My first job in high school was in a small family style restaurant so I am not wholly unfamiliar with food service, cooking, etc... but I would not consider myself anything more than an amateur in that regard. Katy makes more contributions to the final product than most people give her credit for - I experiment, and her palate approves. Failure after miserable failure, and more wasted liquid than we care to mention, we found a system that seems to work for us. It's a constant process of refining and improving process and technique...
Despite the fact that we had several award winning liquids in 2013, I really feel as though some of our more recent efforts elevated our game. Wakonda in particular is a real gem. Frenilla and Strawnilla are both more recent developments. PBC has gone through two revisions and at this point I think it could easily stand on it's own two feet as one of our better liquids (Katy LOVES the stuff). I expect we will continue to refine our craft - after having been in the game for 18 months or so, I feel really fortunate to have over 20 recipes I consider to be "worthy." We've had a few duds along the way, too - thankfully we've minimized those through extensive testing.
As far as my background - There's really no humble way to say this, so I just say it - I'm really smart. Like, super-smart. Many of the people whom have met me over the years would say with no hesitation that I'm the smartest person they've ever met... but, intelligence does not translate into wisdom - and that intelligence is not boundless, there are certain areas where I excel, and other areas in which I struggle. I did my undergrad work at the University of Northern Iowa - I loved to read (still do) and write. In terms of a geographic or geopolitical specialty, I was fond of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union - but my personal interests soon grew outside of any specific geography toward more universal historical and cultural questions. I gravitated towards revisionist history - history is written by the victor, every story has two sides, etc. Revisionist history led me to relativism, which is really my specialty. No where in the annals of human writing is relativism so thoroughly covered than the Greek classics - Plato, Socrates, Aristotle.
Relativism is the fundamental belief that that truth is always relative to some particular frame of reference, such as a language or a culture - it is shaped by the moments that came before this one, and the anxieties associated with moments have yet to come to pass.
Truth is subjective. Problem: Saying "truth is subjective" is an absolute statement, thereby making it false... and so, if truth does exist, by definition, it is not subjective - it is outside the realm of bias, absolutely true.
I'm rambling - but yea, I spent a decade wrestling with that - chain-smoking the whole time I might add.
I spent the bulk of that time in sales because it paid good and I was exceptionally good at it. I have had issues with selling for other people though - having a conscious is not conducive to a profitable business in 21st Century America. I had several good runs, but I never fell in with corporate America because I have ethical issues with selling products if I am not reasonably convinced that those products and services really benefit people. I had a crisis of meaning in my life as a salesperson, so I went back to get my Master's Degree in Clinical Counseling. I wanted to teach, but more in the individual setting - and with adults, not children. More than teach, I wanted to listen - more than guide, I wanted to accompany people and help them with their own search for meaning. I specialized in Existential Psychotherapy (Yalom). I employ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques like re-framing to create meaning where none existed previously. Conversations with me focus on 4 primary themes or topics: the inevitability of death, freedom and its attendant responsibility, existential isolation, and the presence (or absence of) meaning.
So, I graduated with a MS in Clinical Counseling - but found myself crawling into local service agencies with my tail between my legs begging for 28k a year. I knew I wanted to help the needy, but I had no idea I had to sell myself into financial ruin to do it... so - I started Nicoticket on the side to achieve a few things... I wanted to quit smoking, mostly to save money. I'd sing about the health benefits, but in all fairness, that was just icing on the cake - I was broke - I had 60k in school loan debt and was coming out of forbearance with an $800/month school loan - money was tight. 2nd - in addition to saving money by quitting, I hoped to supplement my income enough that I could make it through the 2-3 year period during which my license was considered "provisional" (requiring supervision)... the short of it is, I couldn't go into private practice, had no choice but to do agency work, but couldn't really afford to do agency work - you get the idea. It wasn't long before we realized Nicoticket was was something special - it fit into so many of my goals.
I wanted to do something meaningful - make a difference in peoples lives.
I've always been a huge supporter of harm reduction, even before I got into the industry. I'd delve into details about my work in Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Dependence, but it would suffice to say that I spent a great deal of time (over a year) working in long-term residential treatment... and... I really enjoy working with that population. eLiquid "fit" because I could use my skills as a therapist and counselor, while simultaneously building a recovery community focused on harm reduction.
I've always been better at the keyboard as opposed to being in person. In person, I pause at the most in-opportune moments because my mind moves really fast. I have to stop and formulate what I am going to say to ensure the people I am talking to can comprehend what I am saying... I 'drift off' a lot, it's unnerving because you might think I am not paying attention (which couldn't be farther from the truth - conversations with me are like a game of chess... you don't make a move without anticipating the next 10-20 moves). ECF - working the forums - it was just a good fit.
I've always had a yearning to "make something" - IE - something tangible, something with substance - but something that also has meaning. Words are just words, but in my mind - the liquid is a vehicle, a way for me to communicate. This is totally whacko, but sometimes I think of myself like a cleric or a shaman. I'm very, ritualistic, when it comes to making liquid. As strange as it sounds, I put "good energy" in those bottles... and i think it comes through.
Man, whoever is reading this is probably going to flip - but you asked, and I had the time to ramble so I figured what the hell. LMAO
