Hi Guys! (and Girls) It's October 2010, which is Halloween time, a particularly busy time for those of us who make a living entertaining, marketing and fund-raising with balloons. Fall festivals and Halloween carnivals are big this time of year. SO if any of my students would like to know the best approach to getting invited to one of these family-friendly events as a FEE PAID entertainer, then leave a comment or shoot me an email creativeinflation@gmail.com and I will do my very best to answer your questions as accurately as I can. We like suggestions here too, so if anybody would like to suggest anything of value on the subject of working in October in the balloon industry, your comments are also welcome. In fact, comments are the life-line of any good blog, so please, comment away!
As many of you know, I am now offering private lessons in the Tampa Bay Area, to anyone who would like to learn how to twist balloons either for fun or profit. Just email me at: creativeinflationinstructions@gmail.com if you would like more info. on prices for group classes or for private lessons.
As CREATIVE INFLATION embarks on a new journey towards educating artists to entertain with balloons, I felt it was entirely appropriate to give credit where credit is due. There was a beginning for me once. Years before I grew to become a professional balloon artist, or developed a passionate interest in the photographic arts, I was inspired by a man who is perhaps the most talented balloon artist on this planet. His large-scale installations have drawn scores of people from around the world, who have gazed upon his creations with awe and wonder. From life-sized-orange-flying-balloon-octopuses, to a 10,000 square-foot haunted mansion, constructed entirely out of latex balloons, his creations are as magnificent as his talents are awesome. I was fortunate enough to meet Larry Moss in person at the Diamond Jam Balloon Festival in 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was one of the designers in the Balloon Dress Fashion Show, which will be the subject of one of my next posts. When I talk about my "Beginning" in the Balloon Industry, I am most certainly referring to Larry Moss and his company in New York known as
AIRIGAMI...The Fine Art of Folding Air www.airigami.com/blog
Larry is the kind of artist I appreciate most. With 25 years experience as an artist, beginning as a street performer in New York, he is one of the most recognized balloon artist in the world. Projects that bring communities together are of particular interest to him, according to his website. He has an advanced degree in applied mathematics and computer science, and a masters in elementary education. He's a brilliant small business owner and gifted entrepreneur too. He's published many books on creating advanced, balloon sculptures and he is particularly well known for his generous donations to non-profit organizations, going to benefit causes such as cancer treatment and research. His Haunted Balloon Manor, done in 2004,
http://www.balloonhq.com/column/lmoss/dec04/
was a 10,000 square foot haunted house installation made completely from balloons, and is credited to have raised more than $34,000.00 in cash from ticket sales which was all given to the cancer center at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. This kind of thing is rare and respectable to say the least and since there aren't many guys like Larry Moss out there, I thought it would be best to introduce you guys to the artist who first inspired me.
http://www.balloonfunhouse.com/
His art-work opened my eyes to what was possible with balloons, and more importantly, showed me how to get involved with the community and be a part of things bigger than myself. Larry's work has made a huge impression on me. It took 5 days, 240 community volunteers, 60 artists from 13 states and 2 provinces in Canada, 60,000 balloons and over 2000 hours to create Balloon Manor in 2004! This project is a perfect example of what people can do when they share a vision and commit to a goal. Projects like this are truly amazing! They illustrate for us the power of the human spirit, and reveal to us the depths of creativity locked away in the human mind. What I am most impressed by however, is the generosity shown by Larry Moss and all those who helped create Balloon Manor. These artists donated their time and talent along with $34,000.00 dollars generated from the event that could have made them richer, but instead went towards making people with cancer better. That's a story which must be shared with every aspiring artist from now on, whether they choose balloons as their medium or not. Let's take Larry's idea of
"ART FOR A CAUSE" and do more extraordinary things for the communities where we live. Air-artistry certainly gets peoples attention. The "Balloon-Man" makes new friends every day. That's my whole point with this! Is there a chance as a group of artists, we can identify special causes and use our unique art-form to raise money and make a difference and see things change? It has always been my vision to run CREATIVE INFLATION as a For-Profit company, benefiting Non-Profit organizations. As I continue to work out the fuzzy details, perhaps you can help with the logic. I challenge all the members of my tribe, all the people that read my blog posts, everyone I encounter every day, I challenge you guys to come up with this kind of "Larger-Than-Life" art project that can be used to spearhead a campaign and raise serious money for a serious cause. I am willing to listen to you, no matter how out of this world it may seem to anyone else, I am totally on-board and ready to assist with this type of project! I believe that when people put their minds together and decide to do something great, there is a magical force which assists them and makes all things possible! So what do you want to do? Who needs help out there? Let's show the world again what a bunch of visionary artists can do with a few balloons!
I think, with some strong leadership, a common goal, a whole lot of heart and a little bit of talent, we should be able to use air-artistry to REPEATEDLY raise money for good causes and bring hope to people all over the world! Please submit your proposals and fund-raising ideas by email. No suggestion is too big or too small. How can we use balloon artistry to make a difference in the world?
creativeinflation@gmail.com
Peace, Life & LIGHT
=RICK=
Peace, Life & LIGHT
=RICK=
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