Art and Creativity Journal: Getting Ready for Better Practices + Hive Anniversary
Rather than spending my first few days of the upcoming 100-day Challenge just getting organized and ready, I decided to get a jump on things today, cleaning my workspace and getting paint ready.
As it turns out, I also decided to start painting a bit, because... why not?
Dream Stones take a good bit of their inspiration from traditional Dream Catchers
"Dream Stones" actually came about because I had a number of somewhat "awkwardly shaped" oblong stones left over from beach trips... rather than just haul them back to the beach, I tried to figure something out to do with them.
They have actually gotten to be quite popular at shows and festivals, but they are one of those things that work best with an in-person explanation — like much of my work does.
Starting the spiraling design
Hence, my primary "carry forward" challenge for 2025 remains "how to become more successful at online sales." Still a tough nut to crack, but I keep looking for the insight that will help me turn the corner.
Meanwhile: Six Years on Hive!
Today — January 18th — also happens to the sixth Anniversary of this account here on Hive!
I'm not sure how good of a job I've done, in terms of documenting the creative journey... but at least I have managed to put up a few "markers" along the way. I suppose there's some truth to the rumor that artists are typically "poorly organized..."
"Soulmate Stones" are characterized by having two similar mandalas, connected by threads
From the Stores:
Since I am using this post as a benchmark, I decided to take a quick inventory of items listed for sale, across the various online marketplaces.
- Etsy — 167 active listings
- eBay — 78 active listings
- Amazon Handmade — 32 active listings
The only one of the three that is looking "tidy" according the new way I would like to organize things is Amazon... mostly because I went through it and updated everything right before Christmas.
The Social Media:
Mostly, I wanted to make sure that the various accounts were "active" and there would be no issues with logging in and posting.
Facebook — Starting out with 663 followers; looking to grow that in 2025!
Twitter/X — Starting out with just 137 followers; challenge will be to get people to even look at posts.
Instagram — Starting out with 135 followers.
LinkedIn — Which I only just activated, starting with 16 connections.
Not really going to count Hive as part of this, since the objective here is to develop external social media. Naturally, I do hope some people from elsewhere will find their way to my Hive blog!
And that pretty much takes care of the basics, ahead of formally starting up the 100-Day Project on Monday.
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
Regardless, your upvotes and comments are always appreciated!
Thank you for supporting independent art & creativity!
2025.01.18 AS-TXT-306/276