Today we’d like to introduce you to Sue Festa.
Sue, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have wanted to be an artist since I was 5 years old and realized I could draw well. As I grew older I knew that somehow I would make my living doing something creative and pursued a degree in visual design and illustration at umass Dartmouth. In the years that followed graduation I was lucky enough to get creative work at a newspaper as well as two clothing companies. All of my positions at these companies allowed me to get paid as an artist which I had always been told would be a difficult thing to do. As much as I enjoyed my work, bring stuck in an office day after day was something I really did not enjoy. I was lucky enough to answer an ad looking for artists to draw caricatures at Fanueil Hall in Boston. I was hired and learned to draw joyful cartoons of people that visited out little cart. I was hooked. Drawing caricatures was what I wanted to do. Meeting new people, drawing and creating memories for tourists and best of all making them smile and be happy. I had found my true calling as an artist. I worked my way up, became a touring artist with bookings across the United States and learned the business end of my trade. I eventually opened my own company, Boston Caricature and had a very successful pushcart business in a suburban mall on the South shore. After a few years, I left my location to concentrate on events. I draw at everything from corporate soirees to sporting events. Every party is a new adventure and every day I still look forward to going to work to draw. I’ve been going strong for 30 years and have a team of fantastic artists I have worked with since the beginning who share my love of this art and like myself k ow how blessed we are to be able to do this type of work.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Most artists are naive when starting out. There are a lot of unsavory agents and clients who try and get you to trade your art for “experience” or say “it’s great exposure”. There are also a lot of people who try to not pay or pay slow which can be very discouraging. I learned the hard way but it made me a stronger businessperson. All artists must learn to advocate for themselves in order to be get ahead and not be taken advantage of.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Boston Caricature – what should we know?
We specialize in drawing caricatures at events. We have some of the best and most professional Artists in New England. I am most proud of the amount of charity work we do. We offer our services at low or no cost to organizations that help low income families and homeless children as well as fundraisers to raise money for animal causes and private medical fundraisers. We balance our paid events with our charity work which is something slot of other people in our business don’t do. We like to bring our art to people who might never get a chance to get drawn otherwise.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have been lucky along the way to have the support of family and friends. My husband Jim was and is my biggest cheerleader. He was always by my side giving me the confidence to go out on my own and create the kind of business I envisioned. It’s been a lot of long road trips going to events, late nights and time away from home but it has been worth it. He has been my roadie, my fill in cashier and my chauffeur on more than one occasion. I would not be doing what I love without his support.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bostoncaricature.com
- Phone: 617-840-6010
- Email: susan9452@comcast.net
- Instagram: Bostoncaricature
- Facebook: Bostoncaricature
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