Sponge Stories

How do you run an entertainment agency, a face painting shop, training courses and a global competition, and still find time for yourself?This week, I’m joined by Rosey Watson from Rainbow Faces in Telford, creator of UKFABAC and the person behind Global Master of Face Art and MOFA magazine.From a very nervous first booking in a supermarket to building a business spanning decades, Rosey shares the opportunities, challenges and personal decisions behind it all. We chat about creating and handing over UKFABAC, learning to delegate and making space for family and time off.We also take a proper look at the Global MOFA competition, how monthly creative challenges can develop your skills, and why feeling “not good enough” shouldn’t stop you entering. Rosey shares her plans for different entry levels in 2027, and I reveal why I’ve signed up myself.Plus, practical advice for new painters, keeping your kit simple and a quick fire round featuring a rather unexpected jacket potato. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the stage to the face painting chair with Claire from Aurora Face and Body Art!This week I'm joined by Claire, who has spent over a decade in the face painting industry alongside a career that's taken her from acting and princess parties to secondary school drama teaching.We chat about how much the industry has changed, whether social media is making it harder for new painters to find their confidence, and the pros and cons of juggling face painting alongside another career.Claire also shares how she's started passing on her skills through face painting demonstrations and webinars, why she prefers the freedom of painting without a menu board, and why having the biggest, fanciest kit doesn't necessarily make you a better painter.We also get into the realities of running a profitable business, the importance of building friendships with other painters rather than seeing them as competition, and why sometimes saying yes to an opportunity before you feel completely ready can be a good thing.Plenty of practical advice, a few laughs and some interesting conversations about what it really means to build a face painting business that works for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sponge Stories heads to UKFABAC!In this convention special, I share a few thoughts on the event before handing over to some fellow painters for a series of quick fire rounds. From favourite designs to kit essentials and why they came, it’s a little taste of the people behind the paint.Full disclosure: a few ill advised drinks were involved, and the recording quality definitely suffered. Expect background noise, questionable microphone skills and some very honest answers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I’m joined by my dream guest, Simona Strete Rad.Simona is a face painter, Creative Director and Lead Instructor at the International Face Painting School, and one of the instructors joining Spons! next March.We talk about her first face painting job while she was still at school, moving to the UK and supporting herself through university with face painting, and how she became part of the International Face Painting School.Simona also shares how she develops her competition designs, why understanding the structure behind a design matters, how she photographs her own work and what she loves most about teaching other painters.Plus, we talk about the World Bodypainting Festival, the community she discovered there and what she’s looking forward to at Spons!Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a Frozen birthday party to co creating the Face Painting Hub, Elizabeth Gale from Sparkle Face joins me to talk about how one thing led to another.We chat about first gig nerves, learning on the job and why experience doesn’t necessarily stop you questioning your own work. Elizabeth also shares how she and Amanda Careford built a business together, from teaching and tutorials to developing brushes and paints.Plus, left handed videos, painting pet peeves and the advice she wishes someone had given her at the beginning: it’s just face painting. Give yourself a break.Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.