Joy delivered today. This time to the Red Cross where I donated blood. Hand-painted rocks a long overdue thank you to staff for being there on the front line continuing to collect blood for those in need while the pandemic raged in the background.
Lately I’ve been thinking about the next step of my rock painting journey – providing people who find/receive my rocks a way to connect and share. I waffle between wanting the person to feel that someone or something is smiling down on them, providing a serendipitous moment, to wanting to foster a connection between strangers, a moment of sharing both the giving and receiving of joy. And then there’s putting my name out there which just makes me feel exposed.
I keep coming back to the excitement I felt when someone who had found one of my rocks shared the find in the OC Rocks USA (#OCRockin) Facebook group. The find brightened both our days and the connection even more so.
So I took a baby step with the Red Cross rocks. I created an Instagram account for just rocks (@LSL.ART) and wrote the handle on the underside of each rock. I don’t know if this is the best way to accomplish my goal; the logistics aren’t clear to me yet. But if I wait until all the details are worked out I’ll never move forward.
So tell me, what would you do with a rock you found? Would you keep it, leave it, re-hide it? Would you want to track down the artist and share your find or would you prefer to simply enjoy the quiet comfort of knowing you’re not alone?
8 comments
Finding one of your rocks would be like finding a happy treasure. To keep, leave or re-hide – that is the question. The struggle would be between keeping it or sending the rock along on it’s journey – and I would let the artist know what my decision was.
You could do both. Keep it for awhile and then send it on its way.
Lauran I feel joy just looking at all of these beautiful rocks. To be a recipient of one would be double joy.. I would definitely reach out to the artist 👩🎨 if I found one and then decide whether to keep, hide , etc.. it will be fun to see how far these rocks travel. I love that you have found this passion of creating on something from nature and sending the joy vibration out into the world. Rock on my friend … 🤩👩🎨🌎💓
Stay tuned. I plan to leave a rock a day on a road trip Mark and I have planned this summer and we’ll be traveling through multiple states. It’s interesting that everyone who has replied to this question (on the various platforms where this is shared) has said they’d like a connection with the artist. I’m glad I asked the question because it’s not the answer I would have expected. Don’t ask me why, because when I found my first rock it’s the first thing I thought of. Funny how we get stuck on these ideas. Perhaps the idea that they are a message from ????? was a good reason NOT to put myself out there.
If I found a painted rock, I would definitely turn to the underside and follow any bread crumbs it might offer, including a Facebook group, Instagram account, or website. It would be really cool if each rock had a unique identifier or serial number of sorts. Then, we could trace the travels of “our” rock after placing it in a new place and checking up on it periodically. I envision a map, with my rock hopping about from one location to another over time 😊.
Would a QR code do? I think this is a fabulous idea. Someone does this now (or did this) with books and many years ago I would leave books when I traveled for the very same reasons you stated. I can’t remember the name of the group right now, but they had a website and a tracking system and everything. You never know when you start down a path where it’s going to take you. Perhaps a rock map is in my future.
Great job, Lauran!!!
Thank you