This week Karen is delivering the first of a two-part interview with Pia Long, head perfumer at Olfiction. Pia has worked in almost all areas of the perfume industry from sales and marketing to product development and quality control. She has, to use a cliche, seen and done it all. In the first part of this interview, Pia goes into depth about her incredible journey from student to master and talks with Karen about the changes she has seen in the industry over the years that give her hope that the budding perfumers of today may not have to journey the long, hard road she faced.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Pia breaks down her fascinating journey that led her from a language school in Finland to working in TV and film in London and how a very early mid-life crisis led her into the world of perfumery.
• Karen and Pia discuss how the vast number of roles within the creative industry often teach you transferable skills that may not be instantly recognisable.
• The ladies discuss how much the online community of perfumers has changed over the years and how, unlike when they both began, there is a world of knowledge and support at your fingertips.
• Despite the advances in the accessibility to education and resources it still can be extremely difficult to break into the perfume industry. Karen and Pia discuss the concept of gatekeeping and what you can do to get past it.

BEST MOMENTS

“It's extremely difficult to break into the perfume industry, but if you have passion and determination it is possible.”

“The process itself should give you a kick, it shouldn't be about wanting to become famous or being known as a genius.”

“What most people don’t realise is that problem solving is very much a feature of the job when you’re a perfumer.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way.

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

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