safe at a job? Do you bring someone along to all your gigs? And if you do, how do you present that extra person to the client?

Curious....
Portia

Insuring that they are legit helps. Deposit, secure payment, address, know the neighborhood. Ultimately, in this day and age, I tend to take an assistant to almost anything I do. Any sign of anything hedgy, and leave. Do have phone with GPS. Do confirm with someone on your arrival and leaving via phone, text etc- and preferably in front of someone who sees you do so, so THEY know you are not there unknown to others.

As to the extra person... This is my assistant. This is my Chaperone. This is my brush wrangler.... any of thee above works.

Brush Wrangler!!! I love that, Leaping Lizards! Great tips. Do you normally tell them ahead of time that you will be bringing an assistant or do you just show up with one?

Thanks!

My Mother freaked me out before I started this business. It took me a few months after that to get started. I kept thinking about what if

Everyone that has hired me has been a woman so far. I guess a woman could be a psycho, but it's rare in the movies

I just look at life and try to not think negative all the time. I could walk down the street, hit my head, and die. Someone could break into my house and kill me

I've taken my sister a few times. I just called her my assistant. She took the money and handed me wipes and paper towels. She's gone to college now so I do it all by myself now

This was the thread

http://www.facepaintforum.com/t7074-an-experience-at-a-party-i-painted-at

A lot of good safety information was discussed.

When I am booked it is usually either a public event or a birthday party, wedding etc. There are almost always a zillion people around- not necessarily people that I know, but that's ok. If I showed up to paint at a 6 year-olds princess party and there was nobody else there but a middle aged man I wouldn't cross the threshold. Of course I always check in when I get there and when I leave- and my husband or MIL always know how long I will be gone. I did take my guy friend along with me to one recent gig, but it was as actual private photoshoot with a male I'd never met, in his home- so yeah, I wasn't going to that alone.

I've ensured my safety by a few things, a signed contract w/ contact form as well as a $50 non-refundable retainer fee. This keeps it pretty legit. While I do often face paint in "the hood" I make sure in my contract that it's known that if I feel my safety is in jeopardy I reserve the right to leave. There has been an awful incident in our city where 11 people were shot at a birthday party(one unborn child died... mom was 8 months pregnant:( & it happened in a park I've face painted at. It has made me rethink if I(and my kids) should be working in these areas.... I also do a lot of outreach w/ my church in this area(non-face painting related).
If it's any consolation, I've been face painting since 2005 & only 1 time felt unsafe(and that was my 1st year).

I have always worked alone, have gone into some pretty bad neighborhoods, and have never had a problem in the 5-6 years I've been painting professionally. I take a deposit - check, paypal or credit card, so there's a "paper trail" if something WERE to happen. It's usually pretty obvious when you get to the home that a party is in progress. Lots of cars in the driveway, balloons on the mailbox, bounce house set up in back.

Interestingly enough, I find that those in lower-income neighborhoods are usually the nicest and most polite people you'll ever work with. They really appreciate you. You are something special that they've saved up to have at their party. They are typically people who have smaller family parties where the kids all know each other and the parents help out with line control and offer you a drink.

But unless the gig is in a private home, you are pretty safe. If you did arrive at a private home alone and find that there weren't any guests arriving and obviously no party happening, then you might have concerns.

Thanks for the link Criss, I read that the first time, and I think it is a good thing to read again.

I take my husband when I can, and he helps me carry stuff, and with the line, so it has not been questioned. He has my chair and bucket, and other junk, so he looks like he belongs there.

I have had only good expereinces for the most part, never felt unsafe. I always take my husband when I do an adult only party, alcohol makes people do things that they might not do otherwise.

Another single mom advised me once to "be sure that you are charging enough that it discourages sketchy situations & areas"... I know my agents are concerned about my welfare, and I talk to private clients to get a "feel" before I commit...chat 'em up while "finding the right spot in the planner". If you feel ill at ease, "oh, I'm sorry, I seem to be booked that day/time".

Thanks for all the input, everyone! And that link, Criss, was an awful story, but a helpful thread to read. My husband and I are still pretty new to our area so with no family around to watch our kids, I'll most likely be going to most of my gigs alone. You've shared some great points and tips! Much appreciated!

Portia

My Daughter was my apprentice for a couple of years and because I'm disabled she does most the heavy lifting. If you aren't as lucky as I am maybe there is a art student in the local high school or college that might want to apprentice you.

Our booking price includes an "extra" person.... line manager, observer, driver, lifter, carrier, general all round useful.... if booked for one painter, two people are going out, if for two, three are going out etc. At the end of a long day, the last thing we need to do is be driving home exhausted, and that extra person means that lines don't get out of control, and food gets a chance to be consumed...

Now, we don't tend to be booking private parties etc so this may not work for you.... and our "drive" can be easily more than an hour (big city traffic). Yesterday it took 40 minutes to get somewhere (via highway) that it took 2 hours to get home from.

I've worked in Home Visiting for a social service program for more years than I care to admit... and the cardinal rule is: NEVER ignore the alarm in your belly. After that, it's basic safety like someone knowing where you are, keeping your phone on you, knowing where the exits are, etc. Most people are good people, so there's not usually much to worry about, just have the plan in mind for just-in-case.

JBax wrote:I've worked in Home Visiting for a social service program for more years than I care to admit... and the cardinal rule is: NEVER ignore the alarm in your belly. After that, it's basic safety like someone knowing where you are, keeping your phone on you, knowing where the exits are, etc. Most people are good people, so there's not usually much to worry about, just have the plan in mind for just-in-case.

Your right, people are basically decent and morally good, unfortunately it only takes one idiot to ruin it. I was in cadets as a kid and we had an expression we used, that I still go by today; "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst." This way, you always have a plan

This is all good information. I really hadn't thought of it before. We can't take our personal safety too serious.

Originally, this question came up because I took my first private party at a stranger's house. No bad vibes during the booking, got the deposit fairly quickly, everything seemed fine. The party was yesterday. And my heart nearly stopped when my gps announced that I had reached the location and the house looked desolate - no cars, no balloons, no signs whatsoever of a party. I was just about to turn around and go home when I happened to catch the address on the contract (which was laying on the passenger's seat, luckily!). I had transposed a couple of the numbers. I ended up having a blast at the party once I found the real house! All's well that ends well.

Thanks again for all the input!

HillbillyDiva1 wrote:My Daughter was my apprentice for a couple of years and because I'm disabled she does most the heavy lifting. If you aren't as lucky as I am maybe there is a art student in the local high school or college that might want to apprentice you.

My kids are 8 & 9, I was considering taking one along but I thought it might be a bit awkward/unprofessional since they're still a bit young. I really like the idea of an art student as an apprentice. Gonna keep an ear out for one.

anniel wrote:... I talk to private clients to get a "feel" before I commit...chat 'em up while "finding the right spot in the planner". If you feel ill at ease, "oh, I'm sorry, I seem to be booked that day/time".

Soooo important!! Between taking down allllll information from them and letting them know you are writing it all down, and a deposit and last but not least...LISTEN TO YOUR INSTINCTS!!! You can't always control who will be at a party, but for the most part, good people know good people and if we listened to that 'little voice' we all have, we would almost never get into trouble that could have been avoided. We are taught that it is 'rude' to make snap judgements, to not give people the benifit of the doubt or to judge a book by it's cover. That is all true. BUT when it comes to working alone and your safety, better to have passed up a nice person by accident than to convince yourself you are just 'being silly' and putting yourself in harms way. Getting hurt or terrified or having something happen to your paints is not worth the few $$.

Because I don't take clients that I 'don't like' (translate to that hinky feeling) I've never had a safety issue. The worst that has ever happened is that my wallet was stolen by a neighbor boy (who the mother hated but he would not go away short of a sound beating and apparently the whole street knows is a bully and theif and isn't allowed near almost any of the kids) but thier good son finked (even upon threat of beating and death from the bad kid) and brought it back. This was my own fault. I normally lock my wallet in the trunk or I have it zippered up in a pocket, zipped in my purse, zipped in a luggage bag that is then stored at my feet and I didn't do that this time. My bad! Even with fantastic families it never hurts to take a moment to ensure proper personal and property safety.

Good thing my hubby doesn't work on weekends, anyway if don't know the person or the family I am going, I always let my husband put some of my stuff inside the place (table, chair, tent), anithg is a good excuse!, so they know there is someone outside waiting for me!!!

Also I always ask them where do they found me, if anyone recommended, so I will know who they are, because I recive some funny calls that the information sounds very incongruent like one I have the girl told me that she found me at google, but I make reserch (because I never post anything like it will apear at it), she told me like she wants a setion of face paint so then she will know if she want the body paint also, I gave her my rate because and told her that I will charge her by hour to do everithing in one setion depending of the desing, she said that she want a second setion for the body paint if she wants it, and I said ok and ask for the design she want, to have an idea and work in some desings to show her that day, she said Africa was the topic and she will send me some pics, I thougth it was grate that topic is so big so I can work wonders on it, but instead she just send me a pic of a kid with Africa map on the face , I said who will pay two setions of two hours each just to draw a map on the face?, and then I told her I will have an assistand with me and she ask a woman assistand AND she will be alone, very unusuall, so in the e-mail I recived it was from a beauty salon, I checked the address, and the salon address and doesn't match at all that salon doesn't even exist, I just told her that I have a family situation and I won't be able to work because I was going to be out of the city.