There are some projects we create.
And then there are some that quietly create us.
I STAY began during a season when I needed a place to return—not somewhere else, but to the life that was already here.
It grew slowly through watercolor, photography, writing, scent, and countless ordinary moments of paying attention. There was no rush to finish. The work unfolded one page at a time, asking the same question again and again:
What happens when we stay?
Not when we strive.
Not when we rush toward the next answer.
But when we remain present long enough for life to reveal itself.
I didn’t set out to write another self-help book.
I wanted to create a companion.
Something that could sit beside a morning cup of tea.
Something that could be opened anywhere.
Something that offered spaciousness rather than urgency.
Every painting, photograph, and page became part of a quiet invitation to slow down, notice what is here, deepen relationship, and return often.
That rhythm has gradually become the heart of Aromatic Traditions. It lives not only in I STAY, but also in the Terrain perfumes, handcrafted artifacts, retreats, and the field notes that continue to grow from the same place.
Today marks the quiet release of I STAY into the world.
Rather than a launch, it feels more like opening the studio door a little wider and inviting others inside.
If this book finds you at the right moment, I hope it becomes less something you finish than something you return to.
Because some companions are meant to be lived with.
And perhaps that is what I STAY has been becoming all along.
Welcome to my Field Notes.
I’m an artist, author, photographer, and botanical perfumer whose work begins with the practice of paying attention.
Through books, scent, handcrafted artifacts, retreats, and field notes, I create companions that invite us to deepen relationship and return often.
I’m an artist, author, photographer, and botanical perfumer exploring one enduring question:
How do we cultivate life-giving relationships?
Through books, scent, handcrafted artifacts, retreats, and field notes, I create companions that invite us to slow down, pay attention, deepen relationship, and return often.
Everything begins in the studio—with ordinary moments, careful observation, and the belief that beauty can help us become more present to the life already here.
I’m so glad you’ve found your way here.
Welcome to the studio.