By Heather Green
In 2017 Silly Farm turns 14 years old under my ownership . When I took over Silly Farm belly art, body art and full face art were just making a debut. I started off my face painting journey attending clown conventions and body art was no where to be found. Over the last decade body art has become more mainstream. When it was once viewed as borderline racy, we are now adorning bodies and bellies to bring art to life.
During my first pregnancy I was going through a rough patch. My husband was transferred to another state, I was sick from morning until night, and overwhelmed at the thought of being a mom. Once our face painting community found out I was pregnant the requests to paint me started rolling in. During that pregnancy I got painted over 15 times. Every time I got painted, I was able to forget my troubles and enjoy the moment. The brush against my belly would excite my bun in the oven and he would always do flips for us. Its no wonder he loves art now 
I loved the belly art experience so much that I hired one of the best Belly Artists I know Heather Aguilera to paint my best friend. Being that she had no connection to our world, she was skeptical at first. But once she finished the painting and pictures she was so happy and grateful for the experience. Now I try to gift a belly art any time someone I love is expecting.
A year ago I found out about The Belly Art Project. The Belly Art Project is a celebration of motherhood through Art. Sara Blakely creator, and CEO of Spanx turned her love for Belly Painting into a passion project. For 7 years she has been working with artists and shooting some of the most amazing belly art (many on celebrities like Kate Winslet, Stacy Keebler and lots more). 
She turned the photos into one of the most phenomenal books I have ever seen. Every page is filled with love, celebrating bellies with art, and charity. One of the best parts about The Belly Art project is that 100% of the proceeds of the book sales go to Mothers Helping Mothers and Every Mother Counts charities dedicated to helping pregnant women in need. The idea of creating a belly painting book came to be because Sara enjoyed painting on her own belly while pregnant. She would entertain herself and lift her spirits by using her bump to be creative. Sara enlisted the help of her friends and super talented artists Julie Hasset, Michael Mejia and Rio Sarah to transform belly bumps into sentimental portraits. 
After completing the book, Sara didn’t want to just stop with the book. She wanted to offer them the same experiences that brought her so much joy. And that’s how Silly Farm teamed up with The Belly Art Project. We worked together to create a Belly Painting Kit
designed with love. The kit offers everyone an opportunity to get creative, have fun, share the love of art, and adorn a belly. The Belly Art kit includes everything you need to turn a baby shower into an art gallery, transform an afternoon into a baby celebration, and a kit you can keep and use even after the baby is born .
Once the book and kit was ready to be launched I volunteered to help promote the Belly Art Project. I extended the offer to paint 100 bellies on the Today show during her book launch to show the world the happiness a painted belly can evoke. On October 11 Sara Blakely premiered the Book and Kit on several media outlets.
My team and I supported her on the Today Show and painted 24 bellies live in the middle of Rockefeller Plaza. Each mommy was so thrilled and smiling despite the cold weather and getting up at 5 am. The Belly Art Project shined a spotlight on the face and body art industry and helped show the world Belly Art is not just for hipsters, but the new Maternity must do. After witnessing the joy a painted belly can create, its hard to imagine doing a maternity shoot without some color. <3
If you are looking for the perfect baby shower gift, a fun activity to include the new big brother or sister, or a creative outlet to help you feel less like a stuffed pumpkin and more like a Picasso check out the Belly Art Project book and kit.
Not only will you be spreading the gift of color, you will be supporting a great cause. To read more about Mothers Helping Mothers and Every Mother Counts visit this link.
While the Art of painting bellies is not a new trend, the Belly Art Project book is shining a spotlight on this beautiful art form. And letting the world know that Belly Art is a beautiful way to commemorate and celebrate motherhood.
Im putting together a directory site of belly painters across the world. If you would like to be included in the directory please email me at Heather@sillyfarm.com your information along with 2 pictures so I can add you.
If you have Belly Art that you would like to share or for us to add to our Pinterest and social media please send it our way. Most people think you have to be rich in order to give back or do charity, by spreading the word about #TheBellyArtProject you are raising awareness. (Please send pics to heather@sillyfarm.com)
You can purchase the book and the kit on Spanx.com and by doing so you are helping Mothers in Need and sharing the gift of color and creativity with the world!
I also want to send a HUGE thank you to my paint community for volunteering to paint for the launch of the Belly Art Project.
When I presented them my vision they were 1000% supportive and patient. Together we showed the world that art is everything!
Thank you to :
Michelle James
Melissa Munn
Onalee Rivera
Kellie Burress
Antoinette Marchfelder
Dee Works Spencer
Janice Harrison
Anne Choudhry
Drea Jacome
Margie Ryan
Cheryl Painter
Maria Medina
Daniella Cordoba
Vanessa Rega
Jonelle Esteves
Elissa Griffith
Lenore Koppelman
Xiomara Babilonia
Donetta Riley
Margie Nugent
Perla Chang
Laura Hoyos
Happy painting!
Heather
