Since childhood Michael has, been a lover of nature, forming early alliances with the sunrise, a Brazilian peppercorn tree, snakes and a variety of other life forms. At six years old his father began training Michael in gymnastics, and by eleven, after his mom’s passion for all things beautiful, he was in formal dance training for a career trajectory in ballet. His relationship with the natural world and knowledge of the body in-motion have been at the center of Michael’s passion and life-long cultivation.

In 1988, as part of a young creative startup, Michael was the natural dye extractor for a textile design company, Twin Sisters. His main focus was on creating rich layers of color and specializing in an ancient silk Japanese resist technique called Shibori.

In 1994, Michael finished his Associates degree on a dance scholarship at New World School of the Arts in Miami and performed locally and abroad for several semi-professional modern dance companies.

Before moving to North Carolina in 1995, Michael was re-awakened to the life changing beauty and power of aromatic essences and the interplay of scent emotion, and memory. His informal immersion into everything essential had emerged.