As modern human beings I often say we are almost completely dominated by our sight, but we cannot ever hope to have a clear picture of any experience of our world without immersion using all of our senses in combination. This brings me to my latest exciting project outside of the perfumery.
I have the pleasure of working with a fine art student in the creation of a piece that involves sensory exploration.
This intensely creative 'first year' student is extremely brave, tackling such a broad and technical area, and is willingly venturing into other fields of art to express her vision. Many more 'seasoned' artists would probably not bother seeking the help of another with the view that their idea is too precious to expose and should be completed from start to finish by the visionary themsleves. I applaud this gal for her initial attempts and her realization of seeking help from someone whose field it is. She now recognizes and respects the technicality and skill of what perfumers do and I will be guiding her through the processes to create her own odors for the piece. I see remarkable talent and drive that should be nurtured and encouraged and am so excited to give her the skills to explore her ideas fully. I of course can't discuss the actual piece but I will be able to post more when she shows the work.
The other aspect that peaks my interest is the use of the darker odors that inhabit our world.
I adore making perfumes.
I strive to create beauty.
I am equally fascinated by the reverse. We would not recognize the 'nice' smells if we did not have the ugly smells to compare. Any perfumer who is worth anything in the industry should have an intimate knowledge and understanding of the ' dark side' to fully understand the beauty. Balance and contrast in all things is essential in any art. This girl has my total respect and admiration for not only understanding that but also to bother delving into it further. I already have a collection of accords that reflect the more unsavory aspects of the world of scents and don't often get the opportunity to put them to practical use. It will be fantastic to find a place of relevant context for these unpleasant smells. It will also help to revitalize my love for the beauty again. As I said earlier, we cannot hope to appreciate one without the other, and I will be honest and admit that as a perfumer, creating lovely scents all the time creates a certain apathy and my nose gets jaded. I get bored( though not very often) and want something darker and richer. I am thankful to Rosie for allowing me to dive into the exploration of the bad because when I emerge I will fall in love again with the joy of the good.
Cheers
The Baroness
( by the way she is not paying for my services, I am volunteering them. There are enough hardened and bitter cynics in the world without adding another struggling art student to the list because some business person needs to teach them about 'the world' )
