It’s all too easy to get overwhelmed by life’s burdens in this day and age. When it happens, many of us go searching for ways to inject a little bit of serenity into our lives, and sometimes our search leads us to unexpected places. This is what happened with Kate Farrugia, who learned (from scratch!) how to make her own soy candles and wax melts and from there, went on to build her business: Hence the Zen.
Four years ago, Kate had been in desperate need of a creative outlet. She was feeling burned out from the drudgery of the daily 9 to 5, which included the tiresome commute through Sydney traffic. She felt as though she were a hamster on a wheel, working hard but getting absolutely nowhere. What she really needed was to discover a sense of purpose. In an effort to alleviate her overwhelming sense of ennui, she began reading, researching, and even watching YouTube tutorials about candle making. In doing so, she discovered her motivation and focus, and she decided to capitalize on that momentum in order to gain the aspiration her life had been lacking.
“To be completely honest, starting my own business saved me,” Kate says.
“At the time I was in a dark place. I was crippled by anxiety and truth be told, I had been for a while. I just hadn’t been able to put a label on it. Before long I couldn’t imagine what my life was before my little candle business. I have learnt so much and met a lot of amazing people along the way. It has brought me great joy and I in turn love seeing the happiness on someone’s face when they are enjoying one of my candles for themselves.”
In making her candles, Kate has also shown a commitment to being environmentally friendly, and the importance of mindfulness in everyone’s daily lives is the foundation of her business. Her candles are simple but charming – as she says, she never wanted to create anything too fancy or extravagant. What she wanted to create was a high quality, affordable, 100 percent authentic Australian product, and that’s exactly what she did! She has received a great deal of positive feedback about the packaging of her products, which is something she is very proud of, and rightfully so as she is responsible for the entirety of the design. In keeping with the aesthetic and meaning behind her candles, the packaging has an organic look and feel.
A look at Hence the Zen’s selection reveals a bevy of soy candles and wax melts that come in both relaxing and invigorating scents, such as Summer Spritz and French Pear. Every single one is handmade by Kate in her home studio in Sydney, making them all a labor of love and passion. Just as she’s found contentment in her life by embracing her creative side, she hopes to impart a bit of that to everyone who purchases her candles in order to enjoy their soothing, natural scents.
0 comments