A New Kind of Post

I can't believe that it has been 6 months since bright star (Natalie - me!) moved to Southern coastal Maine!

Yes - bright star and buffalo made a BIG change in December of last year.

Buffalo (Kelsey) stayed in Northern Arizona.  She is the production manager and maker behind ALL of our metal work now.  She is beginning to shift her attention away from "one woman factory" to a contemplation of passage (how/where to pass on her gifts and skills), completing cycles and delving into a deeper expression of her personal work.

I came out to Maine for a variety of reasons not the least of which is a dive into my work with herbs, flowers, (plant and plant world in general) hands on wellness arts and the more esoteric side of who I am and all that we offer through bright star and buffalo.

Still - I continue to play so many roles in this business (and life!).  One of which is to manage our social media presence. To say that this has been a learning curve for me is a complete understatement. 

Suffice it to say this...

I have connected with beautiful sisters and brothers on this path of evolution (In my opinion that includes: artists, fine crafters, holistic wellness practitioners, mystics, intuitives, spirit oriented folks, soulful entrepreneurs, makers of hOMes, farmers, gardeners, herbalists, singers, writers, poets, Practitioners, medicine makers, change makers as well as those that create and/or promote continuing study, mindfulness, nature love, joyous movement, inspiration, encouragement, community, self care, soul connection and so on).

I have NOT figured out the algorithms, collected a massive following, used video features or posted very often, become an "influencer" nor enticed a slew of people to shop my offerings.

About 8 months or so ago I did notice that I was no longer "fed" by most of the accounts I was following and I also saw that I had less of the very little engagement I usually experienced with our posts. I found all of this quite disarming...somehow I had become attached to two things - mindless scrolling and "likes".

Being a person with a lot of Scorpio in my chart - I immediately dove deep and made wide (a little dramatic) gestures.  I decided to unfollow everyone I was following and slowly build up a feed that inspired me.  I also decided not to post unless I felt like it.  That meant nothing would be scheduled (That meant throwing out everything I had learned to do to be "successful on social media" - yes I have taken several workshops on "successful social media marketing" and even paid someone to tell me what was "wrong" with my feed at one point).

With the current low low low engagement cycle I look within again and I ask...how much of my business has been built on the success of my Instagram feed?  How much do I really understand about being a small online business anyway?

The truth - and the answer to both of these questions is - not much.

And that is ok with me.  I don't need to beat the "rithm" or learn more about marketing a small online business.

This work is a part of my practice - a life that is based on soul work, hard work, BIG work.  I am not going to understand everything that happens technologically in this world, BUT I am going to connect with people who believe in me and the special quality of my unique offerings (personally and as bright star)...people who have their own unique gifts to give.  Together - I believe - we will change the world. 

This and this alone is the ONLY meaningful part of social media: to connect with and uplift your communities.

And yes...artists need to sell their work to eat and everyone in general needs to give and receive.

How do we support one another and much needed change (on so many levels)?

How do we co create the beauty we want to see and experience in our personal lives and the world at large?

How do we Serve and promote wellness/sanity in this world?

How do we really come to terms with the fact that "the journey is the goal"?

If you are interested in being a part of this particular journey then stick with me AND for now go to our Instagram account (@brightstarandbuffalo) and watch some of the video content I have been creating (I am such a newbie with this kind of expression, but it is so much fun!).  It doesn't answer any questions (like the ones above), but it is the beginning of an exploration into purpose (beginning with bright star and buffalo's).  Let me know what you think.  What do you want to hear more/less of?

With Deep Regard and Abundant Love

N