Purity Belle Candles and the Importance of Creative Renewal

A post about candles for a change:) Although I set up this blog mostly for my candle business, the process of writing has been so healing and positive for me that it has morphed into a lifestyle blog, which I'm very happy about.
I do have a series of posts dedicated to running a small craft business and I plan to do an accounting post soon (thrilling, eh?) but other than that, my posts can be about pretty much anything really.
In this one, though, I wanted to talk a little bit about creativity and why it needs to evolve constantly to stay fresh.
I began my candle business because my day job is monumentally dull, frankly, and gives me no scope to express myself or explore creativity in any form.  Which is fine, it is what it is and it pays the bills and doesn't purport to be anything else. Having other interests and aims is essential for me, though - I feel a little bit of myself die inside after days of office work and unending bureaucracy.  It really is a case of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and no amount of changing myself will ever make it work.
This isn't to say that my kind of job is valueless.  Lots of people get huge satisfaction out of their jobs and there are lots of jobs that offer challenges, but for me, I'm just restless and miserable if I don't have a project to put my energies into. And so Purity Belle Candles was born.

My business has really come a very long way from my first feeble attempts at candle making and I'm very proud of all that I have achieved but in the last year, it all started to become a bit of a struggle for me. A lot of this was being ill and not really having the energy to do things but also I was losing interest in what I was doing.  This year, the light has kind of dawned for me - I was really searching for something and couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.  I think what had happened was that the creativity had taken second place to the business aims. Now, initially, when I set up Purity Belle Candles, I wanted it to be a successful business and spent huge amounts of time doing online networking, reading articles, promoting on social media and generally doing what I thought was required to make the business work and to get it out there.  It worked to a large degree, my business is small but well established and I like to think I have a good reputation for quality products and excellent service.
However, in that whole process, I lost the joy of creating - the emphasis subtly changed to mass produced instead of individual and dealing with shops means dealing with deadlines and invoices and whilst it's wonderful to have regular orders, I think I was putting myself under a lot of pressure because I was buying into some kind of business model instead of realising that the creative aspect was what made me happy.
 I was also in a lot of online business groups without being aware initially that they weren't really the place for me and ironically the people I connected with most in these groups were fellow craft business owners :)
Reading a wonderful blog post recently by Amanda Grace really solidified for me a lot of those floating thoughts that were going on in my head. Here is the post - it is so beautifully written and for me, it answered a question I didn't even really know I was asking :) The Critic and the Light.
I suppose it kind of gave me permission to be who I am and to be unapologetic about needing to be creative in some way.
And so to the main point of the blog, I guess (although I seem to have headed off on a tangent a bit!)  - if you are creative and something drives you to create, in whatever way, it also leads to a need to renew and change constantly and explore.  It's that exploration and trying and having a million ideas in your head all scrambling to get out and find form that gives the satisfaction and thrill. Once it becomes stale and old, it ceases to have that satisfaction and then it's time to try something new!
And that whole process of renewal doesn't necessarily have to have the stamp of business success on it, if it makes you happy, that's point enough in itself :)

So I've gone, lately, from seriously considering giving up my candle business to now thinking that I will continue but make it increasingly my own, take the pressure off and do more of what I enjoy.

And so I have decided to remove some ranges from my shop (and I'll be having a sale of these soon). 
The vintage teacups for example are really far more trouble than they are worth and I make very little money on them, so they will be phased out. I want to focus more on upcycling and offering individual candles and I have started a shop section with candle accessories because I would like the shop to have lots to offer.

Here are some of the latest additions to my shop and now that I'm feeling a bit more invigorated, hopefully there will be lots more.
Purity Belle Upcycled Fig & Vanilla Soy Candle
Upcycled Fig & Vanilla Soy Candles


Himalayan Salt Tealight Holder Purity Belle Candles
Himalayan Salt Tealight Holder

Purity Belle Candles Jute Gift Bag
Jute Gift Bag Basil & Lime

Purity Belle Candles Basil & Lime Upcycled
Small Upcycled Basil & Lime Soy Candles




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9 Comments
  • Harriet from Toby & Roo
    Harriet from Toby & Roo 22 March 2016 at 10:00

    You have some beautiful products in your shop - what a talent you have! I quite frequently find that I lose my love of writing and that isn't good at all! It's important to step back and get the love back! H x

  • Kim Carberry
    Kim Carberry 22 March 2016 at 10:52

    How wonderful. You are very talented. I wouldn't know where to start when it comes to making candles. You have some lovely things. That Himalayan Salt Tealight Holder is gorgeous.

  • rhian westbury
    rhian westbury 22 March 2016 at 11:11

    Your items are lovely and you are incredibly talented but you have to do what works for you. You don't want to lose your love for your passion or feel it has become something you didn't want it to be x

  • Unknown
    Unknown 22 March 2016 at 11:59

    I'm glad you're not giving it up, especially since you enjoy doing it so much. But it's a good move to take the pressure off and start making things just because you love them. x

  • MummyTravels
    MummyTravels 22 March 2016 at 14:00

    It's so wonderful to find something that fulfils those creative needs and lets you express your talent. I am glad my career lets me do both so I know how being able to do what you enjoy, whether it's for work or not, makes such a difference.

  • Unknown
    Unknown 22 March 2016 at 21:06

    amazing!! what a talent.. and i really admire you for turning your passion into a business!! hopefully one day it will be your day job too x i love the idea of Basil & Lime Candles.. x

  • Ana De-Jesus
    Ana De-Jesus 23 March 2016 at 00:06

    It is true sometimes when you turn to mass production all creativity is lost. That's why I don't do too many sponsored posts because I need the money to survive but at the same time I want to be authentic!

  • Unknown
    Unknown 24 March 2016 at 10:37

    They sound like beautiful scents mixed together. You are very talented! I wouldn't have a clue where to start with making a candle but I do love home made things as they are always unique and one of a kind

  • Unknown
    Unknown 26 March 2016 at 21:21

    It's always best to focus on the elements you loved about it when you're hitting a bad point - definitely helps keep the sanity. You're very talented, these are some gorgeous products.

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