aihrat
Gently gently
Apologies for checking in a bit late. I'm pretty bad with small talk and fairly awkward with people in general, and was overwhelmed with the wonderful and knowledgeable community at SMF!
So...hello...I'm A. Ihrat. I live with depression and PTSD, which might explain some of the "awkward with people" bit of the deal. My day job is information security, which I love, but it can be pretty stressful. It's hard place to feel accomplished in, because an objective like "this system is secure" is very difficult to measure in the conventional sense. Nothing can be 100% secure. The isolation that can come from being a woman in such a field also gets to me sometimes.
I've been soaping for 4 months, and voraciously read many many tutorials and guides on the subject before handling my first jug of lye. I started making soap because of my handmade soap addiction. I have OCD and was going through several bars a month. It turned into a handmade soapmaking addiction
I'm sure that's a common story. Making soap keeps me grounded and helps me round out my understanding of my self worth. There's something very special about using one's hands to make something solid and useful, and being able to point to it and think, "hey, I made this!"
The thing that excites me most about making soap is all the possibilities, and the different ways a bar of soap could be formulated to bring joy and utility to the user. I have a soft spot for essential oils, and even though their properties in CP soap can't be confirmed, I love the way they smell and engage me on a psychological level. My current favourite "style" is soaping cold, suppressing gel, and focusing on techniques to incorporate novel additives into soap. I've started playing with colours recently and will have to learn to accept gel phase into my life!
Anyway, hello and thank you to everyone I have had the pleasure to meet I look forward to meeting and getting to know more of you all in the future.
Edit: Here's a soapy pic. It was my first attempt at Veronica Foale's amazing Goat Milk Ombre technique (generously shared [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_hxsnJVmGs"]here[/ame]). I love her style and her spirit. It doesn't quite look as lovely as hers, and there are some stearic spots and air bubbles, but I swear I'll get it right one day!
So...hello...I'm A. Ihrat. I live with depression and PTSD, which might explain some of the "awkward with people" bit of the deal. My day job is information security, which I love, but it can be pretty stressful. It's hard place to feel accomplished in, because an objective like "this system is secure" is very difficult to measure in the conventional sense. Nothing can be 100% secure. The isolation that can come from being a woman in such a field also gets to me sometimes.
I've been soaping for 4 months, and voraciously read many many tutorials and guides on the subject before handling my first jug of lye. I started making soap because of my handmade soap addiction. I have OCD and was going through several bars a month. It turned into a handmade soapmaking addiction
I'm sure that's a common story. Making soap keeps me grounded and helps me round out my understanding of my self worth. There's something very special about using one's hands to make something solid and useful, and being able to point to it and think, "hey, I made this!"The thing that excites me most about making soap is all the possibilities, and the different ways a bar of soap could be formulated to bring joy and utility to the user. I have a soft spot for essential oils, and even though their properties in CP soap can't be confirmed, I love the way they smell and engage me on a psychological level. My current favourite "style" is soaping cold, suppressing gel, and focusing on techniques to incorporate novel additives into soap. I've started playing with colours recently and will have to learn to accept gel phase into my life!
Anyway, hello and thank you to everyone I have had the pleasure to meet
I look forward to meeting and getting to know more of you all in the future.Edit: Here's a soapy pic. It was my first attempt at Veronica Foale's amazing Goat Milk Ombre technique (generously shared [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_hxsnJVmGs"]here[/ame]). I love her style and her spirit. It doesn't quite look as lovely as hers, and there are some stearic spots and air bubbles, but I swear I'll get it right one day!
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