Winding Down

Now that I have the new Soivohle blog set up, I really have no need for two perfume blogs, so this one will be going the way of the Dodo bird. I plan to incorporate all Scentual Artistry News on that blog with a special page devoted to our downtown space. I will be keeping Beacons Blog, as I like to contribute musings from time to time as well as share our rescue efforts.
My attention will shift in the coming months as I spend more and more time downtown, and less time here at the home base.
Now that I am set up to formulate in the new space I can work there as well as be open for retail business. It will be a big shift for me, and I will be taking little Beacon with me a lot. He is not all that fond of the space now. Being out of his element scares him and he hides behind the scent bar when I have him down there with me. But he is resilient and will be capturing the hearts of everyone in no time.
So in a few days I will be deleting this blog, If you want to follow us there is an option to do so on the soivohle blog at the top of the page. Just click in the orange Feed Box and sign up.
http://soivohle.com/blog

Wake Up Lizzie

We had a great night last night at the opening, very busy and festive. The pimp the pumpkin event was a lot of fun, and everyone seemed in great spirits. I saw a lot of musicians coming in and out of the building, so someone (s) was/were having live music. With eight floors of artist studios anything can happen, as each artist is having their own opening of sorts.
We left a little after closing, and I am still pooped. I think it is the sustained energy rush that gets me the next day, or maybe it was all that iced tea. Or the sugar, as I had a few cookies. Living large...hehe..
In spite of a few things that are not lining up, we are back in business. The new computer works, the printer works and I can get my mail. NowI can go ahead and finish up the orders that have backed up, and finish the last details for the newsletter and site launch. The newsletter goes out on Monday.
I think I mentioned this before but in regards to the new perfumes and packaging. We will be including in all 15ml parfum boxes 1 empty 5ml bottle and transfer pipette and 1 spray, screw top atomizer. This is for folks who want to spray the parfums, and have a small travel size for purse or pocket. It has gotten to be a big mess of trying to keep track of who wants a spray, who wants an extra empty bottle etc. Half the time I am sending them along later which is not an efficient way to work. We are not adding to the price of the perfumes. It is just our way of making things a bit easier for folks who want the option.
I can not believe how fast this holiday season has rushed in. I know I am prepared (mostly) but still feel like I am running in circles. It is also a time of increased appointments downtown, so there is a bit of sport, keeping all the balls in the air.
Overall I think we have the best customers in the world, everyone is so interesting, and the love of scent is inspiring. Would not change a thing!

Soivohle Update and Friday Art Walk

I do believe I will make my Nov. 1st launch for the new Soivohle offerings. We sent out a ton of packets this week as well as the giveaway packets to those who provided a mailing address. Thanks everyone who participated.
We have an open house this Friday at Scentual Artistry, but it will not be the launch party for the new Soivohle. That will take place on November 26th. We will be sending out an invitation, and a press release.
This Fridays opening will be all about Halloween, at least that is the vibe from the PAC emails and newsletter. So rather than try and compete with Fright Night, we will have a regular opening, maybe a bit of punch and cookies. Depends on how crazy things are earlier in the day.

On another note, my shop computer is acting a bit schizophrenic. The screen goes black and there is a white vertical line running through the screen. I gather from my search on the subject that this is a glitch with the first wave of Intel mac's. So I am going to upgrade to the latest mac book pro and do away with the desktop model. At least I will be able to work in bed. Like I really need to do that, but I will have the option rather than borrowing MR. Z's notebook with the tiny screen. Hopefully it will not take long to transfer all of my files and be back up and running. .......always something.......

Follow Up: New Age Wack

Since the post on our SOIVOHLE acronym I have received a couple of interesting emails and posts to the blog that didn't make it to the light of day.
I am not sure why there is such a huff a pooh over new age. First I would like to say that I do not equate New Age with religion. When I think New Age, images of psychic fairs and crystal balls come to mind.

I went through my own curiosity phase with those things, but that was years ago and I think it more in line to parlour tricks or amusing things to do at parties.
Nathan Branch made reference to some of my blog posts in his last segment, Artisan Series Liz Zorn, with a link to the Olfactorama website where the writer had called the Soivohle acronym "new-age'wachadoodle" I had to go back and read this blog post again, because I was not referring to Olfactorama specifically when I used the words whack job in my original post. I say wack job a lot, actually. But I can see where it could be seen that way. I was just fed up with the New Age tag in general. Because it is in no way who I am or what I am about.
For me it is the idea of people making assumptions about my intentions when they do not know me or have every thought to ask first hand. 
And still I am at a loss for understanding how sending out good energy is wack. If this is true, we need a whole lot more wack in the world. But the double standard persists. When a scientist talks about energy and vibrations he/she is a genius. When everyone else does it they are new age nobody's with a loose screw. Give me a break....

Our New Look at Soivohle

Since I have been busy rebuilding our Soivohle website, I thought I would share one of the new images. A collage of our Signature Collection Bottles, along with the poem that you will no doubt recognize from the label on our snap closure boxes.
The new labels do not have the poem, yet I wanted to keep it alive, so am using it here. We are also adding finally, the note cards from my Flowers 2000 Photographic series. And will offer soon after mini, open edition prints of the flowers as well.
We may even offer a series of prints and cards based on the new digital artwork that I am creating for the website and all Soivohle materials, press kits, etc.
This will depend on our pro-printers. They have been stored away for a few years. So it depends on the availability of ink and if I can update the drivers again. After so many years these things become impossible, yet with expensive graphics equipment, it should be easier to obtain what we need.  We'll see.

Soivohle Studio & Accords

With all the talk about the new look for Soivohle, I have not mentioned the Studio Collection. Not much will change here. We will continue to offer the Studio Collection with the same packaging, with an emphasis on our retail partners who carry these scents. We will continue to offer them online for awhile, but may at a future date move them from the Soivohle Brand to simply Liz Zorn Studio.
These scents are all about the studio anyway. Primarily influenced by customers and custom scents. The latest ideas coming form customers are for Amber's, Musk, Vanilla (more vanilla)  Ocean (clean, linen, fresh air, rain) Tea and Bamboo scents.
To my nose Transcendental Musk is a very clean scent, but it doesn't have a very pronounced ocean/aquatic note. At our studio in the city, TM is very popular with men.

Women tend to like their clean scents with a citrus opening and vanilla musk base. This is based on what people choose from our accords blending station. Vanille OTR is a clean scent as well, clean green vanilla. I am not sure which direction I will go in for the next installment to the Studio Collection. Maybe a White Tea and Bamboo, or an incense laden Amber.  I will be adding (finally) a selection of my own accords to the Soivohle website when we do the update in a few weeks. These will be available in the 10ml spray, and can be layered to create custom scents. They are fairly complex accords and bases, (aside from a few single note blends) which takes the guess work out of layering, or blending them. This is how I usually wear scent. I dab on a layer or two from my accords and create a custom scent for the day. I can have a custom scent for each day of the year, and when I get all of the accords uploaded to the website so can everyone else. I may also offer them as a blending kit later on with a few more single notes. All diluted to the correct strength for blending, taking the guess work out of the process for people who just want to do it for fun, without the hassle of worrying about usage guidelines etc.
I am about 1/4 through the process of updating the website. Taking photos of the new bottles, and replacing all of the other imagery. I got six or seven pages finished today, and need to take more photos. The new pouches for our absolutes will be here tomorrow, so I can finish up the photos. Will be glad to finally put the light box away and check photos off my list.
If I can stay focused, keeping up with orders and appointments to the city, I should have everything ready to go by the end of the month. We are also changing things downtown, so I am pacing myself and trying not to let it get to me.

Nathan Branch, Liz Zorn Part 2, and Science

Nathan has posted his second installment of his Artisan Series look at Liz Zorn (me). This time he has taken quotes from the blog as well as some of the things we discussed through email. Touching on the artistry of scent and science.
People may wonder why I have such a connection to science. Being triple Aquarius doesn't hurt. Aquarius being the sign of science and technology, and the fact that I have little to no use for Astrology makes it all make sense.
There was a time when science turned it's nose to the notion that human thoughts could alter realities. And that people who promoted these ideas where out of touch with reality. New Age, Space Cadets with no credibility. This is no longer the case, as many studies have proven just the opposite to be true. Thoughts are energy as is the life force within us. Every living thing is fueled by energy. Food is energy, we absorb energy from the sun. At every level of existence, from the large molecules that make up things that we can see, to the tiny atomic particles that we can not see, energy is at play, and there is a connection. Just because we do not see it doesn't mean that it isn't true.
That there is a level of existence where we are unable to see where one thing ends and another begins, is fascinating to me. It has been for years and as science has finally caught up to reality, we are entering a time when everything we thought about who we are will be challenged. That we can insert a computer chip into the human brain and through thinking can control a computer. That human thoughts can and do exist well beyond the body.
Thoughts are energy with a plan.
How we use that energy, how we carry out the plan makes all the difference. I find that positive constructive thoughts result in the best plans, so I make a conscious effort to stay positive. It isn't because I have some sort of superstitious belief, it is because I know it to be true.
Some will say, well what about religion what about spirituality, where does that come in. Religion, I am not going to go there. Spirit on the other hand is energy. In the Sanskrit the word prana means both spirit, and breath. Breath being life force, take away the breath and there is no life. Breath, spirit, energy, thoughts, particle physics, it is all connected and it has nothing to do with new age mumbo jumbo. At least not in today's time. People who insist on living in the good old new age past need to get with the program.
If I were a mathematician I would toss out an equation to go with the science, but I am not and you will just have to go look it up for yourselves.
The scientific world always drags it's heels, until they think someone is going to get there first, then they dig in and run like hell to be the hero's. We are in that age where once again science is running like hell to be at the top of the heap. When this happens things change with lightening speed. I am in amazement and can't wait to see what comes next. On the other hand I can also appreciate Stone Henge and Vintage Art. At the end of the day a healthy balance is the key.

Winter Poem

I suppose I should start this by saying  I need to clean and organize more. But then I would not find sweet little jewels tucked away, as they would have already been discovered. Enter Writing Lyrical Poetry, the beautiful White Flower Composition that I created in honor of my two grandmothers, both fine southern women with a passion for gardening, and flowers in general. As I was doing a quick re-organizing of the shelves in my lab I found a  small bottle of the original formula for Writing Lyrical Poetry. I am guessing that it is around three years old. When I unscrewed the cap to get a whiff of it, I was blown away at how beautifully it had aged. It was so sinfully erotic. I immediately set out to create one of my impromptu scents.
The result is Winter Poem. It has all of the elements of WLP, but different, leaning more towards a white flower floral chypre than a white flowers and musk. The only big change I made was adding a dominant portion of my Freesia Accord. Unlike the Prada wearing Devil, I adore Freesia, and have been trying to find the perfect application for the new accord that I created. Freesia is such a fresh note, that when paired with the deeper notes of Gardenia and Jasmine, turn the whole thing on its ear. But in a good way.....
Unfortunately with impromptu blends they are not (most of the time) written down, or measured out precisely. For me this is the equivalent of sitting in front of a blank canvas and just diving in with a brush of color, letting my emotion and energy dictate the outcome.
So as I have been checking the progression of the aging process in this new scent, I have been very satisfied with the result, so much so that I will add it to our winter line up. I think I also mentioned the addition of Journeyman as a permanent selection. The original being an impromptu blend set into an oil base. For this I took some of the Journeyman from the original batch and sniffed out the components. The new one is a tad different, but still has the heart of the original. Reminds me of printmaking. I have a fondness for ink based monotype printmaking. I have gone back years later to a dried plate to create a variation of the original.
There has been a lot of talk lately about artistry and scent, and I find that many things, and variations of what I was saying years ago are now being repeated. Catch words like, Modern Natural, Liquid Art, Art in a bottle all came from early writings and the mission statement of my original perfume studio back in the 1990's.
Forever pounding on the idea that scent is art, I have never let up.
At one point I had given an interview about my process, on how I was not all that interested in the note pyramid, and rarely used it to create a scent.  That most things I create in my head before I ever write them down on paper, and when I do it is like an artists sketch, a sparse outline that I fine tune later. Besides once the basic information is logged to memory, one hardly needs to work like a beginner who is just learning the ropes.
I have also blogged about many of these things on numerous occasions, so I am happy that people are finding things they can use.
But back to Winter Flower. It will be available as long as it lasts, because after that it is gone forever. I made a kilo, or there abouts, as that is all that could be made with the amount of the original formula I had.
Now I need to  go clean my shelves again to see what other goodies I find. I love working off the cuff.

New Paradigm

I love my Sundays. I can take the day off if I want. Work a little. I never really have a set agenda, so whatever happens....happens.
I was thinking earlier about the new changes to Soivohle, and thinking that some folks may wonder why I am doing this.
My original intention was to maintain my creative vision as I shifted my focus from a paint driven process to an essence driven process. With the desire being to create a different kind of art, a liquid art. I think I have done, ok, yet at the same time have gotten a little off track with too much of the focus being on the word perfume.  Not a word that sits well next to the word art. At least not in our culture where perfume is a throw away and for the most part seen as a personal care item, like deodorant and shampoo.
I knew that I was fulfilling my vision from the start when people would inform me that they purchased my scents, not to wear, but to open up and smell from time to time. Mainly because the scent reminded them of a particular time in their life.  I have several scents that I keep around just for sniffing. Some are old vintage perfumes, and others, are things I have created.
With our new changes, and the focus being on the artistry, it is my desire to drop the use of the word perfume. I really want to get that commercial image out of peoples heads. To expand on what a liquid essence can be. That it can be worn on the skin, yes. But that it can be so much more than that.
I have spent some time reading perfume blogs, particularly the comments. Not all, but with some it is a game. A perfume game. New releases, the chatter about the notes, catty remarks about celebrities. A surface driven conversation, often about scents they have never smelled. I am guessing that the overkill of marketing and saturation has numbed peoples senses, to the point that it would be difficult to recognize a genuine jewel in a sea of glass. This is true for many other things too, but since scent is my thing I tend to notice more, how this little world spins. How that in the few short years of Internet  perfume blogging, and heightened public awareness, how many have become so jaded so fast.  On the other hand there are some blogs and online magazines with a great passion for the artistry of scent. People who really get it on a deeper level. These are probably the same folks who will see the subtleties of  color value in a painting, or appreciate a particular chord pattern in a song. What these things have in common is attention. One must pay attention in order to discern and appreciate detail.
At this particular twist in the juncture, I feel somewhat like a bratty kid throwing a tantrum, and I just want to have it my way and all will be fine. Luckily I am the only one who can make that happen. Lucky as well that I have been able to observe the panorama and make the adjustment.

Causality

Cause and Effect. What goes around comes around, karma. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, etc, etc, etc....
SOIVOHLE - Sending Out Inspired Vibrations Of Healthy Loving Energy = Causality....
Every time I read somewhere where that our acronym has something to do with New Age-ness, I have to laugh. I am the least New Age person I know. I am all about the science.  And. yes being an artist can make it seem as though there are a few screws loose, but not here.  The effects and processes of Causality are well documented. From thought manipulation, and long distance projection, to scientific exploration and theory. Heck the CIA uses thought manipulation and remote transference techniques, and there is nothing New Age-e about them.  Causality is a common everyday tool. So when I decided I would use this tool when creating the SOIVOHLE acronym, I thought why not send out some good energy. Make it a group effort. Be pro-active instead of negative. When I think of energy transference, particularly when it is positive energy, I think yeah! this is giving folks something they can use. Really use. Because energy waves and vibrations are the essence of existence. Think string theory. Think determinism with a provisional Heisenberg caveat.
On the other hand, it just makes sense to have a positive outlook in life. To have ones head filled with healthy thoughts and intentions. Why is it that when we put our thoughts and actions to a positive intention we are labeled a whack job, or new age nut. But when we are focused on war and killing, we are patriotic citizens. This is garbage.
There are no rules stating that an artist can't be pragmatic. And to me being positive is the utmost in pragmatic applications. It may appear on the surface to be the workings of lunacy, or an exercise in tip-toeing through the tulips, but I assure you it is not. It is the most grounded thing we can do for ourselves and others.. Give it a try.
I stand behind my intention...

Memory

There has been a lot written on the sense of smell in recent years. Some of it in relation to perfume. Some interesting quasi-facts have been reported. Coffee beans do not neutralize the olfactory receptors, scent (perfume) is not an aphrodisiac, or related to sexual gratification. Body chemistry is hoo hoo...
You can believe this if you like.  Personally I have seen and sniffed first hand stark differences in how scent smells on different people. So I do believe that body chemistry plays a roll. I can't speak for certain on the other two, but know that even if the coffee beans work as a placebo, a placebo is better than nothing.
My main interest in the human relation to scent is in how it is tied to memory. Almost all of my childhood memories are tied to smells. Like the smell of paste wax my mother used on our hardwood floors, or my grandparents basement in summertime. My grandmother had a little cot in the basement where she would go take a nap. It was cooler down there, but a bit musty with the smell of coal. I also remember the scent of Prell and Breck shampoos. Aquanet hairspray and shoe polish. When I was a kid we polished our shoes.
So many of the things that connect the dots to our lives are directly related to our sense of smell. And sometimes when we think we are smelling something, we are actually tasting it and vise versa. Particularly when the body has already begun to metabolize whatever it is.
For the most part the memories triggered by smell are vivid and seemingly precise. Yet science tells us that memories, even clear ones, can be false. It is this gray area the nebulous haze of memory that often peaks my interest when I am working on a new scent related project. Like the art pieces (soivohle boxes) in the previous post, there is something a bit transient about memory. Spooky even, in some instances. Particularly when a memory is fragmented and all of the pieces do not fit. I have several of these memories and have tried over the years to fill in the blanks through meditation and by using visualization techniques. But for the most part I am selective with my scent memories and how I use them in my work.
Once I get all of my changes in place with our Soivohle line, I may take some time off, when it comes to new things. I have been moving ahead at such a pace over the past few years, I am due for a little break. But then again, I have no control over how things come to me, or when, and often I must capture the essence of a memory before it floats away...

Ezra's Poem

I do not believe in coincidence, luck,... and find superstition to be life's lazy way out. Life is a complete web of tangled thoughts, emotions, energies, connected at a core of possibility.  To be fully engaged is the key to living. Being aware of things as they unfold.
Having a little reserve space set aside in the mind, so that time and ego don't bunch it all together and crowd out the important aspects of minute to minute reality. It's easy to get lost and run ahead of the game, thinking about tomorrow instead of today. I do it more than I would like to admit, and my perpetual beginners mind is forever resetting the pace to now.
The last thing I did last night was to open my notebook to the page containing the formula for Ezra's Poem. The little parfum I created for the Memory & Desire, Perfume in a Poem project. So what do I have when I get up this a.m. but an email inquiring about it. Whatever forces are at work to bring this to a bubble are of endless fascination to me. More so than connecting the dots, I am blown away by how constant and accurate the Universe is with it's intention. No stone goes unturned.
So to whatever little blip got this ball rolling again, I say Thank You!
As you readers know I am making some changes in our Soivohle Brand. Big changes. One of which includes Ezra's Poem. From time to time I get a request for it, and have in the past offered it in small supply. Now I will be adding it to the permanent collection. I have gone over the formula, which is uber heavy in base notes, and switched out some of the materials to include my very best things. It will not change in structure, but should be nicer to the touch, as better quality materials have a way of shining through.
When I was first approached to participate in the project I felt an immediate connection. It was as if I had passed through this same time space portal before. Everything felt very familiar to me, and in a way it was. Ezra's Poem was a perfume that I was very familiar with. Many of my early perfumes were earthy and nostalgic.
And again here, I am feeling an uncomfortable scratchy rub with the word perfume. It seems so inadequate a word for the depth of emotion and soulful connection brought about by the smelling of fragrant oils. This Art Liquide. That borders on the magical, but is not. Is firmly real and tangible here , in this very moment.

Journeyman

Today is the day. I will be taking on the task of creating a new Journeyman parfum. The original was one of those in the moment ephemeral compositions, that was build on feel, not precise measuring. The original was set into an infusion of Indian Agarwood Oil. It also contained one of my amber bases and a lot of different things in small measure, that when combined amounted to a warm leather accord. The new one will have all of those elements, but upgraded a bit. The agarwood will be from my Laotian stash, and the amber and leather notes will  be rebuilt from scratch.
I know a few folks will be happy to hear this. I get a lot of emails asking about Journeyman. And finally, it is time to put the pieces together in a permanent formula.
Sleeping under an open window, with a chilly breeze blowing in last night has regenerated me. I love this time of year. That first cool wind of autumn reminds me of that mystical wind in the movie Chocolat, symbolizing a time for change and moving on.  And it is, indeed like a magical gypsy swirl that spins me around and points me in the perfect direction.
I will be glad when they get that clone thing worked out, I would love to be able to paint all day as well. Fiercely stabbing at a canvas, slinging paint and channeling the energies of found metal, or heading up river with my guitar. To do it all at once,now that would be the thing.
But anyway, before I let this thing get away from me, I am going to go sling some scent. Sling it with authority into the bottom of a wide mouth beaker. LZ

Honeysuckle Bird

Today I am batching from the original formula of Honeysuckle Bird. A scent that was first created as a brides scent, and one that has always been close to my heart.
It is feminine with an ethereal quality, even in the concentrated original. Last year I was contacted by three different women who were planning to wear it on their own wedding day. Sometimes these stories are so heartfelt, they bring me to tears. Happy tears of course. The kind of thing that keeps me moving forward.
As I evaluate our new line up for Soivohle, going through stacks of notebooks, I am revisiting the parfum versions of several scents. These are my favorites, and my favorite form to work with.  Some of the original sheets of paper are yellowed from age, and even more, the parfums have only been worn by me, or given by me as a personal gift. When we do the update in a few weeks, we will keep most of the naturals in parfum, and will be adding a few mixed blends in the concentrate, including Honeysuckle Bird, Bottleneck Blues, the new NightJar, Anniebelles Rose (which is an oil) and a few others.
We will also be keeping things like Green Oakmoss, Vanillaville, Moroccan Orange, Violets & Rainwater, Lilacs & Heliotrope, etc... in the lesser concentration spray.
It feels good to be heading into cooler weather with a clear head. LZ