05/10/19
ELLEN NGUYEN / UNITED OTHER
"My deepest intention is to serve a higher creative and spiritual purpose. My hope for UnitedOther is to help create a sacred space for personal rituals in our modern world. It’s about transforming the ordinary."
- Ellen / United Other
Read our Q+A with Ellen below to learn more about this month's featured artist.
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Ellen Nguyen
Los Angeles, CA
Founder of United Other
Do you recall the moment UnitedOther was created?
There were many levels of unfolding for UnitedOther. Before it was a name, there was a deep yearning in my soul to be of service and to be a full creative expression of kindness. If we’re speaking formalities, I think it was when I held the finalized box packaging for the incense ropes. It took a year of exploring to get to the point where I felt like I had something worth sharing. It didn’t feel real until I held the box with the logo on it, mainly because I ordered 4K boxes to get the best rate so there was no turning back from that point!
Your work goes beyond the scent, it's about a purpose. What's that process like?
While I was learning about the properties of the sacred elements in incense, I saw that they were burned for a specific purpose and ritual/ceremony work since the beginning of civilizations — that incense and the smoke were used to carry prayers to the cosmos. Incense was a spiritual tool for deeper connections to the Spirit realm and to the Universe. We live in modern times, so I wanted to be very focused with the incense experience.
Where in the city are you and what’s your favorite place to visit nearby?
I live in Mid-Wilshire, or, as I fondly say, “ in the middle of the mixx.” I’m in the middle of the Eastside and Westside. It makes it easy to go in all directions. My favorite place is LACMA. I love meeting friends there, conducting business or reading in the park there. I think energetically, the buildings contain so much art and creative expression that somehow I feel at home there. Stargazing at the Griffith Observatory is also pretty magical, especially on warm summer nights. It’s like the stars fell from the night sky onto the city.
Do you get stressed? What ritual helps you get rid of it?
Uh, yes!! Being a solo business owner is being on a non-stop roller-coaster ride of emotions. With practice and understanding, I’m more aware of why I get stressed, or the deeper place of my need to do and achieve. I’m big on daily releasing rituals. Anytime I feel resistance or feel overwhelmed, I take a moment to breathe deeply, do a 20 min meditation, I burn my Intention Incense Papers, I walk my dogchild Marcel, or take an Epsom salt bath, etc..
Four months down in 2019 and eight more to go. What’s ahead?
I hope to continue to grow and expand — business wise but also personally. Already a few branches have sprouted from the business tree which includes workshops and Natal Chart readings, so I hope to nurture them by showing up and being open to what unfolds. More importantly, to honor and have gratitude for the gifts I’ve been given. This thing called life is magical in that way — the more that I become open, the more the Universe opens for me. It’s when I try to grip or control that things become hard. I hope to travel to one new country each year and I have my eye on China!
Current Faves:
Scent: Hinoki
Poet: Maya Angelou
Fruit: Lychee
Book: Untethered Soul by Michael Alan Singer
City: Cinque Terre, Italy
Ellen’s Instagram ︎
Ellen’s Website ︎
- Ellen / United Other
Read our Q+A with Ellen below to learn more about this month's featured artist.
︎
Ellen Nguyen
Los Angeles, CA
Founder of United Other
Do you recall the moment UnitedOther was created?
There were many levels of unfolding for UnitedOther. Before it was a name, there was a deep yearning in my soul to be of service and to be a full creative expression of kindness. If we’re speaking formalities, I think it was when I held the finalized box packaging for the incense ropes. It took a year of exploring to get to the point where I felt like I had something worth sharing. It didn’t feel real until I held the box with the logo on it, mainly because I ordered 4K boxes to get the best rate so there was no turning back from that point!
Your work goes beyond the scent, it's about a purpose. What's that process like?
While I was learning about the properties of the sacred elements in incense, I saw that they were burned for a specific purpose and ritual/ceremony work since the beginning of civilizations — that incense and the smoke were used to carry prayers to the cosmos. Incense was a spiritual tool for deeper connections to the Spirit realm and to the Universe. We live in modern times, so I wanted to be very focused with the incense experience.
Where in the city are you and what’s your favorite place to visit nearby?
I live in Mid-Wilshire, or, as I fondly say, “ in the middle of the mixx.” I’m in the middle of the Eastside and Westside. It makes it easy to go in all directions. My favorite place is LACMA. I love meeting friends there, conducting business or reading in the park there. I think energetically, the buildings contain so much art and creative expression that somehow I feel at home there. Stargazing at the Griffith Observatory is also pretty magical, especially on warm summer nights. It’s like the stars fell from the night sky onto the city.
Do you get stressed? What ritual helps you get rid of it?
Uh, yes!! Being a solo business owner is being on a non-stop roller-coaster ride of emotions. With practice and understanding, I’m more aware of why I get stressed, or the deeper place of my need to do and achieve. I’m big on daily releasing rituals. Anytime I feel resistance or feel overwhelmed, I take a moment to breathe deeply, do a 20 min meditation, I burn my Intention Incense Papers, I walk my dogchild Marcel, or take an Epsom salt bath, etc..
Four months down in 2019 and eight more to go. What’s ahead?
I hope to continue to grow and expand — business wise but also personally. Already a few branches have sprouted from the business tree which includes workshops and Natal Chart readings, so I hope to nurture them by showing up and being open to what unfolds. More importantly, to honor and have gratitude for the gifts I’ve been given. This thing called life is magical in that way — the more that I become open, the more the Universe opens for me. It’s when I try to grip or control that things become hard. I hope to travel to one new country each year and I have my eye on China!
Current Faves:
Scent: Hinoki
Poet: Maya Angelou
Fruit: Lychee
Book: Untethered Soul by Michael Alan Singer
City: Cinque Terre, Italy
Ellen’s Instagram ︎
Ellen’s Website ︎