There’s nothing worse than your mind
going blank when in need to be creative, especially if you are a perfumer!
Here are some useful tips (gleaned
from other perfumers) to help you!
Listen to music while creating.
Go for a walk to clear your head.
If creating a foody fragrance, smell, taste the real thing.
Go on the internet: it’s an endless source of information.
Print some pictures from the internet and create a mood-board at work.
Do some day-dreaming and set up the scene of the theme you need to create the perfume for.
Create for the man/woman of your dreams (it worked for J.P.Guerlain and his Samsara perfume!)
Travel back in time and explore your memory for smells: it is very accurate. Remember your travels, restaurants, markets you’ve been to, the people you met…
Go back to the raw material compendiums given to you during BSP symposiums for example. They list raw materials to use to obtain a specific note with demonstration formulae. It could be inspiring to use one material at a higher level than ever used before for example.
Herbs/flowers/spices directories can be very inspiring too especially if creating 100% natural fragrances.
Look at market products: the packaging can be inspiring, the odour descriptions too, one can create his own interpretation of the description.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, LISTEN TO YOUR IMAGINATION, YOUR CREATIVITY, YOUR INNER VOICE AND DON’T HESITATE TO TRY NEW/UNUSUAL COMBINATIONS! YOU MIGHT BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED!
collected by Claire Robinson