For a year, Jean-Claude Ellena kept a diary of his time as 'parfumeur exclusif' for Hermes, where he has worked since 2004...
"My tools are test blotters, a pencil, a block of paper and, for a number of years now, a notebook. It was as I approached forty that I started making notes on accords, ideas for perfumes, writing down thoughts, copying out quotations, at first on loose sheets of paper that piled up until I arranged them alphabetically in files of various sizes. Then there was the Moleskine notebook. I like the size and shape of it because I can slip it into my pocket, like a wallet. I appreciate the elastic strap that keeps it closed, and means it can hold notes jotted quickly on to loose pages.
"Because ideas and thoughts spring up freely and I do not trust my memory, I write things down"
Because ideas and thoughts spring up freely and I do not trust my memory, I write things down. In the early days I wrote in pencil, an HB pencil, scrawling so quickly and clumsily that I had terrible trouble reading myself afterwards. I sometimes even wrote my notes out again, going to some effort, believing they were important; but they only have whatever value I give them, and that can vary. Although it made my reading less easy, I liked the idea of using pencil. There is no simpler writing implement, and I stuck to it for a few years; then as I had more and more trouble reading what I had written, I bought an expensive fountain pen to encourage myself to write legibly. Since then, I have been decipherable. Sketches and watercolours have been added to the notebook – but only rarely. This second memory bank actually frees my mind, and allows me to concentrate on working with raw materials."
For a year, Jean-Claude Ellena kept a diary of his time as 'parfumeur exclusif' for Hermès, where he has worked since 2004. The writings have this month been published under the title The Diary of a Nose. Rather than documenting daily activities and thoughts, The entries are focused on single subjects which give a fascinating insight to Ellena, his world and his working process from his home and workshop in a 1960s architect's house, situated in the hills overlooking Grasse, France and his studio in Cabris. The subjects are varied – alongside outlining the importance of his Moleskin Notebook, Ellena also describes in details the interior of his workshop, reveals his thoughts on pleasure, perfection and quality, his experiences with the iPhone app Shazaam and explains the problems with naming fragrances.
The Diary of a Nose by Jean-Claude Ellena is published by Penguin and available now.
Text by Laura Bradley
