Jessica Setnick

“Over my career I have come to understand that recovery is ongoing – as long as I have new situations, new experiences, and new relationships in my life, my recovery skills may be challenged, and I will develop new strategies.”
– Jess

Web: Serenity Stones by Jess

SPOTLIGHT SPEAKER 2021

SERENITY STONES BY JESS

I paint mandalas and other geometric designs on decorative stones. The quiet time helps me de-stress and gather my thoughts. Some of my best ideas come during that time. I hope that the calm transmits through the stones to the person who purchases them or receives them as a gift.

I started painting rocks after a layoff. I had time on my hands and thought it would be fun. It turned out to be much more. It became an exercise in patience and acceptance – stepping away from what I thought I wanted or had planned and accepting (and seeing the beauty in) the imperfect situation I had instead. Sometimes I would get frustrated, because it’s impossible to paint a “perfect” rock. I use natural rocks with their “imperfections,” although to my mind, natural rocks are exactly as they’re meant to be, and the misshapenness and cracks are just part of the rock. And what I add, in the form of paint, is never exactly geometrically perfect. So I would get frustrated and want to paint over it, but instead I would take a break and walk away. When I came back to the very same rock another time, somehow the “problems” were barely noticeable. A great reminder to walk away when something is stressing me out, because perhaps I will have a new perspective later. Now I don’t even try to pick out “perfect” rocks. I choose them based on their smoothness alone, and then adapt the painting to the shape of the rock. I am hopeful that whoever ends up with each one will find a way that it helps them, too.

SERENITY STONES BY JESS