Ruminations
I think I'm done with the soap making for the season. There might be one more batch in here somewhere, but I don't know if I'm up to building it. Or what I'd build it from. I pulled out all the stops with these last four batches ~ Sweet Lemon Spice, Amber, Poppymint, and finally Winter Solstice. Is it too much like patting one's own back if I say they're fab? I mean, they really, truly are. Most of the base oils are organic, and in the case of the Winter Solstice, the whole of the base oils are organic. Plus there's a beautiful infusion of white howjary Omani frankincense involved. I am stunned at how much essential oil is in this white howjary. I took a break from the incense making to focus on the soap since soap is the bulk of the gift giving this year, though I've reserved enough to put online to sell/share. I know, not very good business practice.
On getting the 'word' out there about my stuff, and selling it, primarily, I can honestly say that Facebook has been a bust. If I post some weird non-commercial thing on The Scented Djinn page there, I get stats back that it was 'served' to, like, half a zillion people, but when I'm actually trying to sell something, I'm lucky if I 'serve' five people. And onto my Etsy stats, where my stuff is sold from, almost NOTHING comes from Facebook. Yeah, I know, I've said this before, and it's actually prompted a change in the way I promote my wares for the shop. In the last few months I just haven't been posting them on FB (except for these soaps -- they're blasted all over my page). Some here and there, but not with the same frantic effort I used to. Now I just post the listing on Etsy, maybe post something on The Scented Djinn blog, and that's that. It leaves me a lot of time to contemplate and then make more stuff rather than staring blurry-eyed at the computer screen for ways to make my stuff look more appealing online. On FB, actually. So maybe it's time to trash the page, eh? Or simply not give a crap about it anymore since January heralds in FB's newest scheme is unveiled where in less than 0.01% of people see the business-related posts. What's the point having a page then? Unless a business is fortunate enough to have such a loyal following that those people purposely click into the page on a daily basis, there isn't much reason to have a page at all. I'm over thinking this.
Back to incense. I've done a lot of experimenting, some that have failed miserably, and others that were surprising and presented a few ah-ha moments. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I absolutely cannot stand combustible incenses -- those which burn on their own or are burnt on charcoal. I don't like what the direct heat does to the incense -- at all. I'm finding my little $1 oil burner from the Dollar Tree an invaluable tool to 'listening' to the incense and its true notes. A $1 oil burner and a bag of tea lights, and it's on. Instead of gobs of smoke and hacking housemates, it's subtle scent and lightening of moods and unbound notes. It's incredible. Never in all my years of creating scent have I felt so free. So unleashed. Non competitive. Incense making has taught me the meaning of being as good as my last (whatever). I'm always striving to perfect the end product, and that's the fun of it all -- and it is always achieved by my mistakes. Onward and upward on a spiraling plume of scent, not smoke.
So perhaps I should get onto wrapping this soap and mixing another batch of Apiana Sacra to be burned on a heater. Revelations, man, they're like a punch in the gut.
On getting the 'word' out there about my stuff, and selling it, primarily, I can honestly say that Facebook has been a bust. If I post some weird non-commercial thing on The Scented Djinn page there, I get stats back that it was 'served' to, like, half a zillion people, but when I'm actually trying to sell something, I'm lucky if I 'serve' five people. And onto my Etsy stats, where my stuff is sold from, almost NOTHING comes from Facebook. Yeah, I know, I've said this before, and it's actually prompted a change in the way I promote my wares for the shop. In the last few months I just haven't been posting them on FB (except for these soaps -- they're blasted all over my page). Some here and there, but not with the same frantic effort I used to. Now I just post the listing on Etsy, maybe post something on The Scented Djinn blog, and that's that. It leaves me a lot of time to contemplate and then make more stuff rather than staring blurry-eyed at the computer screen for ways to make my stuff look more appealing online. On FB, actually. So maybe it's time to trash the page, eh? Or simply not give a crap about it anymore since January heralds in FB's newest scheme is unveiled where in less than 0.01% of people see the business-related posts. What's the point having a page then? Unless a business is fortunate enough to have such a loyal following that those people purposely click into the page on a daily basis, there isn't much reason to have a page at all. I'm over thinking this.
Back to incense. I've done a lot of experimenting, some that have failed miserably, and others that were surprising and presented a few ah-ha moments. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I absolutely cannot stand combustible incenses -- those which burn on their own or are burnt on charcoal. I don't like what the direct heat does to the incense -- at all. I'm finding my little $1 oil burner from the Dollar Tree an invaluable tool to 'listening' to the incense and its true notes. A $1 oil burner and a bag of tea lights, and it's on. Instead of gobs of smoke and hacking housemates, it's subtle scent and lightening of moods and unbound notes. It's incredible. Never in all my years of creating scent have I felt so free. So unleashed. Non competitive. Incense making has taught me the meaning of being as good as my last (whatever). I'm always striving to perfect the end product, and that's the fun of it all -- and it is always achieved by my mistakes. Onward and upward on a spiraling plume of scent, not smoke.
So perhaps I should get onto wrapping this soap and mixing another batch of Apiana Sacra to be burned on a heater. Revelations, man, they're like a punch in the gut.
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