Rising Stars: Meet Carrie Atkins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Atkins. 

Hi Carrie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
It all started with a passion for artisan brew and the breweries that craft them. One night, over quite a few craft beers, me & some fellow beer-loving friends discussed the possibility of a candle that smelled like a craft brew. It was agreed that the candles would have to compliment the more pleasing aromas and leave behind the “beer” smell. After all, the candles had to smell amazing! What we have brought to the table is a completely new and exciting candle collection that captures the unique scent combinations found in artisan beer. 

As the company has evolved, so has the desire to create a line of candles that capture nostalgic “moments” or what I like to call “scent memories.” For me, particular scent combinations can immediately trigger a detailed memory or even intense emotion. 

As a result, my custom fragrance blends are atypical, unique, sensual, and unconventional. Every single candle I create has been custom crafted by my hands and life inspirations. I want our candles to give you that nostalgic, “take you back” kind of feeling. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I never expected my journey into the candle-making world to be easy. The candle-making process is a combination of science, creativity, and immense patience plus a greater understanding of how to exercise the neutral connection between left and right cerebral hemispheres. Translating my very specific scent memories into a cohesive fragrance that actually triggered that memory was an immense challenge but certainly not the biggest. If you have ever tried your hand at candle-making, you have probably experienced the dreaded “no-smell” candle curse. I am no different. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get my candles to emit any fragrance whatsoever while being burned. Hundreds of dollars and so many hours of studio time later, I finally got it right. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My ultimate goal in the fragrance realm is to become a perfumer. I want to do my perfuming studies in France, the spiritual home of perfumery. Most of my studies to this point have been autodidactic. 

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
My favorite author is Anais Nin – a French-born novelist, passionate eroticist, and short story writer, who gained international fame with her journals. 

“She is suspicious of words. She lives by her senses, by her intuition. We don’t have a language for the senses. Feelings are images, sensations are like musical sounds. How are you going to tell about them?” 

I most greatly identify with my sense of smell. Defining and sharing this language through my scent combinations is my emotional transport and gifted mode of expression. 

Contact Info:

• Email: carrie@beerscents.com
• Website: www.beerscents.com
• Instagram: craftbeercandles
• Facebook: @beercandles