Well, we have arrived at the second half of the year 2026, and even though calendars are a pretty arbitrary thing it seems like a good reason to resume creative work, or at least to try to!
I want to spend this second half of 2026 putting a little more effort into marketing on social media and general promotions of one kind or another. We know from experience that people really like these painted stones, but we are always bumping into the challenge that unless they are in front of people nobody knows that they're actually wanting to own one.
So that's the thing I'm going to be dealing with next.
Since we went to the beach recently and I now have a lot of new blank stones sitting downstairs, so it's also time to start painting again.
Now, I'm not going to undertake one of those crazy "hundred days of creativity" challenges to get myself going again... I am just going to take it a little bit at a time, but I would like to get quite a bit of new stock finished by the time we have our next outdoor event which is coming up in September.
I realize that's still a ways off but time has a way of sneaking up on us!
I'm also feeling hopeful that in the course of the next 4-6 weeks I will be able to finish the tedious process of consolidating all the items that I have available for sale into a single online location via the Etsy Marketplace.
It's something I've had an ambition to do for a long time but I have only managed to get around to it in fits and starts. It's one of the joys of living with ADHD!
Regardless, it makes more sense to have everything in one place for when we're at shows and we can just have people scan a QR code and it'll take them directly to the online store where they can purchase if they don't feel like buying while they are in person.
For the time being I have given up on the idea of selling from a free-standing website directly... I want the website alchemystone.rocks to be purely for news items and blog post updates with events and such things.
And so, onwards we go!
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!
2026.07.01 AS-TXT-396/366
