Habit & Hearth was born out of my love for slow living.
I’ve always been drawn to the idea of romanticizing the everyday turning small, ordinary moments into rituals that feel grounding and intentional. Lighting a candle in the morning. Resetting the house on a Sunday afternoon. Letting scent signal rest, focus, or comfort.
Creating a handmade product felt natural to me. Pouring candles, blending scents, naming them after routines and emotional states it all came intuitively. The making part was never the issue.
The hard part?
Marketing.
When Making the Product Is Easier Than Selling It
Like many handmade business owners, I quickly realized that creating something beautiful doesn’t automatically mean people will find it.
Learning how to talk about my candles online, show up consistently on social media, write captions, emails, and website copy, and grow a brand in a crowded digital space felt far more challenging than melting wax and pouring jars ever did.
I didn’t struggle with creativity I struggled with clarity and capacity.
What do I post today?
How do I explain what makes my candles different?
How do I stay consistent without burning out?
That’s where AI entered the picture.
Using AI as a Tool, Not a Shortcut
When AI tools like ChatGPT started gaining momentum, I was curious but cautious.
I didn’t want my brand to lose its warmth, voice, or intention. Habit & Hearth is deeply personal to me, and the idea of outsourcing that heart to a machine didn’t sit right.
So I reframed how I approached AI.
Instead of seeing it as a shortcut or replacement for my creativity, I started using it as a support system. A thinking partner. A way to organize my ideas, reduce mental load, and help me show up more consistently without losing myself in the process.
Creating a Clear, Realistic Growth Plan
The first thing I used ChatGPT for wasn’t content it was clarity.
I asked it to help me:
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Define my ideal customer
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Clarify my brand voice and messaging
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Outline realistic marketing goals for a small, handmade business
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Create simple weekly content rhythms I could actually stick to
This alone was a game changer.
Instead of constantly guessing what I should be doing, I finally had a plan that felt aligned with my capacity and my values. Slow growth. Intentional content. Less pressure to chase trends that didn’t fit my brand.
Staying Consistent Without Burning Out
Consistency used to feel like a pressure point. If I missed a few days of posting, I’d feel behind. If I tried to batch content, I’d get overwhelmed.
AI helped me reframe consistency as supportable rhythm, not daily output.
I now use it to:
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Create content calendars that leave room for rest
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Batch ideas when I have energy
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Rewrite captions when my brain feels tired
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Brainstorm gently instead of forcing creativity
It’s less about doing more—and more about doing what I’m already doing, but with less friction.
Protecting the Heart of a Handmade Brand
This part matters to me deeply.
AI doesn’t replace my voice, my values, or the care that goes into each candle. It doesn’t choose my scents, name my collections, or understand the emotional weight behind lighting a candle during a hard season.
What it does do is give me more space to focus on those things.
By taking some of the mental load off marketing and planning, I get to stay closer to the parts of my business that actually matter the making, the meaning, the ritual.
An Open Journal, Not a Blueprint
If you’re a handmade business owner, creative entrepreneur, or side hustler trying to grow with intention, I hope this feels like an open journal rather than a how-to guide.
You don’t have to choose between technology and creativity. You don’t have to hustle yourself into exhaustion to be visible. And you don’t have to do everything alone.
For me, AI has become a quiet support in the background helping me build Habit & Hearth in a way that still feels slow, thoughtful, and human.
And honestly?
That feels like the most sustainable kind of growth there is.
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