What does a stay-at-home mom of three do to contribute to the family income? She becomes a balloon artist of course!
When my children were small (seven, five, and three), a friend and co-worker of mine told me about a side gig she was doing in addition to her waitress job. Balloon art. You know, twisting and manipulating balloons into all sorts of shapes and figures. Never in a million years had I considered such a trade, but it was intriguing and definitely caught my interest mostly because of the potential to make a decent income. If I’m being honest waitressing was never really my thing, and a part time position at T.G.I. Fridays was not paying the bills nor was it worth the time away from my precious family. I listened with inquisitiveness, and before I knew what was happening someone from the California-based balloon twisting company, Balloonabilities was at my house training me…to be a balloon artist…something I had never, ever considered, but something that turned into the most lucrative part-time and longstanding gig I’ve had to date.
“Opportunity doesn’t make appointments. You have to be ready when it arrives.” – Tim Fargo
I vividly remember my training sessions. They really did take place in my home in California. I remember the young man that came to teach me, Eric. He had red hair, a well-kept beard, and a very direct approach. He came to show me how to make balloon animals and get the job done in a timely manner. I recall him writing numbers on each bubble of every sculpture he created. One on the first bubble or twist, two on the next, three on the next, and so on. That way I could tell how to begin the creation and exactly which step was next. It was a very effective teaching method – one that served me for the better part of 20 years. My kids had a blast! Their mom was learning to be a balloon artist for Heaven’s sake, and there were balloon sculptures everywhere in the house! There were animals of all shapes and sizes, hats, swords, and anything else the imagination could think up. I carefully instructed them to not play with the sculptures that were numbered as those were my models – the directions, so to speak, on how to make the giraffe, or monkey, or tiger, or whatever it was my instructor had assembled. I’ll never forget my kids running around the house batting each other with flimsy balloon swords and the like all while heeding my directive to not play with the numbered sculptures. “Oh, we can’t play with that one! It has numbers on it!” It brings a smile to my face to recall their joy and innocence.
After about a month of practice, I worked my first gig. It was at a restaurant just down the street from our house. I was nervous, and clumsy, and not very great at it – yet. I made some hats, some simple animal sculptures, and began to get my feet wet in what would be my livelihood for the next two decades. As I was getting ready to leave the restaurant for the evening, a group of about fifteen people waved me over to their table. They were enjoying a fun family get together and thought balloon sculptures would add to the merriment. I offered suggestions from my very limited repertoire, but they were not interested in my finite stock. They wanted to create their own designs – custom-made hats. Okay….ummmm….oh boy. “I’m very new at this,” I exclaimed, “but I’m willing to give it a try!” Out came their pens as they sketched their unique creations on napkins. “If there could be something that comes down and wraps around my waist,” one of them remarked. “Can mine have horns like this?” another would ask. “I want mine to be really tall with twisty things all around.” Their ideas and innovations began to flow, and after two hours each member of that festive bunch had a hat they not only personally designed but proudly donned. They took pictures and made jokes and laughed and made my night one of the most memorable nights of my balloon twisting career. They were so patient and supportive while I worked through each and every design that they presented me. It was better than any practice session I had had to date, and I was on my way to being a professional balloon artist. I’ll never forget that family and how they kick started my calling.
Upon returning home that night, my husband counted my tips. I had brought home more money in a matter of hours than I did in two weeks at T.G.I. Friday’s. He exclaimed, “You are keeping this job!” I was happy to oblige as I had found a fun and enjoyable outlet for my creativity while providing a notable, supplementary income for our family. And the kids loved it too! I was hooked. My repertoire continued to grow as did my confidence. I became one of Balloonabilities’ best and favorite artists. I was so thankful for this newfound calling, one that found me actually.
I continued my work with Balloonabilities for a few months at which time we decided to relocate to my home state of Colorado. Balloonabilities was sad to see me go, but I was pleased to find that they had a few gigs in Colorado. After considering Longmont and possibly Greeley as our new home base, we finally landed in Loveland, Colorado where we still reside today twenty-three years later. The nearest balloon twisting gig was at a restaurant in Arvada, about forty-five miles from Loveland. I didn’t really think much of the distance after living in L.A. for so long. Nothing was in the same town in which you lived, so I was somewhat immune to long-distance driving. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that the gig in Arvada wasn’t a good fit. The restaurant personnel weren’t very friendly, and the tips weren’t worth the commute. My stint with Balloonabilities had ended. But that’s not where my story ended.
“Success depends on how you respond to unexpected opportunities.” – StatusMind.com
I began brain storming. Why did I need Balloonabilities to find me the gigs? I was capable of doing that myself. So it began. I approached the manager at Red Lobster in Ft. Collins, a short jaunt from my house. I showed him what I could do. We hit it off, and he hired me on the spot. I worked four hours every weekend at Red Lobster for four years and purchased and paid for our Toyota 4Runner in full with just my balloon artist earnings. During those four years, I was able to land gigs via word of mouth. I did birthday parties, company events, family reunions, even weddings. Anywhere a balloon artist might add to the festivities, I was able to share my craft and bring smiles to the faces of the young and old. I didn’t need to advertise. It was just me, and I wanted to keep it that way. My first priority was being home with my kids. We even homeschooled for several years, so I didn’t want my balloon biz to take me away from that. My weekend gigs were just perfect. After four years at Red Lobster, I moved on to restaurants including Jason’s Deli, Applebees, Perkins, IHOP, Texas Roadhouse, Beau Jo’s, and Stuft Burger Bar. I kept busy for twenty-one years entertaining children and their grown ups. It wasn’t uncommon for a kiddo or their parent to recognize me at the grocery store or local water park for that matter. I chuckle when I think of how kids would approach me, “You’re the Balloon Lady! Do you remember making a dragon for me?” I would smile and fake my remembrance, as I made hundreds of dragons and had no way of recalling every child for which I made one. But it was sweet. The kids were the best part of my job. To be clear, I was not a clown. That is a whole different talent in and of itself. Balloon art was my thing and would continue to be until just a couple years ago when life began taking me in a different direction. The passion fell away, and my interests began to lie elsewhere.
To give credit where credit is due, I should mention that toward the end of my balloon twisting career I began working for the Greeley, Colorado-based, family-owned company Merry Makers. Allison and Brian Dunning are two of the most talented balloon artists and face painters in Northern Colorado and share a passion for everything balloon. They recruited me and wanted me on their team because of the reputation I had earned for myself . They are wonderful, professional people to work for, and I was thankful for the experience.
In my wildest dreams I never pictured myself as a balloon artist or expected the journey it would take me on, the people I would meet, and the experiences I would have. I’m glad the art of balloon twisting found me and that I was open enough to let it in.
“Open the door…it may lead you somewhere you never expected.” – Unknown
I was blessed to have one-on-one instruction as I perfected my craft. I learned the art of balloon twisting long before there was YouTube, and we didn’t have internet in our home yet anyway. I encourage you to give balloon art a try. How fun would it be to dazzle your friends and family at your next get together? With the popularity of tutorials on YouTube you can find a balloon twisting channel that resonates with you. There are a myriad to choose from. For starters you will have to get yourself a good quality balloon. The balloons that are included in the kits are often old and cheap and don’t hold up to the rigorous pressure of twisting. I used Qualatex balloons throughout my ballooning career. There is no better balloon on the market, and their selection is endless. Give it a try! What do you have to lose? I would love to hear how it goes!
4 Comments
This is such a lovely story:-)
Thanks for taking the time, Jenny and for your wonderful feedback. 🙂
Never would have believed your story here! I do remember our family Christmas Party at Lone Tree when all of the adults made fools of themselves by wearing their individual concoctions, which you happily created for them. Must have been something in the egg nog! I do have pictures of each family member, which I will part with for a negotiated fee! Thanks
for the memory of a GREAT family Christmas!
Yes, a lovely holiday memory! Thanks for sharing. It was so much fun to see everyone enjoying themselves!!