The day I decided to mix my first literary perfume, our kitchen became a lab. Bottles of essential oils lined the counter next to my mom’s tea cups, while I weighed each drop with a small scale. My mission? Create a scent that could capture the bittersweet longing of Love in the Time of Cholera.

I started by researching which scents could represent the humid air of Cartagena and the resilience of love over decades. Bergamot, jasmine, and a hint of sea salt. Every drop mattered, and every test strip carried a new possibility. After twenty-seven iterations, I finally found a formula that felt right—warm yet filled with quiet longing.

But making the scent was only the beginning. I realized I had to think about packaging, labels, and costs if I wanted others to experience it. I learned to calculate the price per bottle, factoring in oils, alcohol, labels, and shipping materials. It was my first taste of turning creativity into practical entrepreneurship.

Taking this perfume to a local market, I saw a young woman pause, smell the scent, and smile, telling me it reminded her of summers she spent reading by the ocean. That moment showed me that what I was building could truly connect people to stories in a personal way.

This was the first product of Scented Pages Workshop, and it taught me how creativity and commerce can work together to create meaningful impact.