marketing and branding

training and talking

Today’s picture is part of what we did in yesterday’s watercolor class: still life with artichoke. From very detailed studies using pencils to going wild. Still lives are not easy, but a perfect training to see, and draw. I have to come back to artichoke, though…

That was one highlight yesterday, the other was a get together with a student class, studying economics and stuff. Me: Talking about how to create a perfume, and many aspects that are relevant in the making and bringing of perfumes to the markets. And as always: I think I learned more than the students. Some of the questions were brilliant. One was about niche perfumers, like me, and why we do not have some sort of a inter-brand organization, why we do not pooling forces and try to communicate with one voice what niche is all about. Brilliant!  And one was about quality, as criteria, in perfumery. I could not really provide an answer. A tough one. What means quality in perfumery. So many parameter come to mind, like ingredients, the formula holding together, longevity, and so many subjective parameters that are hard to describe, like balance, transparency, delicacy, elegance, wearability (whatever that means).

I do not like to give workshops about how to create a perfume, but I love to talk about everything perfume related, from individual notes, to the bigger picture with all the forces that have an impact. And every time that I do so I go home afterwards, with questions in my mind, and ideas. Like: Yes, the students are very right. There really should be something like an organization, where we, the very few who still provide high quality niche, talk to the world, and get the message out. Food for thoughts, indeed. Maybe something to talk about when meeting friends in the US.