I don't know where you live Wendy but $125-$200 per hour sounds pretty darn good to me. I charge $85/hour and have lost a lot of jobs to painters who charge $40-$50/hour which really hurts. For some of us though our season is more like October-May. Maybe we should be like migrant workers and move around the country following the FP seasons, lol. Joan
On Apr 13, 11:59 pm, Wendy Grace <[email protected]> wrote: > First I would like to state clearly. I do not wish for people to start > flaming or seeking the people out whom under charge for their > services. I have a frim belief they simply have not executed a viable > business plan or are not Artists by profession. I felt so compelled to > speak on this. Those who know me, know I am sweet in nature and not > one to gossip or speak ill of others. This post is NOT meant to be > inflamitory but educational. > > In the past month I have had several people call me and tell me they > found a face painter who is charging $75 per hour in my area and told > them "anything over that is a rip off." I found it odd and with the > volume it is not a coincidence. I finally had some one refer me to a > face painting person's web page. This person charges $95 for the 1st > hour and $60 for the following hours and on her website answers the > question, "Why is the price so low? Some people just want to make a > living, not a killing." > > I find this so profoundly offensive I am flabbergasted! This person > obviously has either not done the math (common in sole proprietorship > businesses and is why most fail in the first year) and/or is NOT doing > this for a living, but is a hobby artist. > > BOTTOM LINE: When I say I charge $150 per hour, I am really saying, > hey you at MacDonald's, if I remain healthy and everything goes ok, > you and I will be in the same tax bracket this year! > > The research I did before starting my business: > > According to California State Law minimum wage for an unskilled worker > is $8 per hour. It is generally accepted a work week for traditional > "jobs" is 40 hours a week. This unskilled worker a year makes $16,640 > gross (before taxes/expenses). Not a living wage here, but still.. > > Now for me, educated by internationally acclaimed professionals in my > highly skilled trade, who I, just like a carpenter invested $1,000s in > supplies and still keeps my supplies and my training up to date. Often > spending $1,000 or more per year on training and supplies. Keep in > mind my expenses for running my business (phone, electricity, license, > insurances, advertising...) are carried by ME and not some faceless > corporate conglomerate and my self employment taxes are often higher > than what uncle Sam takes from an employee. > > For me, if I want to make that same yearly income an unskilled laborer > would at $16,640 gross. If this is not a hobby for you and you are a > serious professional artist you recognise we are seasonal workers. > March - October is our work year (similar to some skilled construction > tradesmen). Our yearly gross income work year is 23 weekends (Thats 46 > days as opposed to the 260 days the regular unskilled labor at > "conforming jobs" get.) > > If I charge $150 per hour, I have to work 111 hours per year to get > that minimum wage gross yearly income. The average party is 1.5 hours > so you know that 111 hours divided by 1.5 hour = 74 gigs. Now remember > our work year is 8 months and not 12 months. So 74 gigs divided by 8 > months of working season = 9.25 gigs per month or 2.31 gigs per week. > THIS IS EVERY WEEK THE WHOLE 8 MONTHS! I don't know about you, but > that is not likely for me even with my marketing and advertising > strategies in place. > > Now, I grant you that some artists are working year round and paying > all their expenses including mortgage and food. This is true and just > like unskilled laborers, some may make more by working over time or > getting other jobs (read learn other trades like balloon twisting, > henna....). It is the same for us too. > > So please don't feel sheepish or guilty about charging $125 - $200 per > hour, depending upon what your local market will bear or your skill > level. You are trained in a field that takes a highly skilled artist/ > worker to execute even marginally well. Be confident and proud. You > are a professional. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Face Painting and Body Art Association." This is a PG-13 forum dedicated to the discussion of Face Painting and Body Art. This group is provided for the benefit of all and as such is not moderated. Our goal is to promote open and unrestricted communication between people interested in face painting and body art. We hope that you will be courteous to others and try to stay on topic. You are free to offer products or services related to face painting as well. Please address concerns with the original poster before contacting the management. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/fpba-assn To unsubscribe, reply using "remove me" as the subject.
