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.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
To Sale or Not To Sale
I have had a few inquiries about our sale. Only thing, is I never posted about a sale. I did post on FB and Twitter about a Soivohle sampler giveaway next week, which will include all of the new releases.
As far as a sale goes, the thought was that we would have a sale of the old stock when we switched to the new bottles. In all honesty I have been letting our stock dwindle and boxing as I go on most of the parfums. With just a few things boxed in the Sprays.
I keep a fair amount of boxed perfumes at our Boutique in the city, so I doubt that there will be enough of any one thing to offer a sale online.
What stock we do have in the old bottles will go downtown once we switch everything over online.
As far as a sale goes, the thought was that we would have a sale of the old stock when we switched to the new bottles. In all honesty I have been letting our stock dwindle and boxing as I go on most of the parfums. With just a few things boxed in the Sprays.
I keep a fair amount of boxed perfumes at our Boutique in the city, so I doubt that there will be enough of any one thing to offer a sale online.
What stock we do have in the old bottles will go downtown once we switch everything over online.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Soivohle Art Liquide, Spray Essence
Anyone who has ever seen my cat scratch signature will recognize it on the bottle. Being a bit bolder than when I was younger, as I signed my paintings on the back side of the canvas. Mainly due to the thick texture of the painting, but also because I went through a period when I wanted the art to shine 100% without any distractions. With painting there is no question as to what it is. With essence, as I mentioned in the earlier post and posts, artistry is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. Hopefully that will change. I am intent on making it so.Not only with Soivohle, but through presenting Scent Art Installations and workshops. Next Installation will be In November at our Scentual Artistry Studio/Boutique in Cincinnati. If you look at the image of our studio in the sidebar here, the table in the forefront with the down turned glass globes is a scent art installation. When you turn the globes up the essence is inside. It is a spin on the Monclin concept, originally intended for smelling perfume.
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.
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.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
New Look
Our new concept will be based on two concentrations. Absolute (parfum/extrait) and Demi-Absolute (a lesser concentration that can range from EDT to EDP) All of our current EDP's and EDT's are of a higher concentration than industry standards, and will not be altered. This image is for the new Demi-Absolute Spray 35ml. The bottle for the Absolute will not change. We will continue to use the reverse tapered bottle with the silver mushroom cap.
The box for the Absolute is square. It opens from the top, where as the Demi opens (see image) from the side.
Connecting The Dots
Just a quick post. I am in house cleaning mode today. Not my element, but it must be done. Wanted to thank everyone who came downtown last night for the Art Walk. It was a bit slow overall, but I am thinking quality over quantity. Met some awesome folks, had some great conversation, made a few sales.
Seems the new construction on the Casino will be cutting into our parking, as well as the valet service. Hopefully not taking away our lot. But I am hopeful that things will fall into place.
I really enjoy my time in the city, and wish I could be there more often. Hopefully after the changes with Soivohle go into effect, I will be able to get a better grasp on my time.
There is nothing like the experience of connecting with people face to face.
I have always been baffled by the stark difference in sales from online to boutique. People buy completely different things. Ginger Mead, a spicy somewhat gourmand Moderne Collection scent never sold online, yet is one of the best sellers in the shop. Same is true for Lavender Water and a few others. I will likely never figure it out.
I will have a sneak peek of the new Demi-Absolute bottle soon, as I have been bottling and boxing. I decided not to reorder the square crimp (32ml) and go instead with a 35ml screw on sprayer. We will have that as our main size and the chunky-mini bottle that we use for the parfums, as a travel spray, so folks can refill the mini from the larger bottle.
I am also going to change our set up downtown. The way it is now I have my testers in trays. Separated by Collection. I recently made flat table cards for the Acousticjus parfums, and will be doing the same for each of the Soivohle scents. Each card will have the notes and fragrance family listed, and the bottle will sit on the card. It is also a cleaner look, and should cut down on the overwhelming looks people have when approaching a tray of bottles. Live and learn. Always room for improvement, as I myself am a never ending work in progress. Off to clean another floor and dust more shelves.
Seems the new construction on the Casino will be cutting into our parking, as well as the valet service. Hopefully not taking away our lot. But I am hopeful that things will fall into place.
I really enjoy my time in the city, and wish I could be there more often. Hopefully after the changes with Soivohle go into effect, I will be able to get a better grasp on my time.
There is nothing like the experience of connecting with people face to face.
I have always been baffled by the stark difference in sales from online to boutique. People buy completely different things. Ginger Mead, a spicy somewhat gourmand Moderne Collection scent never sold online, yet is one of the best sellers in the shop. Same is true for Lavender Water and a few others. I will likely never figure it out.
I will have a sneak peek of the new Demi-Absolute bottle soon, as I have been bottling and boxing. I decided not to reorder the square crimp (32ml) and go instead with a 35ml screw on sprayer. We will have that as our main size and the chunky-mini bottle that we use for the parfums, as a travel spray, so folks can refill the mini from the larger bottle.
I am also going to change our set up downtown. The way it is now I have my testers in trays. Separated by Collection. I recently made flat table cards for the Acousticjus parfums, and will be doing the same for each of the Soivohle scents. Each card will have the notes and fragrance family listed, and the bottle will sit on the card. It is also a cleaner look, and should cut down on the overwhelming looks people have when approaching a tray of bottles. Live and learn. Always room for improvement, as I myself am a never ending work in progress. Off to clean another floor and dust more shelves.
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