New designs, shop progress, & AI frustrations…

Those of you who have joined me on this journey of growing the brand, moving from Etsy to my very own site, creating an affiliate program ‘The Cauldron Creator Guild’ - I want to thank you! It is not easy as one person to do all of this and I’ve had some amazing support from you all. That being said, I’m sure you’re wondering when new designs are coming. Here is a little update & some thoughts I’ve had lately:

1. I’m working on putting up new loot for items I had available on my Etsy in the past. So you will see some new-ish stuff up very soon!

2. I don’t know if you’re aware - but I do accept custom design requests! Simply shoot me a message over on the contact page if you’re interested. Your requests also do not need to be fandom related, I’m open to anything and would just list it as a private listing so others cannot see/purchase it.

3. Speaking of custom designs, I have been working on one for someone so I haven’t quite had the time to design more for the site but I promise NEW designs are coming. I even have an exciting new Collection idea! Here’s a hint: One-liners, minimal designs.

4. This is just keeping it real and being totally honest. If you don’t want to hear about IRL stuff, feel free to move to #5 on this list. Anyone else struggle with migraines? They’re the worst… luckily I’ve been getting them a lot less but there was a time where it was so frequent I couldn’t get anything done. They actually get so bad that my vision gets spotty with blurry spots/squiggly colorful lines, etc. It’s actually partially why I quit my full time job, along with other health issues from the immense stress of being overworked (among other reasons I won’t mention). In a way it’s been a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I’ve been able to really dive into From The Pleiades and do some things I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. On the other side - a struggle because as a small business still trying to make sales consistently and investing everything I make right back into the business, I obviously have no income at the moment. And AI is ruining the job market, I don’t just mean with taking jobs from people but even just the application process is a pain. Anyone have any tips? I’m losing hope lol.

5. And since we’re on the topic of AI - I’ve been rather discouraged by it lately from the business side of things. I will admit, I do use AI to help with the operational side of my business. Such as looking up laws, looking over documents for the Guild, to brainstorm, etc. Not all the time, occasionally. I NEVER use it for design. Everything you see is something I’ve created. 100% human made. But something I’ve grown really tired of seeing is these bigger well known shops that are very clearly using AI for their designs. Have they always done this? No, not all… I’ve noticed some are just now incorporating it into their shops to really pump out designs quickly. Have I been a fan of some of these shops in the past? Absolutely. One I won’t mention but will admit I’m no longer a fan of simply because they’ve taken the easy way out of being original - they’ve starting putting so many AI designs up and nobody seems to notice. They’re still extremely popular as a business and I don’t understand why people would continue to support them when real artist’s are still out there working hard. I want to stand out as a business for my original designs, but it feels like I’m just going to get lost in the fake AI slop being pumped out at crazy speeds. I don’t mean to sound negative or jealous, it’s really just a huge frustration of mine. So if you’ve supported my business by following, liking, sharing, or purchasing my designs - thank you. You’re supporting REAL art made by a HUMAN.🖤

Anastasia | Owner & Artist of From The Pleiades

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