Art and Creativity Journal: Painting Some Small Stuff

One of the things about doing outside events and shows is that we invariably have to have an extensive stock of quick pick-up impulse items in the under $10 range.

Meticulously hand painting small stones may seem like a lot of meaningless work to an observer, and it definitely is a bit tedious but it is also an important part of at least getting one Alchemy Stone into the hands of a potential customer who might become a long-term supporter.

If you are serious about being a "production artist" and actually having an art business you also have to listen to what buyers want without being too high and mighty about the "purity" of your work.

In recent days, I have been returning to painting a bit and this weekend I dedicated most of my painting time to making small things.

While I don't particularly feel fulfilled by making tiny what I call "tourist trinkets", I recognize their value. During an average show, we often sell enough small things to pay for the booth fee, travel expenses and meals and so I can't dismiss their importance.

The small things also help sell the more expensive stuff in the sense that we often end up selling a couple of small $6 stones to somebody and then they're back a few hours later and buy a $50-$100 item.

It's one of the things I learned from my many years of running retail gift shops. People often like to get the cheapest thing they can get their hands on from a rather upscale seller. In the beginning it may not amount to much, but it doesn't take much for somebody to get excited about the wares, and before you know it you've actually made a $60 sale made up entirely of $8-$10 items.

Regardless of what it is I'm doing at the moment it does feel good to get back to the creative part of Alchemy Stones and I look forward to also sharing quite a bit more here on Hive in the coming weeks and months!

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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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2026.08.02 AS-TXT-401/371