I was looking through some of my old posts and I discovered this gem from December 30, 2014.
Interview With a Sage: JoAnne Bassett Couture Perfumer
Recently I was honored with an interview with Aldous from Fragrance Daily. Today it was published. Enjoy!
I recently had the great fortune of interviewing a wonderful friend of mine, Miss JoAnne Bassett. As an empathic person seeking the innefable in life I highly enjoy learning about people more in touch with those parts of the universe that cannot be touched by any regular means. Miss Bassett is one of these. Her interview below is beyond interesting and enlightening. I believe we all have these gifts if we only tap into them. I am most grateful for having such a unique and wonderful person on my facebook feed. She always has something enlightening to say and I cannot speak more highly of a person and their heart. JoAnne is a sweet, kind, intelligent and sage woman. I was grateful to be able interview her about her story, knowledge, passion and perfume. -Aldous
Aldous: JoAnne, could you please tell me a little bit about yourself. What did you do before perfuming?
JoAnne: It seems like lifetimes ago now, but I was a Corporate Tax Accountant for a large corporation in Minnesota.
Then I was downsized when the corporation began to spin off the 50 divisions.
I became a stockbroker and did that for 5 years. After the crash of 1987 it changed so much so I helped someone open a health food store. In 1989 I moved to Seattle and
didn’t work for years. I traveled to 43 countries and became a Certified Aromatherapist which led me to natural perfumery.
Aldous: What inspired you to become a perfumer in the first place? Did you have a dream and follow it?
JoAnne: My book Sacred Scents was written to answer the question of how I became a perfumer. It is a fun read. It is available as an ebook, in print and
audible on Amazon.
Aldous: What is it about perfume that calls to you?
JoAnne: There are many facets of natural perfumes I enjoy. The essential oils
themselves, the energy of the oils and working with the nature spirits and
plant devas. The combinations and synergies that are created for
aromatherapy and healing purposes. The unique formulas that can be created
that smell out of this world. It is a daily discovery of new things.
Working with the vibrations of the oils combined with intention to create
change in the world through people wearing the perfume.
Aldous: How did you learn to perfume?
JoAnne: I am self taught. I took a blending class years ago that was a part of an
aromatherapy class. After I created aromatherapy potions for people using
essential oils I expanded my collection to include absolutes and more
precious oils. I had become chemically sensitive to synthetic perfumes in
the 1980’s so I created my own fragrances to wear.
I contributed a chapter in a book Amazing Woman What Is Your Story by
Marsh Engle. My chapter was entitled The Power of Innate Wisdom. It all
makes sense after you read my book. It was inside of me waiting to come
out.
Adous: What is your life philosophy?
JoAnne: I believe we need to leave the world a better place than how we found it.
I could wax poetic for hours but I will give you a brief answer here;
I believe we need to leave the world a better place than how we found it.
My mission with my natural perfumes is revealed in these lines.
JoAnne uses fragrance as a tool to reach people and tap into nature’s power.
My perfumes awaken the beauty within.
My purpose is to Uplift Humanity’s Consciousness Through Botanical
Fragrances.
My Soul Purpose is to raise the vibration with my Natural Perfumes.
I have a Noble Goal and I will be leaving a legacy supporting various
causes to be revealed at a later time. It is a well thought out and worthy
goal.
Aldous: On your website you talk about tapping into people’s energy fields and being able to read them. I completely believe in that. Were you born with
that gift, did you develop it? How does it work for you and how do you apply it to perfuming?
JoAnne: I was born clairvoyant, clairaudient, clairsentient, claircognisant, etc. When I do an intuitive reading I get full on movies with sound, color, etc. I am a medium and can channel the Divine energies and your angels, guides, your loved ones and more. Being empathic and intuitive makes me very sensitive and I am able to read a person’s energy just from the
spelling of their name. It is no different for me if they are standing beside me or if they are on the other side of the world. It is an
automatic process for me. It is very useful when I go to create a custom perfume. I already know if you like roses or not or gardenias or
whatever. The information about you is in your energy field. I can use that information to give you an intuitive reading or create a bespoke
perfume that can support you. Also I am a medical intuitive so I get information regarding which essential oils to use for aromatherapy
purposes. I do not know anyone creating custom perfumes like this. My bespoke perfumes are beautiful and complex not your usual 5 note
aromatherapy blends. They may have 30 or more different oils and absolutes in them with some of them being rare and precious.
Aldous: Your custom perfumes, they sound healing. You say that they can help your energy flow. How so?
JoAnne: When I tap into your energy field your aura gives me information. I can determine the blockages and use the essential oils that will help you to
free up this energy so you are in flow. The chi is moving and your chakras are open.
Aldous: Miss Bassett in your opinion is it possible to read energy at a distance and design a perfume accordingly?
JoAnne: Yes I can scan your name, address, phone number and get a fix on you. I can read your energy field and determine your needs and create a perfume
to support and empower you. This is a very special gift I am able to do as an intuitive healer.
Aldous: What is your favorite perfume? Do you wear your own, or do you wear others?
JoAnne: I have been wearing fragrances since I was 5 years old. A favorite for years was Chanel no 5. I wore many different fragrances up until the late
1980’s when I developed chemical sensitivities. I would have allergy like reactions to wearing synthetic department store perfume. My eyes would
water, my nose would run or get stuffed up and I would get a headache or migraine. That is how it goes today and I cannot attend many trade shows
with mixed media perfumes. I get a migraine within 30 minutes. So since I have created my own natural perfumes I only wear my own. That way I am
assured of the quality of the ingredients and it can be exactly what I want to wear. I find just because the label says natural does not make it so and I do not want to have a headache wearing it.
Aldous: Have you designed a custom perfume for yourself?
JoAnne: Custom couture perfumes are something I create for myself often. On new moons, solstice, equinox, and other special holidays I enjoy making a new one for me. Any time I have a new intention or want to create something new in my life I create one. Recently I created a rose, neroli, jasmine, vanilla absolute, vintage Mysore sandalwood and more bespoke perfume. It is very feminine and makes me happy.
Aldous: Miss Bassett, can you tell us about your different lines?
JoAnne: The collections I currently have on my website were all created since 2000. All lines and collections before that are no longer on my website
www.JoAnneBassett.com. Le Voyage and Reveiller eau de toilette and parfum were the first 2 fragrances I had on my Bassett Aromatherapy and
AromaWorld website in 2000. In 2005 I opened Le Bijou a perfume boutique in La Jolla, California and I created The Divine Collection A sense of
the Divine, the French collection and the Royal Collection. Since then I have created natural perfumes for the Natural Perfumers Guild projects, or
other projects. I have created the Limited Edition, the More Life Collection, Royal Alchemy and the Luxury Perfume Collection to sell hand
blown glass perfume bottles with parfums created from vintage and rare essential oils and absolutes. Some of these precious oils are 20 years
old and no longer available. These are some of my most favorites of all.
Aldous: Can you tell me about the ingredients you use in your perfumes? What makes them special? What are your favorite notes to use?
JoAnne: I am really a French classical style of perfumer. My roots are French on my Father’s side and I love to create with rose, jasmine, and sandalwood.
I love over the top florals. I have traveled to over 40 countries sourcing the most exquisite oils and raw materials. I use the old methods of
tinctures, and macerations and I use fresh gardenias, roses, jasmines, and other botanicals for my special perfumes. I have a good supply of vintage
essential oils and absolutes because I imported and exported oils for years in my aromatherapy company. You can no longer purchase many of the
oils in my collection and I offer them in my high end parfums.
Aldous: What is the chief difference in your perfumes that set you apart from everyone else?
JoAnne: As a Royal Alchemist I use energy and intention in my perfumes. I create all of my own perfumes, the formulas, and I create them all by hand in my
perfume studio. The maturation process and all is done there. The magical processes I use to create high vibration, energetic fragrances that will
shift people is something I do for all of my artisan natural fragrances. I use only 100% natural essential oils and create amazing complex perfumes
that people compare to the French perfume houses. I sell to the Royals and wealthy around the world.
Aldous: What perfume are you most proud of creating?
JoAnne: There is not one perfume I am most proud of. Luscious Roses parfum with six roses from four countries is one of my favorites I wear to open my heart
chakra. It makes me feel wonderful and joyful. I reach for it often and I love to apply it from the red hand blown bottle with glass dauber. It feels so elegant.
Aldous: Can you tell me about your next release? What are you really working on?
JoAnne: I do not have any new release to speak of at the moment. I get an intuitive hit that I need to create a perfume. It may come to me because
of a new ingredient a feeling I have an experience. A thought comes to me and it wants to be expressed as a couture perfume. That is how it
works for me. I cannot explain it. Unless I am a part of a project the creative mind or my muses dictate the timing. You can follow my blog where
I announce my new offerings. Natural Perfumes Blog
Aldous: You have famous clientele, all over the world. How does that feel to help and create for that many people?
JoAnne: It feels wonderful I so appreciate all of them and I am grateful for my ability to create masterpieces that help people, that smell exquisite and
they enjoy wearing them and come back for more. All a person has to do is apply my perfume to receive a benefit it can be uplifting, joyful and a
feeling of connection. This is my dharma and I am blessed to serve.
Aldous: And finally, do you have a piece of wisdom that you would like to share with my readers?
JoAnne: Experiment and do not be afraid of trying new things and going to new places. Stretch, get out of your comfort zone. You never know when your
left brain will be tweaked and you will become a perfumer artist.
I invite your readers to come to my website and try some perfume samples
and feel the energy for yourself. They are so much more than perfume!
JoAnne Bassett, Couture Natural Perfumer, Author, Speaker
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