Pardon me while I sort some stuff out. I think aloud. Did you know that?
So. Student loans are looming. I need to find another revenue stream. That’s legal. (I do have my standards, you know.) I have a couple of months left to think about it. The thing is, I likely make enough money to pay for my student loans and the bills, but then we wouldn’t be able to do any fun things. Or have to do less fun things. I like doing fun things. And, as my college career has proven to me, I’m a working class girl. Need to do something about it! I want cable AND FUN THINGS.
I have a good job that pays me enough money and I love it (and what I do.) It’s full-time (on salary) and can be demanding. I need another thing. That makes me money. But will allow me to do well at my current job.
So. Lounging with LannaLee may some day be able to make me money. With sponsorships and whatnot. But that time is not now. And that’s okay. The time will come. I will keep Lounging.
So. Retail. Out of the question. Done it. Hated it. Opposite of fun.
So. Balloons. I can do balloons. Twisty balloons. But there is something in me that doesn’t want to do balloons. Hasn’t wanted to in a long time. And tonight, after some reflection, I know exactly what it is. Basic insecurity. Fear of Failure. All of the above.
Last weekend I did a balloon gig for the first time in a couple of years. My chops were choppy, but I twisted for an hour and fifteen minutes, and mouth-inflated all of those balloons. And the kids liked it. But, ever the perfectionist, I thought I could’ve done better. [Maybe I should’ve practiced more before hand.] Before this, I hadn’t twisted balloons since last November (at an office kids thing right before Thanksgiving). Now that I think of it, it was much harder for me last November – I was still taking a couple of classes, so it must have been the stress.
Ultimately, the balloons are fun. When I first moved to Westbrook, I twisted balloons once a week at a family restaurant here in Westbrook, Rookies. The restaurant paid me a bit of money, and I twisted balloons during the dinner rush and accepted, but did not expect, tips.* Brought me back to when I was Bingo the Clown (in three different Ground Rounds.) I was in my element there. And it helped me get my balloon chops back.
So that’s what I’m thinking. Balloons. And if you are local to Portland (Maine, natch) and you know of a family-style restaurant that might be interested in having a balloon twister tool around on a special kids night for a nominal fee*, please let me know. My goal is to start in September. Here is my page about it on my Balloon ME! blog. [Also – night clubs. Would totally do a night club too.]
See. And then the Restaurant job works in two ways. First, it gives me a little extra cash. Call it spending money. To support my movie habit. And it also gives me a practice field for ballooning. Something I need. I’m still fast. I can still make things, but the genius or experimentation only comes with practice. And frankly, practicing by myself at home. Isn’t happening. It’s the requests from kids (and adults) that keep me going. Once I make a balloon, I’m done with it. But kids (and adults) will take them home because they love them.
*How it works: the restaurant and I make a deal. They pay me an agreed upon fee (much lower than my regular $100-$200 per hour fee), this will cover my time and materials. Maybe I’m there to supplement a kids night or they want to add an attraction for a slow night, either or both. I will use the time to work out new balloon creations, and make the kids (and adults) awesome stuff. And make the place lots of fun. If the patrons want to, they can tip me. But the balloons/my time are provided by the restaurant’s fee (so I won’t ask for tips, I will just have a pin that suggests it.) I ask the restaurant to pay me so that if the patron does not have enough cash to give me a tip I can say “no worries, my time is paid for already, compliments of the management.” (And I need that, for my sanity.)
[You see, I’ve really thought about this.]
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