As many of you know by now, Silly Farm Supplies, FABAtv, the FABAIC, and My FAB Events are the culmination of a family owned business that keeps expanding. The running joke in our office is that “everyone is heather’s best friend, and she calls everyone her familyâ€. This is a true statement.
Maybe it’s the Pisces in me or maybe because I am a part of a loving industry, but my friends become my family and I take pleasure in how large my family has become.
The beautiful Kelly Virgona from Australia is in town for the 11th annual FABAIC. She is staying with me and this morning she said “Can you believe this Is my 6th year here at the FABAICâ€. I was blown away at how fast time flies and how Kelly is no longer a customer, no longer a friend, now she is my fairy god sister! The same goes for Annie Reynolds, Lynne Jamieson, Kay B, Mark Reid and the entire FAB family.
Over the years we have witnessed each other grow as artists, master new techniques, question our ability to make it as a struggling artist, and lift each other up when we need it the most. For me, that defines what a family is. The face and body art family is made up of a group of people that share a love of art and when we get together and jam, creatively collect our ideas, paint and produce works of art, we become closer.
People often ask me, “How is it working with family?â€. Together with my mother (the CFO), Marcela (CCO), my little sister (OM), best friend (Director of FABAtv), and the rest of my extended family, we operate 4 businesses together. Not only is it stressful, it is the most rewarding career one could ask for. I get to work closely with the people that understand my passion and enable me to do a great job. The same can be said for my extended family of farmers, Silly Farmers.
My rule of thumb in business is to make your customers your friends, so that it is always a pleasure doing business with a friend. My friends become my family and my family continues to bloom. If you are attending the FABAIC, I encourage you to make a friend, introduce yourself, make a connection and grow your own little face painting family.
I’m attending my first FABAIC and have already made some new friends! What a fantastic place to be.
My hope is that in a few years I will have grown a network of friends from this event – I’d love to see a group of us newbies stick around for the long run & in a few years be able to say something like, “Remember when I couldn’t master scallops”?
I’m loving learning face painting and all it entails!
Best regards,
Christine
I started painting with a great group of ladies and every year we do the Oregon State Fair together. It is the only time of year we all get together to paint and have fun, and it sure does feel like a family. We also get return customers every year, and its exciting to see the kids as they grow. Many of them are excited to see themselves as models in our books. I am passionate about my community and have worked in retail work for many years. Its fun to see they same people I see at my full time jobs at events where I’m face painting. It helps to strengthen the relationship between them (my community) and me; its makes for a sense of family on a larger scale.