The Mindset Shift Behind My Face Painting Business By Sara Perez, The Artful Dabber – Face & Body Art
Most of us start in the same way. We buy a kit. We practice on anyone who will sit still long enough. I remember feeling incredibly proud of my first “good” tiger. We post our early designs and feel that rush when someone says, “That’s amazing.” We fall in love with the joy of it.
And then, if we decide to build a business rather than just enjoy a hobby, something has to shift. For me, that shift happened gradually, usually after an event where I went home exhausted and thought, “There has to be a better way to do this.”
Loving face painting and running a professional business are two very different things. The biggest difference isn’t your blending. It’s your mindset.
It’s the shift from “I paint faces” to “I run a responsible business.
I used to minimise what I did. I’d say, “I just face paint.” Many of us do. We call it “just a kids’ party.” But after a few busy seasons, I realised there is nothing “just” about it.
We manage children, queues, parents, expectations, hygiene, safety, weather and emotions, often all at once. I’ve had queues double in ten minutes. I’ve painted outdoors in wind that tried to take my gazebo with it. I’ve smiled calmly while mentally calculating whether I could realistically get through everyone in the time booked.
We work directly on children’s skin. We are responsible for product choice, cleanliness, behaviour management and the overall experience in the chair.
That’s not small work.
Once I stopped minimising it, everything else changed. It became easier to explain my pricing clearly and to set terms without feeling awkward. I wasn’t being difficult. I was being professional.
Preparation Is Invisible but Essential.
Early on, I underestimated how much preparation mattered. I thought enthusiasm would carry me through. It doesn’t.
Face painting begins long before the first child sits down. It’s practising designs until they’re fast and reliable. It’s refining colours so they pop in photographs. It’s replacing sponges, deep-cleaning brushes at the end of a long day, checking stock when you’d rather switch off.
I’ve learned that the calmer I am at an event, the more preparation I’ve done beforehand. Clients don’t see that preparation. But they feel it. In how smoothly the queue runs. In how confident you are. In whether the experience feels organised or chaotic. Preparation isn’t optional. It’s part of the job.
Pricing Is About Risk and Sustainability
Pricing was one of the biggest mindset shifts for me.
At the beginning, I was focused on being affordable. I said yes to things that didn’t quite make sense. I assumed flexibility made me more professional.
Over time, I realised that unclear pricing usually meant I absorbed the risk if numbers changed or events didn’t go to plan.
Moving to clearer hourly structures and firmer terms wasn’t about being strict. It was about longevity.
Charging properly allowed me to invest in better kit, safe products, training and insurance. It also meant I could turn up without the quiet anxiety of wondering whether the job was actually viable. That confidence changes how you work.
Boundaries Are Learned.
Boundaries didn’t come naturally to me. I had to learn them. I’ve said “just this once” more times than I can count. It rarely stays just once. Small compromise can quietly turn into exhaustion.
Clear start and finish times. Defined booking limits. Hygiene rules. Written terms.These aren’t about being rigid. They create consistency. Once I put them in place, events ran more smoothly and I enjoyed my work more.
Children feel calmer with structure. Parents feel reassured when things are organised. And I stopped going home quite so depleted.
Safety and Standards Matter
As I gained experience, I became more aware of the responsibility we carry. Understanding products properly. Maintaining hygiene even when tired. Keeping insurance up to date.
Making decisions based on safety rather than convenience.These are quiet decisions, but they matter.
Professional standards aren’t about superiority. They’re about trust.
Community and Growth
I’m now in my fourth year of running this business, and I’ve learned more in that time than I expected to learn in a decade.
A huge part of that has come from other face painters. Conversations. Networking. Watching how others work. Asking questions. Adjusting when needed.
It’s very easy to work in isolation in this industry. But growth happens faster when you don’t. When you stay open. When you listen.
I may not be the greatest face painter in the world. There is extraordinary talent in our industry, and I admire it deeply.
What matters to me is running my business properly. I want the person who books me to feel confident they’re getting value for money. That they’re booking someone prepared, insured, hygienic and organised. That the experience will feel smooth, not chaotic.
For me, that’s what this journey has been about.
You Are Allowed to Grow
Perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you’re allowed to grow out of your early stage.
You’re allowed to refine your pricing.
You’re allowed to improve your systems.
You’re allowed to take your role seriously.
Face painting is joyful, creative work. But it is also skilled, responsible, people-focused work involving trust and care.
This evolving mindset has shaped my business and is the foundation of the book I am currently writing, which is less about telling people what to do and more about sharing how my own thinking changed over time.
I’m still learning. But taking it seriously was the turning point.
Author Bio
‘Sara Perez is the face behind The Artful Dabber – Face & Body Art, a Suffolk-based face painting business known for vibrant designs and a colourful rainbow-branded setup seen at children’s parties, festivals and community events across Essex and Suffolk.
After taking early retirement from a long career in leadership at the London Fire Brigade, Sara decided to follow her creative side and turn face painting into a full-time business. Over the past four years she has built The Artful Dabber into a well-known local brand, combining fast, high-quality designs with a strong focus on professionalism, organisation and the reality of running a creative business.
Sara enjoys sharing honest insights about what it really takes to move from hobby painter to professional artist and is passionate about encouraging higher standards and greater recognition for face painting as a skilled creative profession.’
Website: www.theartfuldabber.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artfuldabber
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.artful.dabber