Work, Work, Work, Work, Work

Finally got the third part of the advanced courses written, need to finish the fourth, and begin the fifth and sixth. I put this off for way too long. The pain is real. The issues I'm faced with are that some of these topics covered can also be found online. Distillation, for example. There are dozens of distillation videos, and websites for aromatherapy that have at least some information about distillation, however, the finer points aren't always covered, and that's where the path of the new course traverses. The minutia, the little details, a bit of troubleshooting, and the what if's are answered. Moving into the finer details of creating perfume is going to kill me, or at least give me a massive headache. How do you condense years of hands-on experience into a few pages with absolute clarity when the work must be experienced to really understand? There is no better teacher than the work itself, so I guess my role is that of a guide. Take this path, not that one. 

While I have been updating course content and writing for the master class, Ruth, the admin at NPA, has been working her fingers to the bone updating the course and its functionality. The layout is fantastic and more user-friendly. We have put together an official assignment bank, so no more clunky additions of assignments into the topic forum and the students responding there as well. Everything is there, ready to go, some self-correcting and some that require instructor input. It's been a joy watching the students who went from the clunky version to the glossy version of the course mid-stride catch on so quickly. It makes the course run so much more smoothly. The next steps are to add more video and podcast content, something I dread. I am possibly the least photogenic person on the planet, and when I speak, I can sound quite monotone, especially when reading a script. My inner dialog is much more vibrant and colorful, it just doesn't translate when verbalized. It's a work in progress. 

Yesterday I was talking with someone about tincture extracts and wanted to show them the yuzu extract I made, but when I got the little biodegradable containers from the drawer, I realized that the yuzu 'resin' had sealed them all shut. The only recourse is to cut them open, but I'm not prepared to start that process just yet. The Buddha's hand extract is ready to process, but this time I'm not using those biodegradable containers. 

The holidays are coming up, and apparently terrifying a lot of folks due to supply shortages. Just a friendly reminder that I have an Etsy shop with some nice handmade scented goodies for sale. More to come as I once again have found myself on an incense bender. I'm going to dig deep into the box of aromatic wonders and find some nice aged stuff to 'make' with. See you on the other side.