I've been painting a long time and I still can't explain it, the moment that sharp mineral smell hits my nose my brain just switches into work mode. It's like a Pavlovian trigger. I had a period where I was using odorless mineral spirits because my daughter was small and I was worried about fumes, and I felt like I was working through fog the whole time. Soon as I went back to real turpentine it was like someone turned the lights on.

The headaches are real though. I keep my windows open even in January, the neighbours probably think I'm running a laboratory.

Does anyone else have this with a material smell? Or am I just a romantic who romanticises his own solvents.