Thoughts from Kafkaesque, and the closing of a busy year

It was something of a surprise to see such a detailed and truly beautiful review of the perfumes (and of January Scent Project in general) from Kafkaesque at Kafkaesque Blog. I was very pleased that so much work had been put into a deep analysis of Smolderose, with such musical overtones and many roads that lead from it (into dark corners, majestic Carmen-inspired musicality, and even some leathery rock 'n' roll.) It's the depth and expanse of Kafka's writing that is inspiring. It ends the year on such a high note; amusingly ironic that many orders came flooding in as a result of this wonderfully written piece. I smiled my way through the mountains of boxes - these paper cuts were lovingly earned.

I'm thoughtful and reflective about the conversations that have been raised by the fragrances that came from JSP this year. As I've mentioned elsewhere, although I began with this in 2015, this indeed was the actual "beginning" of the project in its most fully realized state, and this may be why two years were needed in between. There were too many things unfinished, too many rough edges I wanted to sand down to be a bit smoother. I can rush into many things in life, but things that I care about, I move with patiently. Keeping that patience seems more important than ever as we're about to enter another year. And as ideas bounce off my head (sometimes barely able to stay IN my head,) I think too that the process of creating anything artful, reflective, soul-full has a psychic cost. We don't go through these motions without some repercussions. In my case, I balance many things. I work a full time job in UX design management, I paint part time, and I perfume part time. and there are yet so many other things I love to do. We all lead very busy lives, perhaps now more than ever, but maybe our best skill is when we can balance all these things and still be good to each other, good to ourselves?

Many open questions, but we have nothing but time in front of us. 

I raise a glass to you all, a thank you for the immense support of 2017, a special thank you to Kafkaesque and all the writers and video reviewers who have been so supportive and nourishing to JSP, and to all involved in the great moments of the year - many, many thanks. I look forward to seeing more and more of you in 2018.

- John