Welcome to Day 51 of the 100-Day Project!
This afternoon, I checked on the finished stones in the garage, and thanks to the somewhat warmer temperatures, I declared them "finished" and brought them into the house. Seemed like a good choice because we've had a couple of dry days with sun, and tomorrow we're promised another round of rain... and, with that, we'll have higher humidity.
A large collage type image of the stones I have painted over the past 6 weeks!
I'm glad to report that the current batch was 100% "clean" so no garden stones in this group!
I took them outside and did some collage shots, and some individual shots for promotional and archival purposes.
My wife — who's a graphic artist, among other things — is redesigning the Alchemy Stones logo and presentation after some 13 years of using the original one. Not ready yet, but we're moving from a more "Viking/Tribal" style to a more "Space Age/Modern" appearance.
More to come on that.
This image was taken in May 2015, and went "sort-of viral" on Facebook, getting shared several thousand times.
Meanwhile, it was also time for me to do some minor shopping for supplies... I was taking inventory of our gift bag situation and we were running low on pretty much everything, so I'll be spending about $50.00 there, as soon as I get some more money into my PayPal account.
This is a business, after all, so I have to pay attention to where all the money comes from.
With the new logo and new photos, we'll also be creating a new run of post cards (giveaways at shows), and business cards. In addition, we need a new banner for the booth, and I'm contemplating putting a design on canvas shopping bags to use as giveaways for anyone spending $100 or more at an event.
One of the larger stones from the current batch. I really like this one!
Of course, now that the stones are in the house, I need to start photographing them individually, pricing them, and then adding them to some of our online sales venues. With that, I'm planning to add some of them to our own @hivelist project here on Hive.
I already have the framework of an account set up there... so now I can actually start populating the store. I'm looking forward to making my first sale with crypto!
It has really occurred to me how this is a never-ending process... there is not such thing as ever being done. What I have also come to recognize is that — even before the 100-Day Project — I already give lots of time practically daily, to this venture.
The finished result just presents the crispness and the colors to their fullest advantage.
Day 51 Stone Painting:
I had a lot of errands today, and we were having dinner with friends, so time was at a bit of a premium... but I tried to get after as much as possible, regardless.
As per usual, started of by painting one more "Retreat Stone;" this one being no. 27. Getting close to the end!
Retreat Stone number 27
Then I painted a couple of smaller stones. These are fairly simple and quick to do, and we offer them in a big basket, already bagged with information enclosures and a little gift tag for $10 each, when we're at shows.
Even when nothing else seems to be selling, people seem to buy these... $10 is still a price most people "don't have to think about," and we often end up selling multiples.
A couple more, painted today
Day 51 Summary and Social Media Bits:
Today was another pretty good day: finished another Retreat Stone, and an additional two smaller stones. Mostly, I'm just really happy to have new work available, and to have some new photographs to work with!
Daily Twitter/X post: Check. Posted another collage-type photo of the just finished stones. Seems a couple of somewhat larger accounts gave my twitter a follow, so that's cool. It's all a numbers game!
Daily Facebook Page post: Check. Finally put up an announcement and picture of the new stones.
Daily Instagram post: Check. Another collage post of new stones.
Other Stuff: As usual, this Hive post; the creative output was pretty modest again, but getting to examine and photograph some of the new stones was great; Daily shoutout to @gillianpearce!
Day 51 completed; on reflection, it surprises me how much time I was already spending with my art and creativity even before starting this challenge. The main things I am really learning here are better habits and a little more focus!
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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!
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2024.04.10 AS-TXT-242/212