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Hi y'all!!!
As an introduction, I am both a twister and a decorator. I have been twisting since 1999, professionally since 2004. Some of you may have seen me at Balloon Manor 2006, Kansas City Balloonapalooza classes at ABF, or the recent Don C class in Denver. My start in business came while living in small town of La Grange, Wyoming (less than 300 people, unless you count the cows). As far as I could discover, I may have been the only professional twister in the entire state. During this time, I also branched off into decorating. Although I did have a grand total of 3 bookings in my town, most of my business involved a drive of 35-85 miles, one way.
Needless to say, it wasn't the ideal business arrangement, but my husband was attending school in that town, so that's where we lived. Now, after 3 1/2 years of the small town life, we have made the move to Hot Springs, South Dakota; population of around 5000 or so. (I know those of you who live in a big city are shaking your heads at these numbers) Again, I realize that this is not an ideal population base for a thriving balloon business, but it is a transitional stop while heading for Rapid City, South Dakota, currently 60 miles away. I am the only professional twister that I know of in the southern Black Hills area, which gives me some advantage, but there are also disadvantages as well. I chose to start writing a column to share my experiences in starting my business up in a new location, in the hopes that I can help people in my situation in the future. I am currently working on developing a business plan, as well as marketing plans.
The vast majority of people in the area have no idea of the many facets of balloon art, so a large part of my search for bookings will include public education about balloon art, because what right now it is underappreciated, and therefore underfinanced. However, the art community as a whole is thriving in the southern Black Hills, and Hot Springs is a major part of that community.
I have recently teamed up with a local painter, Franz Brown, who is very intrigued with my balloon art and has begun helping me with promotion. I initially met Franz two summers ago when I did some major balloon decor for the Hot Springs Arts & Crafts festival to help build my portfolio. Now, since I have been having difficulty finding balloon bookings, I have had to find a full time job working as a barista and baker at a local coffee shop. Franz is one of the regular customers, and we have renewed our acquaintance. He is working on promoting the unique art available for viewing in Hot Springs, and has secured a window space in the local bakery downtown to locate maps and information about those opportunities. He has chosen to feature me in that window, and has found some sponsors to help with the costs of a display at the local library. After the initial meeting with the head librarian, approval is pending a meeting of the library board, but she doesn't think that it will be a difficulty. Our discussions have narrowed the display down to a mobile-style balloon sculpture that will hang from the ceiling just inside the front door of the library. I am listing the current challenges and ideas for the mobile here and welcome feedback and suggestions about what I am planning. The main goal here is to educate and amaze the public with the balloon art, and if it is successful could lead to more sculptures on display.
As I previously noted, the sculpture will be hung just inside the main door of the library. The current library building is less than 2 years old, and is a beautiful log frame building. Because of this, there are no metal pieces in the ceiling that I could attach magmovers to. In the photo, you can see metal pipes running along the ceiling, which are the sprinkler system, and fire codes do not allow me to use them as a rigging point. I am also not allowed to do anything permanent, such as eye-bolts or screws. I would like the rigging to be capable of lowering any sculptures for refreshing work. The ceiling is approximately 30' high at the center point, and the lowest my sculpture can be is 8' 10. above the floor.
There is about 14' between the two hanging lights, and the distance between the asterisk-shaped rafters is 21'. These are the parameters that I have to work within. My initial thought is to run a horizontal line between the rafters, tying in metal washers or something similar that I could then use as attachments for magmovers. This would allow me to raise the sculpture pieces separately and be able to work on them if they need refreshing or replacing during the display period. I will be testing the rigging prior to the raising, to work out any issues. I am unsure of whether I will need side-lines for stability and will have to work that out as well.
