Snurb (Sara) Interview 6/13th Aug

Started by Graham Lee, July 31, 2012, 08:35:37 AM

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Graham Lee

Snurb has kindly agreed to be interviewed next week, I will find out if Sara has a website we can plug for her and a few other details.
If anyone else would like to do the interview then please let us know.
"Lets Improve Our Art"
Balloon Excellence 2012 Award Winner
For Services to the Balloon Community.
https://www.balloonartwholesale.co.uk
http://www.sempertexballoons.co.uk

Snurb

#1
If you'd like to see my work I use Facebook you can find me at www.facebook.com/roundthetwist. I'm a little bit nervous so please be gentle!

Daisy Rainbow

#2
Hi Sara,
You'll be great!  Have followed you on Youtube and FB,  brilliant balloons!  Looking forward to hearing about you, we're all behind you!

xx Daisy Rainbow
Daisy Rainbow

SoniaPayne

#3
Quote from: "Snurb"If you'd like to see my work I use Facebook you can find me at http://www.facebook.com/roundthetwist. I'm a little bit nervous so please be gentle!

Hi Sara
Am REALLY looking forward to it.  Don't be nervous we are all routing for you.  Popped by Facebook and you have some awesome balloons on there :)

KR
Sonia x

Snurb

#4
Thanks for the support and look forward to answering some of your questions too.

Snurb

#5
Answers prepared, not sure what you'll think of them. Maybe this will inspire some of you to take up the challenge! First set of answers in the morning!

Snurb

#6
Ok, so here goes.


1, What road led you into balloon modelling?
I blame my DJ friend Paul who, whilst at a particularly child heavy function flung a bag of balloons and a pump at me, gave me a 5 min demo and said entertain the kids!

2, When did you get started with balloons?
I have sort of lost track but guessing it was about 3 years ago.

3, What's your best twisting experience?
Wow that's a tricky one! It has to be when I started experimenting with farmer's markets and I had one little girl who returned each month for about 5 months. Each time she came she asked for a different coloured dinosaur. I tried to get her to be more adventurous in her choice. When I spoke to her parents the explained that she had each one in her bedroom. The little girl would not let her mum throw them away, despite being shrunken. She wanted a dinosaur rainbow.

4, What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you during a ballooning/entertaining session?
As yet I have not had any major disasters (touch wood!) but I have had a couple of events when balloons kept popping.

5, What do you most enjoy about twisting & why?
I love creating new models and pushing my skills. It is all worth it when you try something new for the first time and it is well received. I love seeing the kids running around in David's backpacks!

6, What's your favourite age to entertain?
I know most people say kids and they are great but I love working at functions with grown-ups that watch the kids then pluck up the courage to ask for their own models. It is great watching two 'grown men' playing with a ghost buster's back pack!

Snurb

#7
Well here goes day 2! If you want to join in or ask anything please do.


7, Do you have the same act but vary the presentation for all ages or do you have set acts for different ages?
I don't really have an 'act' as such more of a 'repertoire'  which tends to be the same for all ages. Would love to build an act but I'm not really a performer.

8, What's your favourite thing to make at the moment?
I love costumes and wearables, such as backpacks, horses (unicorns) and motorbikes. Kids (and big kids) just respond so well to them.


9, What is the most asked for model?
The one model that I find I end up doing thousands of once I have done one is Don Caudwell's monkey hat. I now hang on till towards the end to make the first, after running out of mocha brown at one event!

10, What do you tend to do more of if stuck in the 'balloon production line' model?
I don't do much line work as I am out mostly at parties but it is a close call! Girls tend to go for the butterfly bracelet that I picked up from Mr Fudge and the boys go for ray guns. These are quick and effective pieces.

11, Who is your market aimed at?
Mmmm... another tough one, This year I have done lots of Christenings so I'd have to say families.

12, What kind of work do you do mostly - parties? Corporate? Etc
I mostly do parties, I work very closely with my DJ friend who got me started. We found that there was very little life at the start of a party, usually up to the buffet where people who hadn't seen each other for a long time wanted to sit and talk, this usually meant board kids, so we started advertising the balloons. This was a great start and we are even building it into the parties with a Generation Game style of game where they give it a go! Always a giggle!

Danny the Idiot

#8
Hi Sara/Snurb,

Some great answers so far.

I have a couple of questions for you...

What's your favourite balloon colour?

What is your favourite balloon shape/size?

You said
Quote"Would love to build an act but I'm not really a performer."
What would help you build an act?
And what would help you to become a performer?

thanks and looking forward to all your answers from the set questions and above!

Danny  :)
Danny Schlesinger
Balloon Excellence Award Winner
https://dannytheidiot.com
https://www.CircoRidiculoso.com
Follow me on Twitter at @danny_the_idiot

Snurb

#9
Thanks for the questions Danny! Here goes:

QuoteI have a couple of questions for you...

What's your favourite balloon colour?

What is your favourite balloon shape/size?

My favourite balloon colour is Goldrenrod. This is different to the brown, pink and purple that I seem to go through the most.

My favourite size is 350. I love to make big high impact models and will often upscale things like a dinosaur or a frog.

QuoteWhat would help you build an act?
And what would help you to become a performer?

This is something I have pondered over. At the moment I tell balloon stories with the kids in costumes. My memory is always a problem and I'm not a natural show person. I'd love to do some of the things that Buster Balloon does. One day I'd love to do the climb inside balloon thing!! Looks great fun!!

SoniaPayne

#10
Quote from: "Snurb"This was a great start and we are even building it into the parties with a Generation Game style of game where they give it a go! Always a giggle!

Hi there Sara

Have really enjoyed reading your posts and getting a little insight into your world :)  As someone just starting out in balloons its very inspirational.  I have a little question for you though - what is your interpretation of the generation game?  Do you do it with balloons?

Looking forward to finding out more about you.

Thanks in advance
Take care
KR
Sonia x

Snurb

#11
Thanks Sonia. With the Generation game I make a model such as a rabbit, usually a simple one balloon model and then they copy. They are given the balloon already inflated.

Sorry for the lack of answers today. Having a few problems accessing the site from my compute. Can't answer lots using my phone.

Snurb

#12
Yay!  A quick reboot and I'm back!! Ok So here goes day 3!

Thank you to those who have posted questions. It is nice to know that you are enjoying reading this. Would be great for some others to give it a go. (It doesn't hurt and answering the questions has been a great evaluation point for me.)

Right here goes....


13, What is your favourite/ideal gig to do?
One with lots of people in a party mood!  I have loved doing the Christenings. People just seem in the right mood!

14, What irritates you most at a gig?
This is an easy one, pushy mums. The sort that say 'My daughter's next!' or 'She MUST have 'x'!' the other one is when the kids insist on playing with the kit and taking balloons out of my apron.  Grr!

15, How do you book yourself?
I 'm not sure how to answer this one. Bookings come in from all over. I don't go looking for work it finds me. I use Facebook and some comes from that and other is word of mouth or people who have seen me work at friends parties.

16, What's the biggest thing you've ever made?
This has to be a fantasy princess, but before that it was a life size scarecrow that was my own design for a local scarecrow trail.

17, What has been your proudest achievement in our wonderful world of twisted latex?
Last year I had made a scuba diver backpack for my son when my eldest son did a dive at the Blue Planet Aquarium. This got so much interest that my son (who was not diving) got a behind the scenes tour and the Blue Planet Aquarium did a press release complete with my business name and pictures.

18, What advice would you give to someone starting out, or wanting to increase their business?
I think the best this for me has been social media., such as Facebook. You need to get other people talking about you. The other thing I would say is challenge yourself. Don't say 'I can't' but say 'I'll try'.

Graham Lee

#13
Quote from: "Snurb"The other thing I would say is challenge yourself. Don't say 'I can't' but say 'I'll try'.
Excellent  :D
"Lets Improve Our Art"
Balloon Excellence 2012 Award Winner
For Services to the Balloon Community.
https://www.balloonartwholesale.co.uk
http://www.sempertexballoons.co.uk

Lisa Chester

#14
Quote from: "Snurb"Last year I had made a scuba diver backpack for my son when my eldest son did a dive at the Blue Planet Aquarium. This got so much interest that my son (who was not diving) got a behind the scenes tour and the Blue Planet Aquarium did a press release complete with my business name and pictures.
That's fantastic advertising Sara!!!