mental health – Stars Seen

A Small Business

Is it strange to even call the endeavor K and T embarked on as a small business. I think of it as a collaboration of the minds and passions. It’s more proper to say that I just want to spread some encouragement, joy, and happiness, and she wants to help me with my reach and ideas.

I have learned many things thus far…

Etsy is a great tool but if you don’t sell enough, it ends up being not worth it. More than anything, I love that Etsy supports small businesses which makes selling more possible despite the fees and such. It’s always interesting to see just how far we can go on there.

Instagram and TikTok are great marketing tools because you can put up anything with great music and draw attention to your products. Now, I just have to figure out how to get my cats out of my videos and keep them from stealing the show…

CreatorU is a great tool if you want to be like everyone else had have a growth like everyone else. They do recommend you copy and create more content like others. And I found that sickly. But it’s good to know what they are doing and how they are teaching it. And it helped me realize that our business is not like theirs.

Here is one of the captivators and show-stealers…

While working in the Library, I mainly did passive programming at all the different libraries I’d worked at. I didn’t think much of it. It just came naturally. When I offered my starts as part of an outreach technique for an in-person job of mine, they were shocked at the response of the community, which further proved to me the power of a jar of lucky stars. It was wonderfully knowing how few people had seen it, knew how to make it, and how many people wanted to learn more.

So, we’re back. Getting ready for another year and hoping to grind it out better than the last!

How has everyone else been?

Are you ready for 2024?

Doing What You Love

Something strange that hit K and T was when people add “work” to what they love to do. The word in itself held no depth of sorrow nor madness, but once it was added, suddenly the feelings related to what they were doing changed.

For example, K had always enjoyed packaging and bottling stars and other products. Letting loose her creative energy on the product and how to best package it had always been the way to go for most of her works. And it was relaxing and fun for her, especially with how well she was getting to know her local Hobby Lobby.

This is not K, but a suitable representation…

But once she tried to think of it as work, it soured. It became less of something she wanted to do but she needed to do it. She suddenly had a deadline and more pressure to make it beautiful despite using sustainable products.

So, she removed the word and it took on the lighter and more friendly meaning of ease and companionable comfort again. Strange how this word would bring her such a change, but she found it easier after that.

Moral of this post is that, once you find something you enjoy doing, don’t try to define it or tie it down with words not often associated with enjoyment, pleasure, and ease. In our culture today, it’s far easier to keep the words you use for different purposes separate. This just simplifies and compartmentalizes your life and what you do.

And for most humans, this is definitely needed. So, thanks for the read and enjoy yourselves. Remember to stay safe and healthy, and keep doing what you love to do!

Rest Is Important

It is understandable that most people don’t see this as a labor intensive job. After all, T isn’t hauling bricks or wood across construction sights, nor is she moving masses on a tractor and picking them up later if they fall. Why would this be considered labor intensive and why would rest be important.

The most popular T’s often heard is, “Isn’t this rest for you?”

As much as it may pain you to hear this, origami requires hand strength. It’s like typing endlessly, but working all your fingers, wrists, and arms as you do it. It tires your shoulders and back as you keep going, and walking while folding can be seen as strange, but she does it, too.

Needless to say, the demand for folding has never been as high as this. Which is why with daily activities and folding of stars, flowers, hearts, and whatever else, her right hand went numb during the night. Her elbow joints started aching and clicking more. And, during the mornings, her body rejected waking up as the numbness and sciatic pains moved from her fourth and middle finger to all over her hand and then away again.

On this day, T took a break from folding and didn’t even touch the paper. She didn’t want to risk anything and so, she fully rested her hand.

Fully enjoying, I mean comforting, CatMom T’s day off from folding stars.

It was a glorious day for the cats. Plenty of petting and massaging, cat hair and dust mingled in the air all day wherever CatMom T was. And as they enjoyed her presence and service, they meowed and purred to T’s heart’s content.

Which is why, we at Stars Seen strong advocate for mental and physical health. Once your relaxing hobby becomes a strain on your body, it’s alright to rest and regain yourself before doing more. Take care of your body because you only have one allotted to you per lifetime.

And if you need something to calm or smooth your soul, come back to this blog or our Etsy shop to see what we can do! Thank you for your time and have a safe and great day!