Hello, welcome, and thank you for reading. I’m always very thrilled, a shiver goes up my cephalothorax, just thinking about sharing my love of candelabras, and today is no exception.
 
I made my way into the field of design, candelabrum design specifically, out of my intense focus on finding the perfect lighting for a gathering. It is my long held opinion that a gathering needs two things: people and space. And when you have people and space, therein lies opportunity. And that opportunity is to set the mood, to control the environment. And when the environment is controlled, the party, the gathering is much more enjoyable.
 
I’m talking specifically here about the good kind of control, the design. I am not a fan of tightly controlled parties where the host just wants everyone to do something, or has an agenda, and the vibe is tense. No, as a host, your only real control is the setting, the mood, which you achieve through lighting and ambiance.
 
When you are hosting a gathering, when you have people in a place, you must, you must, and I urge you if you are indifferent, you must have at least one candelabra.
 
So which one should you choose? As there are options out the wazoo, the key is to find the one that is your perfect one.
 
Like choosing a mate, a candelabra first begins with intention: Is this one going to be your lifelong pairing? Or do you need more than one, a rotating selection? Or, are you maybe going to eat them once the mating is over–as some friends of mine do.
 
Think hard and long about the kind of mood and the intention of your gathering. Is this an autumn get-together? Will it take place in the evening? As the light slowly ebbs away and the glow of the interior sets the scene, will secrets spill? Will love burgeon? Will low-simmering disagreements become heated, hot, explode?!
 
Think hard about what you imagine, and let the mood settle on you. And I mean really sit in it and think about your gathering. This step must not be skipped because your intention will directly affect your budget.
 
Budget is not a fun topic for people. They shy away from it for some outdated reason. Money directs so much in this world, and it is not invisible, but we wish it were. But it’s not!
 
As an artist, budget is always on my mind. I am always having to sort my creative thoughts and inspirations into costs. That is simply how our system works, best to just accept it. For you, it’s fine because there is a candelabra available at every level, every price point. If you are broke they can be found for toonies and loonies at your local charity shop. No one should be without a candelabra no matter what their circumstance.
 
However, if you are lucky enough to have a few more bucks to spend as you desire, I urge you to support your burgeoning candelabrum designers. The up and comers have often set reasonable prices and supporting them means they can continue to do what they love. While you shop, ask them what inspires them, what vibes and moods they are tuned to. You might just find a designer of candelabras that will be your supplier for life.
 
As you shop for your candelabra, notice the shapes, the height, the width, the stance of the object. Notice what it says to you. When I begin a new design for a candelabra, I begin with movement. I am a lover of dance and I need to move, to feel the energy shift in my body, and so I often promenade a routine to become inspired. Blessed with eight long legs, I can contort myself into jagged modern dance poses, which then, with the help of a mirror, I sketch. I have often come up with a favourite piece from doing just this. Like The Skylark from my newest collection. It was created from my own body, my own pose.
 
I bring up movement because now that you have an intention, a budget, now as you shop, you must put these things aside and you must feel, you must monitor your emotional response to the items you set your sights on.
 
When you first see a candelabra that grabs your attention, ask yourself what is it that draws you to it? Is it ugly? Delightfully so? Is it hideous, do you have an urge to grab it, to throw it? These are good emotional responses, visceral. The shape, the style, the height, all of this must create a response. Do not buy a candelabra because you think it is pretty. Never!
 
Now, you can find incongruity here. Betwixt the vibe or intention and the emotional response, there should be raw energy bubbling within. Feelings of want and feelings that are unsettled. Once you feel this way, now you know you have selected the right candelabra.
 
Finally, once you have spent your money, when the object of your taste, your feeling, your passion, is in hand, you have a consideration to make: the placement of the candelabra in the room. As a centrepiece is most usually my choice, but I am a designer of candelabrum, and therefore it is expected at my gatherings. But for you, you may wish to emit a glow from a dark corner to draw your guests into the light, you may wish to have the light above the heads of your guests to draw attention up or to keep your guests standing, keep them on their toes. Or, perhaps, you are a connoisseur of candelabrum and you wish to space them around the home, to welcome your guests to find glowing corners to sneak off together, to kiss, to whisper, to create drama, to fight!
 
Now, a note about candles: A proper candelabra consignee will have available all manner of candles: soy, beeswax of varying heights, tapers or columnar, fat, short, wide. Your choice will of course depend on the candelabra you have selected, but pay attention to the details of what you need. The length and taper style will be determined by the design of the candelabra, but if you are a secure person, secure in your taste, you may feel free to break the rules. 
 
They say to use scented only when no rich food will be served. However, I once attended a friend's party and he’d set about three or four matching bronze candelabras, and within them placed burning scents of sandalwood, honey, tobacco flower and rose. To say it was heady and over-the-top, oh boy! We were all encased in this incredible bounty of scent. It was so indulgent, I still think about it, like scurrying into a larder filled with luxurious soaps. Intoxicating! So let your vibe guide you into uncharted territory. You might stumble into a web of wonder.
 
Ask your candelabra consignee, and if they don’t have what you need, make your way to your local candlemakers, they are most often located next to the butcher or baker in your town or city, and they will have what you need, or can create it for you. Any candle maker worth his wicks knows how to pair the right candle to the right candelabra.
 
In finality, remember, candelabrum is a lifestyle, it is art. What you choose is a reflection off your desires, of how you desire to interact with the world. Even in a gathering of one, yourself, alone in the glow of your candelabra, the light can illuminate the kinds of deep, dark, rich feelings one can only have when you sit in silence and flickering darkness with yourself.
 
If I may leave you with a warning: Do not take this shopping decision lightly. A candelabra is, in essence, the product of your soul.