We were lucky to catch up with Shannen Slaughter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Shannen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Arts & Crafts have always been a passion of mine, ever since a young age. For my birthday, a friend took me to a candle making class and I instantly fell in love. I had participated in several traditional pour candle classes, but never a custom candle class. Shortly after that class, I began ordering candle making supplies and there started my journey. I am a hands on learner for sure and bettering my craft has been a constant process of trial and error. Knowing what I know now, I would have dedicated more time to researching the different types of waxes, their ingredients and heating components and definitely documenting more recipes in order to more efficiently duplicate products. More research absolutely would have saved me a ton of wasted ingredients and sped up the learning process. Patience for my craft and grace for myself will forevermore be the most essential skills. The lack of resources has been an obstacle and a blessing! Although I don’t have a plethora of options to turn to help me better my craft, I am excited that the market is not flooded with the type of candles that I offer and hopefully I can pave the way for other artists to explore different options with their candles.

Shannen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi there! I’m Shannen, your custom candle connoisseur! I am originally from Cincinnati, OH but have laid my roots and started my custom candle business in good ol Atlanta, GA – The Big Peach! I have always been a creative soul, ever since a young age. Whether it was drawing pictures that would be featured in local newspapers, to paintings, to creating tye dye shirts and custom jewelry, to fire burning wood art and sculptures. You named it, I was creating it!

Creating custom candles is a new endeavour for me but I’ve never been more passionate about any other craft! You’ve heard of real or cake? Well now I present to you, real or candle?! My custom candles are not like your traditional candles. In fact, the majority of my candles don’t look like candles at all! Instead they strongly resemble the real item that they are mimicking.

I am most proud of two things when it comes to my creative works. One – when a customer comes to me with an idea on paper and the excitement in their face when I am able to breathe life into that idea and the joy they experience when they are physically holding something that they had previously only imagined. Two – when a customer tells me that my candles are too perfect to burn! What was originally meant to have a lifespan of about a week, now gets to live on forever displayed as a decor item!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the uniqueness that comes with creating! All of my candles are handmade to order, which means that each one is ultimately different and unique from the one created before.

In today’s world of trends, and duplicates, and uniformity, it’s nice to be able to create and offer products that are truly one of a kind! Products that stand out and allow others to express their uniqueness! That’s what is most rewarding to me, helping others mark their unparelled creativeness!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In my view, society can support artists more by just having open minds. As artists, we are passionate about our art, even if society doesn’t understand it. If more people took the time to explore local artists and expand their thought process of “what is art?”, I strongly believe they would be pleasantly surprised at what they discover, probably right in their own backyard!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecustomcandlebar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecustomcandlebar/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Candle-Bar/61555484053418/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Other: Etsy – https://www.etsy.com/de/shop/TheCustomCandleBar