PERFUMERY 101

I am very lucky, granted a lot of my luck I've created through perseverance but sometimes I get a good ol' dose of the old fashioned kind where it seems to materialize from the ether and I have to pinch myself because I can't believe my good fortune. A few months ago a series of odd coincidences happened, I mentioned to my best friend that I wanted to start working with fragrance again, she in turn mentioned Sarah Horowitz whom she worked with briefly, (Sarah is the indie perfumer's perfumer), a woman whom I have worshiped from afar for what is going on a decade.  My friend said Sarah was so nice and I should call her.  Call her?  That would be the equivalent  of a fledgling fashion designer saying she liked a pair of Louboutin's and a friend suggesting that she call Mr. Louboutin. Not going to happen.  I decided to check out Sarah's site and found out to my sheer delight that she was teaching classes!  At that first click I hadn't worked with fragrances for nearly three years because I knew how strongly scent and memory are linked and I didn't want to create something that would remind me of my former job where I worked in a windowless converted broom closet for umpteen hours a day.  The timing was perfect because I was finally pardoned by the job Gods and able to leave and see the sun again. I signed up for class.

I didn't realize until I took the class how much I missed my olfactory experimenting.  Some people that read my former Blahg may know that I am a parfumer and want to know why I would take a beginning perfumery class?  First, if you had the opportunity to take a class from someone you truly admired wouldn't you?  I also reveled in being around other individuals that loved scents.  It was like being dropped off an exotic land where everyone understands your strange language and peccadillo's--sublime.  Are you going to leave Sarah's level one class and be a  world class perfumer? I am sure she has had some prodigy's but I don't think that is the goal, it's an introduction to the world of perfumery, the opportunity to play, meet like minded individuals and have access to one of the great indie perfumer's in the world. Since the class I have not stopped working on formula's, it's very relaxing for me and perfumery makes me work on the one thing I am not so great at--patience.  Lucky for me patience is something that I can work on, thus improving my 'luck' tenfold.