I LOVE the designers we have on board with Wild Style! People have often complimented them individually on their various artistic talents and way of dealing with people. That repetitive response creates such a “Proud Mama” feeling, and makes me GLOW with excitement about the passion that The Wild Bunch has for their customers and clients!
As Co-Founders, we are often asked “hiring” questions like:
Do you have room on your Team?
What do you look for in a face painter?
What are the costs involved?
Is your job fun?
Do you take classes?
Do you use special products?
So I decided, on this gloomy day, to write a bit about some of these inquiries…
Do I like my job?
Are you serious??! I passionately LOVE EVERY SECOND of what I do! This may not be for everybody, the hours are long, the nights are late, the summers are sweaty, the weather is unpredictable and I have had my fair share of “interesting” stories to tell. All that considered, I still love what I do more than words could ever describe. What a privilege to be hired to create on live canvases! What a humbling experience to be trusted to bring smiles to your children! What an inspiration to make a living being creative! What a blessing to be gifted with artistic talent in the first place! What a special honor to have these designers brought into my life that have become some of my most treasured friends and “family.” And finally, what a cherished prize to be in an industry that allows us to build relationships!
Do you have room on your team? (Translation – are you “hiring?”)
Not regularly. Every addition to The Wild Bunch has been both out of necessity and chemistry. Let me explain. We have gotten to the point (five times now) that we NEEDED more designers. Sometimes that need comes on frantically and suddenly, and sometimes it just creeps up on us as we “shut down” days on our calendar. Each time this has happened, the right person, at the right time, with the perfect character traits and personality, has crossed our path. Our current designers are a mixture of family, past business associates, and random strangers (turned family) that each bring their “Something Special” to the table.
What do you look for in a face painter?
Contrary to popular belief, my first answer is NOT artistic talent. There is an interesting combination of what it takes to do this job, and the short list is as follows:
#1. PERSONALITY! I can teach brush skills and business much easier than I can teach this. Personality can’t be taught in fact, and this is the number one requirement to be a part of The Wild Bunch.
#2 ADAPTABILITY! In this industry, more than most, Murphy’s Law ALWAYS APPLIES! The weather is always changing, clients are always different, and the crowd is new each time. Gigs come in last minute, and the industry is in a constant state of metamorphosis – meaning you are always learning.
#3 FLEXIBILITY! The general rule of thumb is that the artistic entertainment industry literally works while our customers and clients party. That means, all designers work on nights, weekends, and holidays to make the income they do.
#4 TRAINABILITY! I think I just made that word up… But the concept is I NEED the time and attention to train you and help you grow as a designer. We stay on the cutting edge, and it takes time to remain there.
Those are my top four. This should also help our friends understand why our designers are so fabulous 🙂
What are the costs and products involved?
To find a place in the world of body art, there is a start up cost based on the products you carry. We do require quite an extensive line of tools and products for our painting designers. We are very picky and have more than high standards when it comes to what we put on the faces of you and your sweet children. EVERYTHING in our kit is FDA approved for face and body down to the appropriate age we use it on…
EVERY SINGLE DESIGNER that sub-contracts with Wild Style is required to carry an extensive insurance policy from a premier insurance company in the entertainment world. We always have copies of our policy and can add any venue or client as a “holder” with a few days notice. This makes us feel safe, and confident to reassure our customers that they are as well.
These requirements make for quite an investment of your money, time, and energy. Once we are serious about bringing on a designer we are very upfront about actual numbers – but this should give you some idea…
Do we take/teach classes?
Yes to all of the above! Our co-founders are passionate about education and adapting to an ever-changing industry. It is one of the most important features of our company to be on the cutting edge, and to be LEADING the local industry with innovative products, techniques, and designs. To accomplish this, we participate in several internet-based classes each week, as well as a handful of “LIVE” classes taught by world LEADERS in our line of work. Some of the greats will even be COMING TO US soon, to help collectively train our company, as well as other trusted artists in the area, in very special art forms in the world of face and body art, and we can’t wait! As Co-Founders of a brand new business, we will also be traveling to one or more yearly conventions for more intense, hands-on training, to keep us going, growing, and changing each year.
We also are very passionate about training our company to be cohesive and recognizably impeccable. The training we offer our designers equips them to amaze our clients and customers area-wide. BUT what is really important to us is the required classes on fundamentals, ethics, and people skills that are imperative to both exist in this industry and represents our company as we would like. I will leave you with some great pictures of our designers doing what they do best – and notice the passion and intensity that they design with… (I think I am having another “proud mama” moment as I add these pics and see my designers at work)
JP Working on a Tribal Barbed Wire. He LOVES working with people, and LOVES creating new designs!
We all adore watching Parisa at work. Here henna is always flawless, and she is beyond focused!
It’s always so cool to watch Lauren create – she has such an approachable, laid-back demeanor, and the kids are so drawn to her!
It’s always inspiring to see Shelly work. She has such a passion to serve and create smiles, and that passion results in the happiest kids around!
