So, I am doing The 100-Day Project Challenge again; my second attempt at this creativity "habit building" exercise. You can read more at the above link; or just choose "a creative thing" to pursue for 100 consecutive days... and then use #the100dayproject as one of your first three tags so others on Hive and other social media can find you!
Today is Day 5.
Yesterday was pretty much a dud. Too much time going to "other work" and to dog sitting for a friend. So much of our time in this life seems to be "not our own" because we are so busy all the time.
Art — at least for me — was always meant to be a reflective form of relaxation, not a frenetic rush of energy. After all, painting mandalas was my chosen meditation many years ago when I was trying to combat stress.
Today, I painted a medium sized "3rd Eye Chakra Stone."
Today's Creative Endeavor:
Well, at least the backs of the batch of stones getting finished had finally dried, so I could flip them and start doing the fronts! A small measure of progress!
There are more heart stones in that group, so it feels like there is an "open tab" that can only be finished when they have been inspected and then added to the Etsy shop.
Beyond that, I decided that I would continue with individual Chakra Stones for the foreseeable future... they have always been popular at shows, and I enjoy painting them.
Today's stone is pictured above.
Minding the Store(s):
On a positive note, something seems to be working... the Etsy shop is getting a lot more views than last year, and I'm just getting ramped up here!
Meanwhile, I have been debating whether or not I should add a "separate" collection of the tiny Faerie Stones and the Petites to the Etsy listings, just to have more low priced options listed.
It's generally not a "viable" proposition, because we cycle through so many of them at events, making accurate record keeping a pain in the rear. But if I kept a completely autonomous stock of both — one for shows, one for Etsy — maybe that would be a workable option. It would mean not having to keep track at shows... and having a good overview where it's quiet, at home.
I'd prefer just doing one listing with multiple choices... otherwise it just becomes too much work.
Got that one in the hopper, for the moment.
A group of very small stones
Social Media Musings:
Finally got off my duff and got some social media marketing underway. This primarily consisted of posting the newly listed Heart Stones to Facebook, X and Instagram.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to get around to checking my LinkedIn, website and Patreon. They all need a brushup. I should also make sure the Linktree is current and correct.
Final Thoughts for Today:
It takes a while to get used to "getting everything done." Interesting "discovery" of the day is that I often need to lave the digital world and outline/map what I am trying to get done on a piece of paper, rather than online.
So I ended up making myself some "work flow charts" today... we'll see if it helps!
I appreciate you coming to visit and please do leave a comment if you feel so inclined!
Thank You!
If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out The Hive Rocks Project and help spread the word about Hive, while also being creative!
Because I am trying to make some semblance of income — a part time living, even — I now add this footer to all my posts, in the hope that someone, somewhere, might decide to take a further look at my work, and perhaps consider supporting independent art.
Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support!
My Alchemy Stones Patreon appeal
Alchemy Stones web site and blog
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Thank you for supporting independent art & creativity!
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