venus

in college, my focus was in women and gender studies.

i had that perfect college experience within this area. intense, intelligent and inspiring professors and equally passionate peers. i became involved on campus and in the community. i planned to graduate, move to georgia and work for a non-profit that dealt with women’s issues. (preferably the girl scouts!)

but i have to admit, i was feeling burnt out. things didn’t affect me the way that they used to. i would not say i was losing speed, but i was becoming a bit numb to it all.

was this the way to begin my next chapter?

after a turn of events, i then completely changed my direction.

thanks to my mom, laura tonatto and sandro botticelli.

i was in italy shortly after graduating.while there, i smelled a fragrance that laura tonatto had created using the flowers painted in botticelli's the birth of venus.

painting: eyes :: fragrance: nose! and the stories behind the fragrances! and the memories they can conjure up! what a beautiful thing!

a few months after this trip, I was talking to annie at four in the morning and i had another one of those realizations…

why not pursue exactly what i wanted to do?

and so I did.

i now have a job at an extraordinary fragrance company and among the (massive) clutter surrounding my office desk, hangs my botticelli print acquired at the uffizi gift shop.

and the statue (costing all of 11 euros from a street vendor) is still one of my favorite purchases.