http://gisborneherald.co.nz/lifestyle/3325171-135/living-the-dream-
Julia De Cleene from Gisborne tells the story of eight months on the road with her family, trading and travelling around New Zealand with the Extravaganza Fair . . . This weekend, we are back in our hometown Gisborne trading with The Extravaganza Fair at Churchill Park on April 14-15. My husband (Max) and I are nearly at the end of the eight-month season trading in towns around Aotearoa each weekend, and living in our 1954 Daimler bus with our 13-year-old son, Keanu. This time a year ago, Max and I both decided we needed to change life up. We had got into a rut. I was in my 13th year as a Court Victim Advisor and could see myself doing the same for years to come. All too soon our son would be leaving home and we wanted the opportunity to spend time together as a family outside of the 9-5 routine. I have always been fascinated by tiny living and life on the road. As light relief from my social work, I had developed my face painting skills and saw this as my opportunity to join The Extravaganza Fair. Only problem was, when I enquired in early 2016, they already had a face painter and I was told she was well entrenched and highly unlikely to leave. So I shelved the idea and carried on my 9-5. In December 2016, I got the call that the face painter position was available. The door had opened. After a load of discussion we took the nerve-racking plunge and decided if we wanted change, we needed to let go. So the home that I loved for eight years was put on the market. It sold! Fortunately, we both fell in love with Nudge, our 54 Daimler, which was delivered in July and sat in our driveway while Max set about getting his Class 2 licence. It was a huge relief when he passed as, yes, we could now actually travel. We packed all that we could from our house into a container and our 11-metre bus, and in a mild panic, sold or left the rest at the gate. Sadly, but wisely, we decided to leave our bouncy over-enthusiastic labrador in Gisborne. As it is, we have to carefully manoeuvre around each other up and down the narrow bus aisle. In September 2017, with our son enrolled in Te Kura, Correspondence School, we set off on the adventure. We were Christchurch-bound for our first fair hoping Nudge would get us there and on time. She did. The first fair was a success, painting in beautiful sunshine with a never-ending line of happy customers. Max runs a sumo wrestling ring for kids which is a real crowd-pleaser, but we soon realised that you have to diversify so he recently added massage to his repertoire. We settled into the travelling community with ease, enjoying the company of a diverse bunch of really approachable trading travellers. They have guided us in so many areas regarding the intricacies of owning a rig, trading and the travelling life. During the week, we travel independently but meet up on the park each Friday to set up. We work hard two to three days in the weekend and then the week is free to explore. Even in this lifestyle there is still routine. Mondays are spent dumping waste, filling up our water tanks, attending to the never-ending pile of laundry and grocery shopping. We fit in some schoolwork in the mornings. Writing a blog - http://busboyextravaganza.blogspot.co.nz/ - has also been part of Keanu’s learning. The Extravaganza Fair is a fun, family environment both during the fair and after hours. We have lots of child-inclusive events and celebrations after our trading most weekends. Dress-up is widely encouraged. There are 10 children full-time on the road aged five to 15 years. Keanu, an only child, has weekend siblings and always looks forward to set-up day. Children are an integral part of the fair performing in the shows. Keanu is mastering the fire staff and trick sticks, performing in the fireshow each weekend. There have been steep learning curves such as managing off-grid with solar panels but still charging laptops, and we have had a few breakdowns such as a burst radiator pipe in Invercargill, and an alternator that gave up in Carterton. Fortunately, other crew members have imparted their wisdom and the odd push start. Waking up with million-dollar views has been priceless. Mostly, we freedom camp and are appreciative of the how we can roll up next to a lake or ocean and soak in the beauty from our home. Without a price has also been the time we have had to catch up with friends and family around our country. Gisborne is our third-to-last fair of the season. Next weekend is Rotorua and we end the season in Taupo. Then for four months during winter, members maintain their rigs, order stock, travel overseas or find work before it begins again. It has been an amazing ride — seeing our country from Whangarei to Invercargill, meeting locals in towns where we trade, having a weekend income but most of all being part of the vibrant Extravaganza community. It is memory-making and time-treasuring, learning to live in the moment no matter where you are, rain or shine. Four weeks annual leave in a 9-5 job just does not allow time to live the dream that has been ours this Extravaganza season. Free style airbrush tattoos are a fantastic alternative or addition to face painting for birthday parties and events where you have a slightly older age group. They are waterproof and can last until after the party is over (from between 1-5 days). I have just expanded my selection to cater for both boys and girls with designs from skulls and sharks to butterflies and mermaids plus many more!! Mix and match - lots of fun and the kids love it! All I need is access to power and a well ventilated area with good light. My special introductory price starts at $80 an hour for 10 children (within Gisborne) for freestyle airbrush tattoos. Standard Airbrush Tattoo - If you have a larger crowd I can also offer standard airbrush designs. Contact me for a quote.
Customised Airbrush Tattoo Want to have your guests leave with a reminder of your party? I can arrange to have your logo or design a stencil so that your event is remembered - perhaps a shop opening or a wedding!! Contact me to discuss.
Mmmmmm I had never thought of it like that and it got me thinking.... What you think you are paying for = someone to paint faces What you are actually paying for: TIME Before the party:
At the party: 1 hour of face painting time - what you think you are paying for. After the party:
1 hour of face painting equates to a minimum of 2 hours 40 minutes of my time + Editing and uploading of photos to Facebook/website. MARKETING
COST of TOOLS:
TRAINING:
% for INCOME TAX Is face painting a lucrative business? I very much doubt that once I take into account my time and expenses I clear anywhere near the minimum hourly wage …….…BUT I paint because I LOVE what I do I want to continue getting better & better and most of all Creating smiles is the essence of my business It is my raison d'etre A few months ago I was booked to paint Caesar from Planet of the Apes... sadly the booking never eventuated but as I had done a bit of research, one quiet Sunday afternoon, while my family was watching a movie, I decided to give it a go.
It is putting it mildly to say they were not overly keen on my new look. I am not really sure if it was because the design needed a bit more practice, which no doubt it does, ... or because I just looked too much like Caesar!?! Anyway I was promptly told to wash it off .... Given the reaction I have been holding off posting it... but I guess if you think there is some resemblance I have succeeded... but if you think I look nothing like the APE then that too can only be good thing! Please feel free to leave a comment and/or like my Facebook page Note: Bit of photo shop - green eyes & use of curves & vignette mask. When I face paint I love to take a few images of the day. Not only is it good for me to reflect on and improve my work but I also want to make available to the parent a great photo of their child to help "create and share memories". Thank you to all those parent's who have let me photograph their child, which also allows other parents considering my service to see the work that I do. I am an avid photographer so when I take an image I do some post editing. I want my work and your child to look their best. I treat each image with care. So here is an insight to what I do: I always photograph in RAW so that whatever the lighting is I can recover detail in blown out or underexposed areas. I always shoot with a wide aperture of around f4 and focus using the AF point over the closest eye. This allows my background (which can be quite busy at places like Bunnings e.t.c) to be out of focus. In post processing I will open the image in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and adjust exposure, contrast, lighten shadows and darken highlights as necessary. Sometimes I will adjust the white balance, if there is a colour cast, and sometimes add slight vibrancy. I will then bring my image into Photoshop. Here I will create a separate layer to make any small adjustments. I will use the clone tool or spot healing bush to tidy up what would not be a permanent feature - such as tomato sauce, party food, sleepy dust, a pimple or scrape and yes... snotty noses. Sometimes I will sharpen and/or lighten the eyes. I may put a vignette on the background and/or brighten the face so that the child stands out from the background. Prior to posting on face book I will crop, put my logo on, and resize down to 720 pixels wide and save as a png file. I have found png files , although larger, keep the image looking crisp as there is no point in posting a pixelated image! I am rather quick at this so it may take 5 minutes all up. |
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