I use smell a lot for painting. I get into my happy place by lighting Dragon’s Blood incense and candles. I don’t use music because it’s way too distracting for problem solving. I also clean my pallet n brushes and drink coffee to get in zee mood.
I highly recommend Dragon’s Blood, specifically the sticks by specifically SAC. I can only find them online. It is guilty pleasure and shopping at upper middle class educated hippie rock stores that I’m getting to visit at Port Townsend from living on a sail boat for a month in the summer.
The Bridgewater Candle Co Sweet Grace is layers of addictive and fulfilling like getting to walk around an interesting store with a slightly bored middle age wife with extra money. Like hanging out with someone that’s cooler and tolerant of your differences.
The Little Barn Candle Co, from Snohomish, Happy Pumpkin makes me feel like a loving mother that has a welcoming home and traditional family values. Kinda like peeking in a Thanksgiving dinner and memorizing how to be better.
Yankee Candle Sugared Pumpkin Swirl makes me feel like a put together takes lots of self time with painted nails on chubby fingers, jewelry, and gum in her purse. This reminds me of getting to wear someone’s nicer clothes, like given a shawl to get warm and being grateful of being included.
Combine that with salt water and sunshine (happy childhood), black opium (naughty middle school years plus my grandparents home and clothes smell on the Yantis side), CK 1 (wish I was cool in middle school), wood smoke (my grandparents on the Preedy side) and possibly my ambitious Grandpa Preedy’s BO which reminds me of persistence, and my friend Minta’s smoked good smell which reminds me of unconditional connectedness, and I’m in heaven.
Ready to paint!
