Today we’d like to introduce you to Naomi Smentkowski.
Naomi, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Hello! Throughout college (at Arizona State University!), I worked at a lovely little tea house hosting children’s parties both as a princess performer reading stories and singing, and as an English-style maid dressing up little girls in fancy dresses and doing their hair/makeup to make them feel like a princess before teaching an etiquette lesson for a tea party. Surprisingly, I found this job through a Craigslist ad entitled: “What to be a Disney Princess?”, which intrigued me. After nervously auditioning and gladly accepting the position once it was offered to me, I realized that I had found my dream job. I met some of my closest friends through this job, and it launched me into a newfound love for Disney, performing, and making kid’s dreams come true. I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Music and was proposed to by the love of my life. My boss at the tea house gave me some time off for wedding planning and hunting for a teaching position, and hired a new performer to take my hours.
After my wedding and starting a long term substitute job, one of my mom’s friends sent me a message asking if I still did “Princess Parties” and wanted to know if I could come to her daughter’s 4th birthday party at their home. It was right after the hit movie Frozen had come out, and Elsa was all the rage. The tea house didn’t go home visits-parties were only held at their location, but I told her if she trusted me I could try and make an Elsa costume and come on my own, as a freelance performer. Little did I know how much this inquiry would change my life. I got right to work studying the character’s outfit, hair, and song/story. My mom had taught me the basics of sewing, but now looking back on what I know now, I knew close to nothing at the time. I somehow made an entire Elsa dress from scratch, painted shoes to match, styled a wig, copied the makeup as best I could, bought the storybook and face paints, and memorized the song just in time for the little girl’s party. It was a blast. The kids couldn’t believe that the real Elsa was at the party and I ended up staying close to 2 hours instead of the originally planned 1 hour time frame.
From that party, one of the guests requested me to come to her own birthday party a month later. And from that party, another (but with Anna, Elsa’s sister! Whom I made a new costume and had one of my actress friends come with me!). As word continued to spread, I made a website, business cards, and flyers, and volunteered at local events to help get my name out. Every time someone requested a new character, I would make the costume and add her to my list. Within two years, I was performing at up to 8 parties in a single weekend and had even done consecutive annual parties for families. Substitute teaching allowed me to work the hours that I wanted to during the week, and slow down my schedule when I needed to get princess parties in order. I also began teaching piano out of my home.
In 2016, my husband accepted a new job in San Diego and while I was excited for a new chapter of our lives and to be able to live in one of my favorite cities, I was nervous to have to hit the reset button on my business I’d worked so hard on. I had to start completely over in terms of networking and word-of-mouth for parties, so it took me a bit to get going. However, through volunteering at local events once again, and through my nanny position that I took when I first moved to California, I was able to meet other parents with little girls who loved princesses and I started spreading the word once again. Now, three years after moving, I am back to performing at parties every weekend and have almost 30 piano students, all from word of mouth! I have also started diving into cosplaying at conventions, which has introduced me to so many people that love to perform and make costumes just like me! I sing with the San Diego Master Chorale (the choir that performs with our San Diego Symphony) and have a group of girlfriends that I am teaching how to sew and style wigs. I have over 30 wigs and costumes now and work with four different actresses who come to larger paid and volunteer events with me. It is truly a dream job-watching kids faces light up when they see their favorite character arrive at their party and getting to know them/help them see how positively wonderful they are. I wouldn’t change anything for the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
Overall, it has been a wonderful journey. But with any long road traveled on, obstacles arise. When I first started making costumes, it was sometimes extremely frustrating (and still can be!). Cutting the wrong pieces out of the fabric and having to make a second trip to go get more… sewing the wrong things together and having to seam-rip entire sections out for hours, not having patterns for things and having to draft my own… lots of things can and WILL go wrong when you’re learning how to sew! But I stuck with it, and now I can make full costumes with no pattern at all just based off of what I’ve learned over the years from trial and error and I’m so, so grateful for that! The same goes with wig styling-practice practice, practice. Every wig I style just looks better and better!
Moving was also a big obstacle for me that was hard to overcome. Some days, I felt so discouraged that I almost gave up my princess business and wanted to just go find a “regular” job. But the next day I’d wake up, make a list of attainable goals, and try again. My advice-never give up on your dreams. Anything is possible with motivation and preservation. Stay positive and keep your chin up-you will meet wonderful people if you don’t already have them in your life, that will build you up who have the same interests of you, and you will look back on your journey someday with all of the ups and downs and be so grateful that all of it happened the way that it did.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Magical Princess Parties – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I primarily perform as well-recognized fairytale characters, but also have started branching out into characters from video games, board games, and comic books!! I even just finished creating a generic fairy character!
I arrive at a child’s party in full character, read the associated storybook, sing that character’s song (if they have one! If not, we dance or play a related game!), paint all of the kid’s faces (or style their hair, give makeovers or manicures, or lead a craft!), take photos with each guest, sign autographs, and then lead the party guests in singing happy birthday for the birthday child before leaving!
I am most proud of the fact that I am able to stay in full character from the moment I step through the door to the second I leave. I pride myself in the fact that if a child is skeptical of my characters “realness” at the beginning of the event, I ALWAYS end up convincing them that I am real by the end and usually they are the kiddos that don’t want to see my leave the most! Creating that magic in a child’s heart is my greatest joy, and seeing all of the smiles and excitement that come with it. I can’t tell you how many sweet kisses I get at some parties, and the tight long-lasting hugs I receive out the door (or sometimes just randomly throughout.) I have always been a “kid person”-I love kids with all of my heart and 9 times out of 10 am able to create an instant bond with them, which I think sets me apart from other performers. I have over 50 reviews on Facebook, all 5-star reviews. I couldn’t have asked for a better fitting job-I love it and am so passionate about being the best performer that I can be in all aspects, whether it be my costume/wig that I’ve made to be as accurate to the movie as possible, voice to match the character, face painting skills, singing, or the overall energy that I put into the character!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
One of the most inspirational resources for me as a performer/costumer is Instagram, actually! I follow a lot of other party performers and cosplayers (a lot of whom I have devolved real friendships with overtime!) who inspire me to learn more about my craft, and be better each time I do what I do!
Pricing:
- I charge $150 for a one hour appearance (Storytelling, singing, face painting, photos/autographs, and singing happy birthday!)
- $100 for a half hour appearance (singing, photos/autographs, happy birthday song!)
- $225 for one hour appearance with an added photographer to capture each moment!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.magicalprincessparties.org
- Phone: 4802781016
- Email: magicalprincesspartiesca@gmail.com
- Instagram: @Magical.Princess.Parties for business inquiries or you can follow my cosplay/general creating Instagram @ThatTallPrincess
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magicalprincesspartiesca
Image Credit:
Rey: Bryan Babich, Snow White: DQ Photography, Elsa: Shane Baker, Cinderella: Steven Houston
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