Decluttered

I was reading a post by another perfumer/perfume blogger (Liz Zorn) about decluttering, culling the supplies, basically getting organized, and I was compelled to write a short note about my own decluttering process.

I'm done -- mostly.

It took three days and a few trash bags, but I got it done. There's still one more cabinet I need to go through (a very large cabinet), but it's full of floral waxes, beeswax, tincturing materials -- stuff I don't really need to mess with at the moment.

The blending area is clear, though. All my dilutions are organized, categorized and within reach. My reference books are right there -- all I have to do is reach over and grab them, flip 'em open and do a quick search, which is a big change, and a relief, from how it was done before when I was digging around on the over-the-desk shelf, the beside-the-desk shelf and the behind-the-desk shelf. Disorganized, really. All in one place now and so much easier to deal with.

The most important change, really, was perception. Now that everything is in its place, my mind races with ideas. When I think of something, usually while standing over the sink with my hands in soapy water, I know I can pull my hands from the water, dry them off, rush into the studio and begin blending whatever formula my brain just conceived. When the studio was a cluttered mess, I didn't allow myself those ideas. When I felt them coming, I'd just jot down notes and try to forget about them because I knew what a pain in the butt it would be to dig through the bottles, vials and jars for the aromatics, not to mention the further digging for the blending containers. So fergit it! Now -- now I go for it. Yesterday I made a Raid scented accord. Not on purpose. But that WAS the result. It's not a total loss because I still see the potential. Just requires further experimentation.

Decluttering is the best thing for opening the flood gates toward creativity.