A scent could be the stimuli for so many sensory and brain processes. A scent could carries old memories and creates new stories. The scent that a human "wears" could be so unique and characteristic so as completing its personality.  Our senses are valuable in so many ways. That's why when i meet people who create the conditions for handle them in a gentle, essential and sophisticated manner,  I appreciate them deeply.

That's the case with Lena Norling, the Olfactory artist-Fragrance developer, that lives in Copenhagen. Lena Norling, creates scents from natural ingredients through a circular poetic procedure. The essential outcome hides a bundle of feelings, natural oil combinations and mindful testings.

Enjoy Lena's thoughts while she is answering my 6 questions.

Twelve Winks: The basic human senses are five. Nevertheless there are humans who have more intense senses giving them the ability to identify easier and quicker stimuli and feelings. As an olfactory artist, do you think that this ability is innate? Do you think that practice (such as making art and more specifically olfactory art) plays an important role for awakening our senses? In which case do you identify more yourself?

Lena Norling: I’m not so sure it is innate, at least for my part, I couldn’t say that I was born with a better sense of smell, and that in turn has given me the ability to identify feelings and scents more easily than others. Since I was a child my grandmother would mix scents and have me participate, so my ability was woken to life and gradually trained rather than innate. It has followed me throughout my life as a slow undercurrent of my creativity. A place where I could go to find peace, a place for restitution and a creative outlet. Gradually it became a larger and larger part of my life, one I didn’t wish to depart from. I am sure most could learn to create scents if they had the desire for it. That being said one must have a certain portion of creativity and fantasy, if you may, to transform a story into a scent. That is where the artistry comes into play.

 

   Twelve Winks: I love your work, because it consists of valuable and full of senses procedures. Every single part of your work is a complete circle, leading to a bigger circle/outcome. So, your final scent is full of meaningful senses. What happens in your mind and your soul every time you create a new scent?

Lena Norling: Thank you for your kind words. I like your picture of a circle, as I very much see my work as a sphere which after creation touches other spheres and thus expands. When I start the process of creating a new scent I’m very much inspired by my travels, nature, art, the encounter between people and poetry. I bring this back to my studio and my fragrance library and a meticulous process starts. I take breaks, sometimes for days sometimes even months. Often, I make errors, I would rather go down an unforeseen path and stumble than not take chances. Sometimes the errors are the best way to get back to the essence of the story I want to tell. Mood boards and finding a calm, channel my impressions into a scent narrative. It is the story which is important for me to get right. I do not think of how it will be perceived by others when I’m in the process of creating a scent. Getting the story right is my only aim.

I do however love the way the scent story is told by others when carrying it. This is when it all comes full circle.

Twelve Winks: In direct connection to the previous question, could you share with us what was the flow/process you have gone through so as to create the St Pauls Apothecary collection for Frama Store? What were your thoughts, your feelings, your testings?

Lena Norling: The idea was born in 2014, where Niels and I had a dialogue on how to expand the brand.

We wanted to create a scent, inspired by the beautiful pharmacy in Fredericiagade, where Frama has their HQ. The perfume was to symbolise the strong connection to the building’s historical origin but reinterpreted and taken forward to our present. In its essence it was a declaration of love for the place, its history but also the creative space it had become and the meeting of the two. St Pauls Eau de Parfum was launched in 2016 shortly after the first two products in the St Pauls apothecary collection. The aim for the scent in the skincare products in St Pauls Apothecary was to create something subtle. A scent which wouldn’t overtake or interfere with the perfume of the bearer.

Twelve Winks: When and under in what circumstances (i.e what were your thoughts) did you take the decision to become an olfactory artist?

Lena Norling: Olfactory artistry has always been a part of me. As I mentioned above, I have shared my grandmother’s love for natural fragrances since early childhood. She taught me about scents, and how to dive into that boundless space of creativity and let my intuition guide me. However, it wasn’t until later, when creating a perfume for a friend, that olfactory artistry became a constant in my life...

Twelve Winks: What are those scents that follow you till today and play the role of a milestone throughout your life? Could you also share with us the connection that each of these scents might have with a person or a situation in your life? 

Lena Norling: When I create scents, it springs from the desire of retelling a story. I try to encapsulate an occasion or a moment. The process of which requires my senses to be so finely tuned, that I rarely wear scents or perfumes myself. I clear the slate so to speak, so the canvas is blank for my creations. Scents always bring memories to life. If I should mention a few key scents which connect me with a memory they would be quite mundane. Earthy smells, best characterized by mud, which gives me a great sense of comfort; grass from a freshly mowed lawn brings happy childhood memories from my grandparent’s garden; and the smell of rain which forecasts new beginnings.

Twelve Winks: What raises your serotonin in your everyday life?

Lena Norling: That is a huge question and one not easy to answer as it could change on a daily basis. Being completely absorbed in beauty can move me deeply. When a moment feels divine to the point where I want to translate it into a scent. That raises my serotonin levels. I am also very grateful in my everyday life for being able to work with something I am so deeply passionate about.

 

 *Portrait photo credits: Mishael Phillip

* Product images:  courtesy of Frama