I first started using essential oils in my own life while getting my Master's in social work. I loved the oils from doTERRA, but they were so expensive that I hated to finish an entire bottle. 

I tried using cheaper brands, which were of worse quality. Tired of not knowing exactly what I was getting, I stopped using essential oils all together.

Luckily for me, that didn't last forever. As part of my work as a social worker in a middle school, I introduced essential oils in these tiny sample bottles to give away. (The 2ml size available of our essential oils, if you're curious.) 

Of course, as a small business who offers aromatherapy products, people wanted essential oils for years! It was only fairly recently that I started selling essential oils, and it is all due to Essential 3! Essential 3 is a woman-owned business local to me in the Rogue Valley. They've been in business for more than twenty years, and it is because they offer brilliant essential oils with a white label that I sell essential oils. AKA, this small business allowed me to grown my own small business!  

I spent hours and hours with the master mixologist Lakita at Essential 3. They were as devoted to the quality and finish of a scent as I was. I have essential oil blends called things like Magic and Community–I was putting abstract feelings into these oils too. And somehow, they did it!

Each scent got two or three essential oil blends for me to try at once. As soon as we decided on something, we moved on to the next essential oil. All told, it took a year to create the twelve essential blends I now sell on my site. If you get my aromatherapy subscription, you know some of these already! From those twelve blends, we agreed on twelve more essential oils to compliment those. 

Essential 3 continues to be a supporter of me and Awaken Arts + Wellness, I can't thank them enough for the joy our collaborative work as brought me. 

The community of small business owners is something amazing I have loved time and time again. If you own a small business or otherwise do creative work, I hope you agree with me! Finding people to admire, experts willing to give advice, and a peer group has fueled my passion and improved my business. I love supporting other small businesses, something you already know if you've been here long enough, or have shopped my stickers. 

New to the website are laser-cut wooden essential oil holders! I am so excited about these: there will be a stand of 6 and 12 available, and a wreath as the holder to our Essential Wellness 2022 advent calendar. 

The stands are cute enough, but the wreath? The wreath is an absolutely beautiful creation full of sweet curves and lush leaves. It is art that can hang on your wall. The bottles of essential oils are incorporated into the design, as well. They are gorgeous, colorful holly berries. It includes a ton of awesome engraving, and I cannot wait for everyone to see them. 

This amazing product was possible due to Julie Bee, also in the Ashland/Rogue Valley area in Oregon! 

I only know Julie of Julie Bee thanks to the owner of Sona CBD. Tammy Sona of Sona CBD and I host an essential oil workshop once a month at their brick-and-mortar store. We also both attend the market that Sona CBD organized in Talent, OR. Talent had a devastating forest fire in 2020, and these markets have been a rewarding way to bring business to us, and invigorate the area. 

I have been incredibly fortunate to find friends and colleagues as I grow my own business. Something I've learned is that support is not limited in how much you can find, or how much you can give. As we celebrate essential oils now being sold on AwakenArtsWell.com, this blog is a giant thank you to the small businesses who helped me get here. 

Okay, now let's shop some Essential Oils, shall we?