Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Griffin.
Kelsey, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began face painting as a teen when I worked as a summer camp counselor in Northern Michigan. Though I was crafty and loved art as a child, I was not prepared when my supervisor handed me some paints and told me I was going to be the new face painter. At the time, a co-worker of mine who was studying fine art showed me the basics, and before I knew it, I was face painting nearly every day. I continued to face paint during the summer months for several years and really enjoyed the opportunity to bring a smile to the world through something as simple as a little face paint.
Fast forward to college, and I thought my face painting days were over. However, during my first few days on campus, I met someone in my program at the University of Michigan – Dearborn, Rachel, who happened to have a face painting business of her own. I mentioned that I had face painted before, and she told me that she was looking for a second painter to help serve her growing client base. I figured it was a sign that I was supposed to keep on face painting. I painted in the Metro-Detroit area with Rachel & Co Face Painting all through our undergraduate studies. After we graduated in 2017, Rachel began a career in engineering and I began mine in public health, but we continued to paint together.
By March 2018, I had made the decision to pursue my Master of Public Health at Emory University and moved to Atlanta, GA. I had entertained the idea of starting my own face painting business once I got to Atlanta, but I was still uncertain about it. I didn’t have any formal education in the arts or business, and truthfully had no idea what I would be getting myself into. A mix of financial necessity and encouragement from friends and family got me to take the leap to get things started in July 2018. I had a couple of months before my program at Emory would begin, so I poured myself into learning everything I could about starting a business and honing my face painting skills.
The first event I ever landed in Atlanta was the grand opening of an ice cream shop in town. I was elated. Though I had enjoyed working as a painter for other businesses, there was something uniquely fulfilling about starting something on your own and being able to create magical, memorable experiences for people under your own name. More than ever, I felt motivated in my art.
Though balancing business ownership with grad school has been challenging at times, it’s a challenge that I’ve come to embrace. Atlanta has such a vibrant arts community and faces painting community in particular. I’ve learned so much from working with other artists through sharing our experiences both with art and the business side of things. The community and the clients I’ve served in Atlanta have been so supportive of small businesses like me, and I think it’s because of them that I’ve been able to keep this ship afloat and continue to bring others joy through face painting.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road hasn’t always been smooth, and I’m sure there will be more bumps up ahead. I think the biggest day-to-day struggle for me has been balancing this passion project (or “full-time side-hustle”, as I often affectionately call it) with the demands of my graduate program career and family. In addition to my graduate coursework, I work as a research assistant and have held other part-time jobs at local health clinics and yoga studios to make ends meet. It can be hard to juggle all these priorities at once while still maintaining a high standard of customer service. But all those day-to-day struggles seem to fade right away when I’m at an event painting my heart out.
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date, as I’m sure many small business owners could agree, is the COVID-19 pandemic. By nature, face painting requires being in close contact with others. Moreover, running the face painting business relies on people gathering. As it became clearer that this was an immediate public health threat, I was left with no other choice but to suspend face painting operations for the foreseeable future. I know I’m not unique in this sense, and that this pandemic will have long-lasting implications for our communities and our economy. As of writing this, it is unclear when it will be safe to paint again, but I know that when it does, I will be ready.
Please tell us about Sweet Pea Face Painting.
Sweet Pea Face Painting Co. was born out of a desire to create fun, magical experiences, and bring joy to others. As a business owner, I’m most proud of the memories that I’ve helped people make during events with family and friends. What I love about face painting is getting to know clients while I’m painting and making a lasting memory through temporary art. That even though mom or dad might have to wash off that face paint at the end of the night, the pure joy that came from the experience of getting it will last so much longer.
One of my favorite examples of this was when I painted for the Atlanta History Center’s Peachtree Road Race 50th Anniversary event at the Margaret Mitchell House. One of the activations they had during the event was a board where people could post responses to the question, “What is your first Peachtree Road Race memory?” Seeing responses about how much people loved getting their face painted was so heartwarming and reminded me that I’m doing so much more than putting some paint on someone’s face. It reminded me that over the years, I’ve been able to give hundreds of people lasting memories with their family that they’ll always be able to treasure.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’m a big believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason. What might look like a mistake in hindsight was an opportunity to learn and be more prepared in the future. I think, above all else, it is important to ask questions, find community and share ideas. But, I think that if you wait until you have every answer to every question, you might spend your whole life waiting.
Contact Info:
- Address: Sweet Pea Face Painting Co.
Atlanta, GA 30307 - Website: https://www.sweetpeafacepainting.com/
- Phone: (470) 387-9676
- Email: hello@sweetpeafacepainting.com
- Instagram: @sweetpeafacepaintingco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetpeafacepaintingco/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sweet-pea-face-painting-atlanta-5
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