My name is Acacia Tanner I was born and raised in Utah. I am a wife to my incredible husband david and I am a stay at home mom to two wonderful kids Evia and Emerson . I started painting in 2014. I went to school for art education with a minor in humanities in college to be an art professor but I never thought I would have face painting fall into my life and eventually have it become a career. We were young family I was trying to do something to help support my husband with our family I tried selling paintings on Etsy but it was hard and wasn’t as successful as I wanted. After a few years doing that we moved closer to family and I was contacted by a family friend who told me their neighbors daughter was having a birthday and he had told them I could come and face paint. I was so surprised and had no idea what I was doing I had done oil paintings, pottery watercolors, and many other art mediums but had never dabbled in it before. I had never face painted before and didn’t have the proper paints or supplies. I asked the woman if she wanted some professional supplies if she could send me a little money in advance so I could get some. I went online and bought a single rainbow cake I picked it so I could get as many colors as possible little did I know your supposed to use it all at once with a sponge. And from that first party and that small cake my business grew by word of mouth and through friends and family. I worked hard and practiced and watched videos and spent many nights practicing on my hands legs face any where and anyone who would let me practice I painted. I didn’t know how to do teardrops I didn’t know how to use one strokes I knew so many other forms of art but painting on wiggly child was out of my comfort zone and for a while I truly was not good at it, but through my frustration and some prayers I knew I could become better. I failed a lot and I succeeded as well. I then was asked to join the Inspiration to paint group on Facebook by my friend Abby Ascencio it was a new group she started and it is where you have a themed paint every day and you had to paint for a full month and the painters were judged at the end and a winner would be chosen. This was huge for me doing this with small kids but this group gave me the confidence to try new things and to get better by painting every day. I eventually won the competition two years later for the month of November. My business started to take off and I was starting to book more clients and parties. At that time I also made a promise to my family I would continue as long as it didn’t take over me being a mom and I have kept that promise as I have been painting. My family comes first and it has been hard to balance but by letting my family and kids join me they have come to love what I do. My husband helps set up my tent for events and supports me 100 percent he ahs driven 25 hours to a convention with me and helps me in my business greatly. I practiced on my kids so much and every time a friend came over to play I painted them as well. I have done my kids faces for school and it has become something my kids are known for and a lot of people know my work because I paint on my kids all the time! I truly believe that practice makes perfect and hard work and perseverance can make you excel in your work and life. Since I started I have met many painter friends who have become like family. Friends who I am closer to than some friends who are nearby. I have started traveling and have started teaching and doing things I never thought I would have done before. I saw my first Faba tv class that was by Laura Oliver called blinging in the new year I saw the gems she made and got hooked! I started slowly making gems as well and since then I have improved my craft. I have now made thousands and thousands of handmade gems for people all over the world. And now 4 years after I started I was asked to be on fabatv! Being on Faba tv to me was one of the biggest things you could do in our field and I accomplished it. I also know as I am with Fabatv I will continue to grow you can never stop learning and expanding your knowledge and growth what I hope to accomplish on Faba tv is to get people and myself to think outside the box to see the things we paint all the time in a new light, to take something and think outside the box. And to all of those who are just starting out push yourself take time to learn and practice and truly come to love what you do and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.