"Why make candles or soaps when there's hundreds on supermarket shelves?"

This post is about writers and artists not feeling like their work is original enough.

Photo courtesy of Paolo Nicolello on Unsplash

It sounds silly when I frame it that way. It occurred to me in the shower— as most things like this do— as I looked across my shower shelf with three or four different types of soaps with very similar scents. So I thought, while the idea was still fresh, that this might be an interesting perspective to share.

Think about it. There are hundreds of shampoos, conditioners, body washes, and bar soaps on the shelves in a supermarket. Hundreds of thousands when you count Etsy, Amazon, independent websites, renaissance fairs, and craft markets. They all serve the same purpose— to get you clean.

Candle and soap-making are some of the many hyper-fixation side hobbies I’ve picked up over the years as a creative. Consumable art is a great medium and it makes for amazing homemade gifts. Guilt over the social contract of keeping clutter around just because it’s a gift? Not with consumable art! I love making them, but I find I just don't have time or good dedicated space for it right now. Handling lye is scary enough, let alone tempting fate with doing it in the kitchen.

Some have (what’s considered) masculine or feminine scents, some have unique or funny scents. Some have better lather, some are more hydrating, and some are more aggressive about cleaning. Some have very natural ingredients, and some are made to be extremely cost effective. Some are made for very sensitive skin, and some are made with synthetics to perform a particular way.

Candles are a little different because it’s not a product you put on your body, but it’s a similar concept in terms of scent. You have soy, beeswax, paraffin, palm, gel, etc… You have traditional wicks or wooden wicks and scented or non-scented candles. Candles with decorative embellishments in the wax, candles with dyed wax… Stick candles and candles in glass jars. You get the idea.

It comes down to taste and the individual.

A peek at my stash. Promise you won’t judge. Yes there’s currently a theme… LOL

I generally like scents that are considered masculine. Woodsy, leather, amber, tonka, brandy… These scents are cozy and warm to me. It's practically become a ritual— I burn candles when I'm writing or drawing. For whatever reason, it helps me relax and focus. For my partner who has a poor sense of smell however, these scents can sometimes be too overwhelming. He only recognizes them as the smell of “chemical.” It just burns his nose sometimes.

There are probably thousands, hundreds of thousands— of soaps and candles made with sandalwood. And that’s okay. Because one sandalwood candle might have a wooden wick…one might have an elegant glass jar. One might be made with beeswax. One might be in a funky shape or beautifully dyed.

Just because something similar has been made already, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value.

So why am I going on about soaps and candles I hear you ask. Why me, and why here? It isn’t just because I’ve developed a dragon’s hoard of them with scents I love. Though, that’s probably where this whole thing started...

It’s because I’m talking about artists and writers.

Oftentimes, we get so focused on being unique. Being original. Fixating on developing a unique style and voice that stands out from the crowd.

I want you to know that just like the 20th different sandalwood candle I bought in the past couple years (seriously, it might be a problem…), I fall hard for a well written redemption arc. And I do it like a moth to a flame every single time. I fall for good sci-fi, enemies-to-lovers tropes, and sad wet cat, morally gray characters that have interesting philosophical dilemmas. It doesn’t matter to me that these stories are all similar… because those similarities are my tastes. That’s the niche I gravitate to.

It is your specific voice that makes you unique. It is your labeling, your scent blend, the elegant glass jar you use in your writing and artwork, if you will— that makes you different. That makes you stand out.

I’m positive even this topic itself has been spoken about ad-nauseam by many people more qualified than I. But it’s my voice and perspective and simply being in the right place at the right time that I hope gives this impact.

Having a niche doesn’t make your work cliché…it makes you easier to find!

It’s been said many times by many people— original stories don’t exist anymore. Pretty much every story made is in some part derivative of something else. I have to tell myself this all the time because it’s an easy thing to lose sight of. To feel like your work isn’t good enough because things like it have been made already. I’m saying this in part with the hope it’ll help others— but also partly to convince myself.

It’s a good thing to play to your strengths. It’s a good thing that you have passions and tastes and themes you get excited about— because I guarantee there are others just like you who enjoy those things just as much as you do. Aside from developing good work, finding your people is one of the hardest but most critical hurdles for us as artists and writers.

We find them by embracing the joy in our works. That's the hope, anyhow.

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