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@mrianworld

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Scent, memory and quiet ritual

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Before You're Ready.

I've spent a ridiculous amount of time waiting to be ready.

Ready to launch something. Ready to share an idea. Ready to put something into the world that other people might have an opinion about.

I'll change the name, adjust the packaging, revisit the photograph, question the entire idea and then convince myself it just needs another week.

I've always called it attention to detail. And sometimes it is. Other times, I suspect it's a rather elaborate way of avoiding the possibility of getting something wrong.

When I started Mr Ian, I wanted to create things that meant something to me. Fragrances, objects and stories that came from my own experiences and observations.

Somewhere along the way, I forgot that I was allowed to trust my own judgement.

So I'm trying something different.

Backing my ideas. Making decisions. Putting things into the world while there's still a little uncertainty attached to them.

Not everything will work. Some things will probably be terrible. I'll undoubtedly look back at a few decisions and wonder what on earth I was thinking.

But at least they'll exist.

Before You're Ready.

I think that's what Mr Ian has been about all along. I just hadn't quite worked it out yet.

Yes, that's fragance in the fridge..

#beforeyoureready #mrian #backyourself #fragrancebelongsinthefridge #defender

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Last week felt a bit like a stumble.

It was just one of those weeks where life felt slightly out of rhythm. Conversations sat with me longer than usual. A few things didn't go the way I expected. I found myself questioning things I thought I'd already worked out.

Then this song came on. Stumble by Kraak & Smaak.
And I started thinking about this photo.

The twelve-year-old version of me probably thought forty-five-year-old me would have everything figured out by now. A permanent address. A clear plan. Complete certainty about where he was heading.

Instead, I'm still making it up as I go.

Somewhere along the way I realised that stumbling and falling aren't the same thing. Falling means you've stopped. Stumbling usually means you're still moving forward, just not as gracefully as you'd hoped.
When I was younger, I thought confidence came from having all the answers.

Now I think confidence is knowing you'll survive the questions.

And if twelve-year-old Ian is somehow reading this, I'd tell him not to worry so much about getting it right.

The people doing interesting things rarely walk in straight lines.

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A sneaky little preview of today’s shoot location for Olfactory Department and @mrianworld.

What a stunning home, @aloca_au. An absolute pleasure to work within this space.

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Day two is always different.

Not in what we’re shooting.
That part rarely changes as much as you think it will.

It’s something else.
The urgency fades..
The need to get it right softens.
You stop trying to force moments into place..
And without really noticing, you start paying attention in a different way.

Things feel quieter.
More settled.

You can sense when something is working.
Not because it looks good on a screen,
but because it no longer needs you to adjust it.

It just sits.

I think that’s the shift.

When the work stops being something you’re making,
and becomes something you’re witnessing.

There’s a humility in that.

You realise you’re not building it.
You’re just moving around it.
Making space for it to exist properly.

That’s always my favourite part.

When everything slows down.
When nothing is trying too hard.
When the pressure drops away.

And what’s left…
feels enough.

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I’ve just published an eight-part essay series on self-management.

Not about pushing harder or reinventing yourself.

But about how capable people organise attention, energy, and behaviour so progress feels calm, repeatable, and sustainable.

The series explores why most people don’t fail from lack of ambition, but from lack of structure. Why behaviour design outperforms discipline. And why consistency is often a system issue, not a motivation one.

These slides are drawn from the essays.

The full series is now live on Substack.
DM me if you’d like the link.

#selfmanagement #sustainablesuccess #calmambition

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Over the next two weeks, eight short essays will drop.

They’re not about motivation, discipline, or self-improvement.
They’re about self-management.

How capable people organise attention, energy, and behaviour in a way that makes progress calm and repeatable. Why starting with an end date reduces anxiety. Why mini goals work when big goals don’t. Why motivation is a side effect, not a requirement. Why managing energy matters more than managing time. Why follow-through is a trust issue, not a discipline one. And why good design beats accountability every time.

They’re written for people who are thoughtful, driven, and quietly tired of being told to push harder.

No hype.
No hustle.
Just a quieter way of building direction.

If you're curious, you can follow along on substack, or just DM me and I'll send you the the link.

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Inspired by the stillness of Tasmania in winter —
cold air, damp earth, woodsmoke drifting through quiet towns.

A playlist to slow the body, clear the head, and let the space around you settle.

Listen through the link in bio 🎧

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Touch.
Break.
Movement.
Light.

It begins with curiosity.
A moment of contact.
Something solid giving way.

Then the world rushes in.
Earth. Heat. Noise.
Fragments becoming form.

Nothing stays still forever.
And that’s the point.

MR IAN WORLD.

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This is Mr Ian.

A world built from scent, memory, and quiet moments.
Not about trends or perfection.
About noticing.
About becoming.

It lives in the in-between spaces
where emotion lingers,
where stories aren’t rushed,
where identity is allowed to evolve.

Fragrance is only the beginning.
This is about inner worlds, rituals, objects, and words
that help us feel more like ourselves.

No noise.
No urgency.
Just presence.

Welcome in.

— Mr Ian

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Yes, I know it’s not even December, but we are done.
Some years feel like a slow unfurling, others arrive like a wave.
This one… this one felt like both.

It was a year of movement — shoots, scents, stories, early flights, late nights, ideas scribbled in notebooks, and moments that made me stop and breathe because somehow the little kid I used to be ended up here, creating worlds for a living.

And yet behind all that, there were the quiet parts.
The days I felt stretched thin.
The moments I questioned everything.
The times I had to lift myself back onto my feet when no one was watching.
The tenderness, the tiredness, the small victories that never make it to the grid.

Joel’s recap made me feel it all again — not the polished frames, but the truth inside them.
The laughter on set, the nerves before a new project, the pride when a vision finally comes together, the softness of being held by good people.

To everyone I crossed paths with this year — thank you.
Whether we worked together, shared a moment, supported from afar, or simply reminded me that connection still matters… you were part of the story.
And I felt it.
More deeply than you know.

I’m signing off now — to rest, to reset, to find stillness again.
To make space for the person I’m becoming, not just the one I’ve been trying to keep up with.

I’ll be back next year — bigger in vision, stronger in spirit, and still holding onto the fun that keeps all of this alive.
But for now… the chapter closes.
Even if it’s not quite December.

Thanks for being part of my year.
Truly.

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Oh I remember these kind of nights. Midnight snacks, slumber parties that lasted until the wee hours, blown up microwaves (Karen’s mums microwave sure did pay the price-and not at my hands), late night swims and the innocence of childhood.

#retro#productphotography#80sbabies#80skids#fragrancehouse#mrian#creativecontent#campaign#christmasshoot

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