Speaking from personal experience, it took me a while to figure out what type of candles I wanted to make and sell for my business. I'd figured out the aesthetics pretty quickly; that I wanted a clean, elegant looking candle but thinking of the right theme was a struggle. Surprising really, when spirituality was such a prevalent part of my life, that it didn't immediately hit me in the face but as anyone who knows me, knows I'm a massive overthinker and that definitely applied to this process.
When I eventually got to the point that I knew I wanted to blend my two passions together, candles and spirituality, my next step was research. I spent hours trawling the internet looking at different businesses that sold candles of a spiritual nature. Based on what I saw, there were so many avenues that I could've taken; from candles with crystals buried in the wax to spell candles what can be used during rituals, the world was truly my oyster...but I wanted to keep it simple. A candle which looked great, smelt amazing and had a personal touch.
As someone that reads tarot everyday and posts readings onto my socials, Tarot seemed like the obvious choice to start with. Out of the 23 Major Arcana cards, I picked 7 (one of my lucky numbers) that I could create into candles that were all unique and would help with different aspects of life, for example, The Moon is linked to emotions which can be overwhelming from time to time or The Lovers which is not only about romantic partnerships or friendships but also about loving yourself.
I'm sure an artistic/creative person would have had mood boards, collages and CAD drawings of their ideas but having a process and methodical mindset, everything stayed in my head and I mentally ticked things off as and when time allowed. At some point I will try to create a cheat sheet or tick list for anyone to use that is thinking of starting this process but as you will probably gather, I think these types of journeys are very personal and subjective; you have to find your own way that suits you.
I've broken this section of the blog into parts as there were so many steps and processes I went through when I started this business, that I want to do each bit justice. Part 1 is very much around the ideas and concepts of what I wanted to create...in the next part, I will talk about the practical matters - such as suppliers, stock and design - which will be posted later this week.
I hope the sun is shining as brightly for you as it is here, spring has finally sprung :)
Love Jen x