2018
A six-person neighborhood workshop becomes a dedicated teaching studio.
About the studio
A quieter way to learn the craft.
Squarestep Candle Studio began when maker and educator Mara Ellison replaced rushed tutorials with a patient, test-led approach to candle making.
2021
The curriculum expands into fragrance composition, wick testing, and vessel design.
Today
Learners join from home studios and local sessions with the same clear material standards.
Our mission
Make technical knowledge feel beautifully usable.
We teach the decisions behind a good candle: why a wax behaves differently, how a wick responds, how fragrance changes a room, and how repetition turns an experiment into a reliable practice.
The people at the pour table
Mara Ellison
Founder · Wax systems
Builds approachable lessons from years of small-batch production and material testing.
Jonah Reed
Fragrance tutor
Helps makers compose balanced scent profiles with restraint, structure, and curiosity.
Priya Shah
Studio mentor
Guides vessel choices, testing journals, and practical workflows for small collections.
Studio standards
Every course follows three principles.
square
We measure every batch twice and document every variable so results stay repeatable.
step
Progress is built through deliberate practice, not speed. Each lesson adds one new skill.
wick · glow
We teach the quiet moment when flame meets air and the room changes. That moment is the goal.