We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cassie Levy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cassie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

When people hear the term “face painter”, most people have a specific image in their head. We’ve all seen the less than professional face painter at a boardwalk or school event. When I tell people what I do, I often get “That’s cute!” And while it can be… It’s also super cool! When people see photos of my work or see me in action, I am often met with shock that face paint can look that good. I usually laugh it off and tell them I went to art school. I work mostly with kid’s and yes, I have painted Spiderman about 1,000 times. But I have also worked with plenty of adults for music festivals, video shoots, glitter disco’s; there is a lot more to the world of body art than meets the eye.

Cassie , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have always wanted to work as an artist, but I haven’t always known what that meant. I have worked as a scare actor in haunted houses, sold art commissions for spare cash, enjoyed a brief musical career and even worked as a sandwich artist at subway. For me, it has always been about finding a way to incorporate my natural inclination for creativity into my work. It’s my #1 skill! I first got into face painting by responding to a craigslist ad and working for another company. Something about it just really clicked with me. My skills as a performer lent themselves well to the customer service aspect, my time working as a nanny helped me handle rowdy kids with grace, and I got to paint! I didn’t love the company, but I loved the work I was doing. I decided to take a big leap and start my own business; the first few years were a rollercoaster, especially when the pandemic hit. I didn’t know if my business would be able to survive. Once things started opening back up though, business was booming! I bought an airbrush and started offering realistic airbrush tattoos as a way to expand. I signed up to work a ton a festivals to put my name back out there.

At one of those festivals, I was recruited to work at OutsideLands by one of the sponsors. It was the biggest gig I had ever done. I was so nervous! It was incredible, though- I had so much fun tailoring everyone’s looks. It’s one of my proudest moments as an artist!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Online communities for sure! The field I work in is pretty niche; there are only a handful of face painters that serve the Bay Area, and I’m often working alone. Only a year or two ago, I started connecting online in Facebook groups and forums geared towards other face painters. I have learned so much about industry-specific issues from these communities; it’s priceless information you can’t find anywhere else!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The interactions with people. Face Paint is like Halloween- you get to play pretend for the day, or elevate your look. I enjoy painting on paper canvases, but they don’t look at you the way people do when you make their day! Seeing people really lean into their playfulness after visiting my station is so rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cassielevyfacepaint.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassielevyfacepaint/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CassieLevyFacePaint
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cassie-levy-face-paint-half-moon-bay-5

Image Credits
Amina Theis Colton Coates Megan Correa Sarah Calzada