Appreciating the Artisanal

There is a thread today on Perfume of Life forum that simultaneously makes me feel fuzzy and warm inside and blush because of all the compliments...
The reason I'm risking to brag about it here is because it is not common to hear the appreciation of the artisanal spirit and what one creates by hand, straight from the heart. I'm very pleased to see the topic being brought up and discussed sincerely and seriously.
It is so encouraging to see that people enjoy that aspect of what I do and can feel the difference between a handcrafted perfume and one that is mass-produced.

In the last few months I've realized that as much as it would be nice to have a glamorous spot for my perfumes in various posh boutiques across the globe, I would only do that in the condition that it will never interfere with the quality of my perfumes and the fact that they all must be hand crafted, in small batches at a time. Those things may seem tedious and in fact they are laborious - but they make all the difference. It boils down to lifestyle choices - how do I want to conduct my business? Do I spend my days working with the materials myself or getting others to do it for me? Do I want to have a big business that keeps growing or do I want to maintain a certain lifestyle for myself and my family that will ultimately reflect on that of my customers? Maybe even inspire others?
- These are the types of questions that should concern any businessperson, and particularly the artisans of today that are striving to keep alive ancient arts that for the most part don't seem to easily fit-in to modern business schemes.

The coming weekend is very busy and I have several deadlines to meet before the month comes to an end; so I cannot promise posting here (and if I do you know I'm either taking a break or am officially a slacker!). I will, however, post plenty next week once the deadlines disappear.