Over the last 7 days I have staged no less than 3 workshops in 3 different towns and cities across the UK. I began at General Office in Stourbridge, continued to Cass Art in Liverpool and ended in Cass Art, Manchester.
The week saw a total of 10 separate train journeys across 450 miles (though granted I did combine the General Office gig with a trip to my parents, who live close by) and I delivered my workshop to a total of 33 participants. As ever, it’s been an absolute pleasure.
I have been delivering perfume making workshops for years now, but what continues to strike me about them is how much I, myself, learn from each one. Each participant arrives at my workshop with an array of thoughts, opinions and experiences of perfume, and as such, each participant contributes to my overall perception of perfumery and it’s affecting qualities on audiences.
Staging workshops away from my base in Sheffield also allows me to enjoy the somewhat personal adventure of travelling and what travelling provides. At General Office I was able to catch up with my friend – and fellow a.n blogger – Elena Thomas. In Liverpool I was able to do a spot of Christmas Shopping and in Manchester I enjoyed looking around Afflecks for the first time in years. It might not sound like much, but it all contributes to the overall experience and overall pleasure.
In 2015 I somewhat naively expected my workshops to be somewhat auxiliary; and regarded my exhibitions to be the prominent part of my Perfume as Practice project. After 4 years I can conclude that this isn’t really the case – if anything they compliment each other, and the experience I gain from each informs the project as a whole. And long may it continue!
