What exactly is art; who defines it; who makes it, and where in Atlanta do poets, thespians, and artists congregate and create? We’ll use this space to catch up with a few of them – some you may know; others we hope you’ll be pleased to make their acquaintance.
There’s an art to the science in everything Paris Campeau skillfully crafts with her hands acting as the instruments. An esthetician and chandler (full transparency: I just learned that this is the official name for candle makers and sellers), Paris Campeau owns Indigo Wellness Spa in Kirkwood.
In the beauty industry for 20 years; she began as a makeup artist while living in San Francisco. Paris also trained at Nirvana Yoga and has a master’s degree in Holistic Psychology from the University of West Georgia.
When not at her spa or creating a new candle for her rebel+suede line, you can find Paris hanging out with her daughter, Indigo, and boyfriend and business partner, Bluu (pictured with her above).
Your art, your work…from skincare to making candles, involves using your hands; what else do they have in common that draws you to them?
My belief system has wellness at its core, and a desire to help others and build community draws me to this work. It’s also the peace I find in both. When I first started doing facials, it was in addition to working as a single parent while attending school. So, when doing my clients’ facials, I would start out somewhat begrudgingly only because I was tired. Still, within 15 minutes, I would feel calm, relaxed…even happy. I realized there was this amazing transfer from my clients to me as I did their facials, and this is where my journey began.
With everything you have going on, how did you start making candles?
Short answer: The pandemic. Long answer: Before the pandemic, I was looking for candles to use in the spa and decided I could make them without the necessary education. That ended up being a bunch of incidents in a jar that looked and smelled disgusting, and I didn’t have enough time to put into it until the pandemic. I found a Facebook candle-making group of 2,0000 members and learned what I needed to know. My favorite part is coming up with innovative fragrances. After a client ordered 150 of them, my entrepreneurial brain turned it into a business.
How would you describe the worlds you want to create and how wellness centers them?
My creations allow me to be a part of “the greater oneness.” Anytime someone purchases one of my candles, I hope it has the butterfly effect—connecting it to the bigger world, bringing healing and joy. We are all walking around with energy that affects one another. There is also intentionality in each candle we make. As an esthetician, I want to add to the positive vibration…a touch that can help heal. What centers me is what I hope to help center others. If we all slowed down to take a breath— a moment for ourselves — we could become more balanced with a deeper awareness. This one act by each person could then grow exponentially and make a massive shift in the world today.
What are five artifacts that you’d leave in a time capsule to represent you and your work for the next generation to discover?
- An iPod to listen to music on (see Paris’s playlist below).
- Pictures of my family, the most essential part of my life and work.
- My favorite moisturizer — GF Advanced cream by GM Collin.
- A bottle of my favorite fragrance oil — Taken, from the rebel line.
- A copy of my manifesto whose theme in a nutshell is about living with intention, artistry, teaching each other, laughter, and seeing light in the darkness.
What’s one thing you’d love to share before we wrap up? Being an artist and an entrepreneur is hard! And it is also rewarding. I would not exchange what I do for anything in the world.