Fast readings, fast money

I had rented a space at an art festival that made a business of selling art, and while people upstairs were bidding on the artwork entered, people downstairs had booths selling their hand made crafts. I was doing caricatures for $10.00 each. I'm not as fast as most caricature artists and it is sometimes grueling work. At the end of the weekend, on the last day people were packing up stuff to leave and I took out my tarot cards and set up a sign for readings, $1.00 per card, three card readings.

My customers were young teens. The readings were fast. They kept coming back, bringing their friends, asking new questions. They loved it, they had a ball, they had money to spend.

In thirty minutes I made $60.00. It had been taking me an hour to make $30.00 doing the caricatures because I could not draw them fast enough. I decided to either change over to doing readings or start charging more for my caricatures. But I like doing the readings much better. It is easy and so much fun.

Off topic, but your deck is beautiful.

I agree. I knew nothing about it until I saw AJ's post so I went to your website and peeked at it. I am definitely going to have to order one. Simply stunning!!

AJ said:

Off topic, but your deck is beautiful.

Click to expand...

Thank you!

I'm sorry if this post was off topic, I thought the topic was about reading cards professionally (which is getting paid for it) and I had read a thread here about someone who wanted to know how they might get started doing that so I thought it might be of interest. Its how I got started actually getting paid for doing readings.

I approached doing readings with the idea of having fun. I have discovered that if I balance my attitude about doing readings between having fun and taking it seriously I don't get too stressed about doing readings for people. I sometimes feel divided between taking it too seriously and not wanting to accept or hear what the cards are saying. We all have to start somewhere.
The first time you actually get paid for your work is really exciting but I find that doing a good reading and pleasing your client is very rewarding too.

Jenny_writer said:

I'm sorry if this post was off topic,

Click to expand...

She meant that her post about your deck was off topic. Your post is applicable for this sub-forum.

It's great it worked for you.

You might want to keep in mind for the future whether those producing the fair would be ok with readings being done at an art fair and whether you would need a different type of business license to do them at that location (city).

zannamarie said:

She meant that her post about your deck was off topic. Your post is applicable for this sub-forum.

It's great it worked for you.

You might want to keep in mind for the future whether those producing the fair would be ok with readings being done at an art fair and whether you would need a different type of business license to do them at that location (city).

Click to expand...

Yes, there are certainly some fairs where I would not want to do them. I was feeling a bit bold and adventuresome then. This particular fair did not restrict or try to control what you did at your booth so I was okay. If they had come to me with an objection I was prepared to ask them what exactly were they objecting to. (There is not law against tarot reading in this state.) If they were bold enough to tell me that it was "religion" or "belief" based objection, they might have had a problem with me. I would certainly ask to go over their specific objections with a fine tooth comb.

Before I started I did a three card reading with the question about the energy of the day. I did see a person or energy present that had an objection to my being there reading tarot cards. Shortly after I did that reading, a man came up to my booth and he was politely inquiring about the cards and about if I knew how they worked. He was a Jehovah's Witness and of course he believes the devil is behind them. I was expecting him. ... the cards told me he was coming. I offered him a chair and a reading, but he declined. He was very nervous, but polite. That was the only person bold enough to approach me.

Jenny_writer said:

This particular fair did not restrict or try to control what you did at your booth so I was okay. If they had come to me with an objection I was prepared to ask them what exactly were they objecting to. (There is not law against tarot reading in this state.)

Click to expand...

The absence of a state law does not mean there are no local laws regulating the profession. Reading tarot may require a local business license. You may already have one with regards to selling your art, but you may need to get it amended to include selling card readings as many places consider that a different profession than vending a ware.

I presume your contract for the booth stated what was permitted so you knew you were ok with regards to fair management. I was thinking along the lines of those with a larger jurisdiction.

zannamarie said:

The absence of a state law does not mean there are no local laws regulating the profession. Reading tarot may require a local business license. You may already have one with regards to selling your art, but you may need to get it amended to include selling card readings as many places consider that a different profession than vending a ware.

I presume your contract for the booth stated what was permitted so you knew you were ok with regards to fair management. I was thinking along the lines of those with a larger jurisdiction.

Click to expand...

That is good information, especially if you travel around to different cities. My state does not have too many laws regulating professions other than, doctors, hairdressers, barbers, lawyers, nurses etc.. Private investigators don't have to have a licence here, but bounty hunters do. My town does not even require a city business licence for a service occupation. I guess each city you are in you just have to ask. I know that talking to people can't be against the law. Telling them that you are a fortune teller and can see the future is in some states. That is why I tell people I am not psychic and I can't see the future. I just read the cards and that I believe that they reflect the energy of the moment and the momentum of the event in progress, which is a probability. It is not the future.

Jenny_writer said:

I know that talking to people can't be against the law.

Click to expand...

You are asking them to give you money in exchange for "talking" to them. That's a different category of "talking".

Jenny_writer said:

Telling them that you are a fortune teller and can see the future is in some states. That is why I tell people I am not psychic and I can't see the future. I just read the cards and that I believe that they reflect the energy of the moment and the momentum of the event in progress, which is a probability. It is not the future.

Click to expand...

I would be surprised to discover the mere telling someone you are not psychic and can't see the future removes you from the category of fortune telling with regards to the law (where fortune telling is against the law).

Here's a link to an old article (so the law may not longer apply), but it states what the law in this place considers fortune telling. Tarot card readers are included - http://pluralism.org/news/view/4329

That's the reason many become ordained so they can give "spiritual advice" or place the "for entertainment only" clause in clear view of those receiving readings.

You may be correct that none of this applies where you are giving readings, but it may apply in other areas of the country.

Great.

What a nice deck, Jenny! You have a gift