An Inspired Chat with Sharon Chapman of Clarkdale, AZ

We recently had the chance to connect with Sharon Chapman and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Sharon, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
I think that the most misunderstood thing about my business is that it looks totally different from the inside looking out, than it does from the outside looking in! From the outside, I think that people see total organization and a neat presentation of products and services, with days being a beautiful blend of fascinating projects. I’m not saying that it isn’t all that – but what people don’t see is that I usually have several balls in the air at any one time and I have no idea which one is going to come down first, or together. And some days are just a monotonous list of admin tasks and “legal stuff” paperwork that is necessary – but not what I’d rather be doing, that “beautiful blend of fascinating projects!”

Being a solopreneur means that you wear all of the hats, all of the time – even if people only see the one that you’re publicly presenting on any given day. So, yes, sometimes people don’t always see that – which might be a good thing!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Since the last time that we spoke, my business has taken on a slightly new direction. I have most recently launched an artisan botanical fragrance line and that has consumed a lot of my time in the past year. From finalizing the actual fragrances, to packaging and labeling development, and organizing how the product will be displayed in physical locations, I have spent more time on this than anything else this past year.

I recently launched the full line at the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) Conference and Tradeshow in Tampa, Florida and will be attending local art shows and festivals over the next year with my new fragrance line. I will also be working on a new fragrance line, building on my 20 years of experience in the aromatherapy industry. All of my fragrances are natural, free from synthetics, so are perfect for those interested in healing perfumes, as well as something that “smells nice.”

I also continue to teach aromatherapy online and use my years of experience in the industry to write, edit, publish, and coach writers in related fields.

My next fragrance line will combine both my fragrance experience and writing experience to produce an innovative concept in fragrance!

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part that thought I must fit squarely in a box. Creativity is something that has emerged from me in the last 10 years of my life. Before that, I “followed the rules,” and believed that creativity was something that only some people had, and if they did, they couldn’t make a “real” living from it. At least, that’s what I was told.

It was only when I had been through the death of a partner, a domestic violence situation that followed that vulnerable time of my life and stepping away from it all and “seeing” who I had the potential to be, did things change. And it wasn’t easy. But I have worked hard to let the old me go and truly step into the power of creativity and what I can do, if I believe in myself. Something that was suppressed in me for so long.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
It might be an overused word in today’s society but resilience. I don’t think that you can truly learn how to be resilient until you’ve been through tough times. You don’t know what you are capable of until you have had to push through, even when you thought that you couldn’t. I live with constant pain on a daily basis due to several chronic conditions, so I revisit this one regularly!

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Art – in all of its formats. Without art, we’d live in a very vanilla world. Art can take on so many different forms and there are so many talented people out there practicing the arts. It doesn’t have to be something major. It can be as simple as crafting clothes for your baby. Or painting, writing, or garden design. Or, in my case, creating art through scent.

Although science is equally important, the two together give us a balanced overview of what is possible in the world.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Probably my fragrance line! As a natural perfumer, one fragrance can sometimes take one to two years to create. So, if you take into account the trials and errors that happen before you formulate the final version of that one fragrance, and everything else that goes into promoting it and selling it, getting people to recognize its value, then multiply by that several fragrances, you are talking about years, not months before it truly “pays off” – in more ways than one.

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Sharon Chapman

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