Art and Creativity Journal: An Inevitable Day of Office Work!
Published on HivePostify by @alchemystones · Thu Sep 03 2026
I know I have been putting this off for a while, so today I decided to knuckle under and have a day of purely doing office work and following up on administrative odds and ends.
Because Alchemy Stones is ultimately treated as a business, there are a lot more facets to what I do than just painting on rocks and going to shows. I suppose that would be pretty common sense to most people, but I still think it bears mentioning... for the benefit of those who think this is all creative fun and games!
We report to the taxing authorities as a "sole proprietorship," and that means there is some bookkeeping to do that keeps expenses and income related purely to the art separate from our personal finances.
Although this all works on a very small scale, the IRS requires consistent net income from an activity of more than $400 a year to be treated like a business. I like to have everything in decent order even though I find myself being highly resistant to the process of getting it done. I guess that's not so unusual I haven't met very many people who love paperwork!
In addition, part of today has to be dedicated to photographing recent work — both to use in sales listings on Etsy, as well as with an eye towards using in ongoing social media marketing.
My last attempt at marketing through Facebook (the free version) actually got somewhat over 800 views so there are people looking... I just have to keep tewaking the tags and the overall approach.
I also need to get some new pictures and posts put out on Patreon. I sort of redesigned the landing page and the support tiers but haven't really done much with in terms of promotions. I did discover — when I redesigned the page — that Alchemy Stones actually has 22 unpaid subscribers, which at least goes to show that there are actually people who are interested!
Of course, "the same old problem" always applies: All it takes is time and effort to get going.
I am quietly contemplating using an AI agent of some kind to help analyze keywords and show me potential avenues that might be effective in terms of publicity. I think there are appropriate ways to use AI as a research tool and inappropriate ways to use it... as in those people who seem to think it's a good idea to replace their own creativity with machine creativity.
Personally, I think that almost is akin to a sort of personal betrayal of your own creativity. But hey, I'm from an older generation so I have views that perhaps are not reflective of modern society.
Anyways, I'd better get on with it... daylight is getting burned!
Thanks for stopping by!
Thank You!
If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out [The Hive Rocks Project](https://peakd.com/c/hive-127783/created) 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](https://www.patreon.com/AlchemyStones) appeal
[Alchemy Stones web site](https://alchemystones.blogspot.com/) and blog
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Thank you for supporting independent art & creativity!
2026.09.03 AS-TXT-404/374
Tags: #art#creativity#artjournal#archon#rockpainting#taxes#photography#creativecoin#proofofbrain#cent