Fear Is A Four Letter Word

Melanie Jane
Are you hesitant to take the plunge and create your own signature scent? Fear not! Even the most successful perfumers have faced setbacks and failures before achieving greatness.

Take a look at this comment from one of my perfume workshop students:

“I have learned so much from you, Melanie. I have put all of your lessons into practice: your hints and tricks and ways to succeed. What if I put too much of one oil and not enough of another? What if I just don’t like my final product? HELP!”
Just look at J.K. Rowling, a struggling single mother who faced countless rejections before her Harry Potter series took off. Or Michelle Pfeiffer, who spent over 20 years perfecting her unisex fragrance brand Henry Rose before achieving success.

And let's not forget about the iconic Chanel No. 5, which was born from a mistake made by a perfumer's apprentice.
NB: This a perfume legend and one that the perfumer's family and colleagues refute. Saying that Ernest Beau never mentioned it to them during his lifetime. But it’s a nice story that adds intrigue.

So why let fear hold you back from your fragrance dreams? Embrace experimentation and the inevitable mistakes that come with it. Every misstep is a valuable lesson that will bring you one step closer to success.

Don't worry about what others may think - focus on your own vision and unique perspective. Harness the power of fear and use it to propel yourself forward in the perfume industry. Who knows? You may even create the next iconic fragrance. So what are you waiting for? Let your creativity and passion flow, and create a fabulous fragrance that's all your own.

Let’s get back to my student (who by the way is wonderful and much more talented than she thinks) who was afraid about not being able to create the perfect perfume straight away. Stop worrying! It’s really no big deal. In fact it’s only through experimentation and making mistakes that we eventually succeed.

Think of it this way; if you make a mistake, you don’t fail. Rather, you discover something that doesn't work and know to avoid it in the future. This helps you move on to bigger and better ideas more quickly to achieve the result you want.

Just think; You have endless exciting options to experiment with and create new fragrances. Sometimes you will fail, but often you will succeed. That is a part of the process and a part of being a good perfumer. Even master perfumers don’t get it right all the time.
Fear can be tricky to live with, but it will always be part of the process. And it’s necessary to embrace it if you want to go far in the perfume industry.

And if you’re afraid of what others will think, don’t be.
You can’t be everything to everyone and still remain true to yourself.
Never lose sight of your own goals and vision. Be bold and use fear to your advantage. Embrace your uniqueness and success will seek you out. You might even create something iconic in the process.
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