I hate to admit it, but the stereotype is alive and well. When it comes to creatives - singers, dancers, visual artists, actors, and the like, many of us just don't speak "business."
It's hard to be an artist. Even if you've been encouraged, voted "most talented" and had a modicum of success in free lancing, success seems to be elusive and the market is fraught with under-cutters, back-biters, sycophants and selfishness.
This is not to say it can't be done, but the fleas that come with the dog seem to be armed with machetes.
I would proudly say that we're enjoying growth and the finger-trap conundrum that seems to be the proof in the pudding is "less business, more fun."
Case in point - face painting is popular in these parts. We do quite a bit of it, and it seems to be a service tied to either showing off and taking too long or high-productivity and potentially frustrating or sub-standard work. How do you handle the rock-and-hard place?
Focus on the fun.
Paraphrasing Maya Angelou, it's how you make them feel. Even if there's a line, a bit of a wait, a cranky kid here or there, noisy surroundings or what-have-you, if you're doing well, watching your energy, enjoying the work, and putting smiles on faces (along with the makeup) then you win!
The shot-callers just want the guests to be happy. The guests just want something - anything - and if they were artists, they'd do it themselves. The families just want to enjoy their time together. Bottom line? Fun means everything else is irrelevant. More fun = more enjoyable experiences for all and more business as a result, not the cart-before-the-horse approach that trips up too many creatives.
How can you apply this perspective to your work?