Do or Don't: Turning Art into Business
Hello, it's Idyllwild again! While we're deep in winter here in Oregon with snow blanketing the ground, this hasn't stopped me from thinking about flowers and working with flowers. That's the beauty of dried flowers!
I started selling my dried flower creations online earlier this fall with very little expectations. My hope for this first year was simply to cover some of the costs of growing the flowers and sustain my passion for flowers. I've been so incredibly surprised by the success of my little side hustle! My wreaths and especially bouquets sell out quickly and I've been busily working on new ones to restock my Etsy store.
New opportunities are also emerging. After seeing some of my posts, a friend of mine reached out asking me to make a custom floral crown for her for her wedding. She gave me her color palette - champagne and pastel pink - and a photo of wedding dress. I asked for more details like the size of her head and how big she wanted the floral crown to be. Then, drawing from these elements as inspiration, I got to work.
I loved how it turned out and the whole process was so fun. It was really not much different from making a wreath! This gave me an idea - why not offer Custom Floral Crowns as a product?
I've been getting many questions about custom products and while I'd love to do that, the challenge is clearly communicating a vision/idea. For example, someone would ask, "Can you make this wreath but in blue?" But "blue" can mean many things, like sky blue or indigo blue. So I came up with a solution - let the customer choose the flowers they want.
I spent the afternoon photographing each of the different dried flowers that I have and composed a gallery so that it's easy to see what the options are.
Seeing all the flowers together like this made me so happy. I couldn't believe how many varieties I managed to grow and collect during our first season at our homestead. I already have plans to grow at least twice this amount and I'm so excited (and nervous) about where to take this "side hustle" next!
A part of me wants to try to turn Idyllwild into something bigger - a full-fledged flower farm that can perhaps sustain our financial needs. And another part of me is really scared to fail, not only with the money-making part of it, but also the creative part. I've learned from my previous start-up in photography that business can truly stifle creativity.
Have you ever felt resistant to turning your art into a business? How have you overcome these fears? Or do you keep your work life and creative life separate?
I'm still ruminating on all this (after all, it's still winter) and taking it slow, allowing myself time and space for that subtle, intuitive voice to emerge. And perhaps the answer is as simple as that - to be conscious and present in both art and business. For now, I continue to work with flowers and keeping the light inside shining bright!
If you'd like to see more of my dried floral art, check out my shop, Idyllwild on Homesteaders Co-op.
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Ah!! Your integrity of growing and gathering translate well in your photos!! I had this lovely sense of joy and happiness wash over me from my feet through my heart and then a smile to my face by seeing them! Then, i loved how you shared your joy in how the images pulled together! What a great winter pick-me-up!! The flowers are really awesome. Your flower crown is spectacular! I love what you're doing. Best wishes on your creative business endeavor! I can kind of relate in that i continue to teach yoga classes that are never the same twice. And, i try to create new essential oil blends that are wonderful. But, honestly there is something profoundly comforting in sticking to some basic foundations and then using intuition to make each experience unique but still quite similar. I feel it takes pressure off! It's such a multi-leveled interesting adventure every day/ season in life! Your shine is beautiful and heartwarming from one woman to another. Many thanks 🌸💗🌸🌼💗🌸
Aww I'm so glad these images bring your joy! Speaking of winter... it was snowing when we took these photos and I was shivering in a t-shirt, but wearing a flower crown definitely makes it seem like spring. Thank you for sharing your experience with yoga and essential oil blends. As I grow my business, my ability to scale is definitely affected by how many creations I can make so having a template really helps speed the process. Yet at the same time, making the same thing over and over can be boring so a little bit of flexibility keeps it interesting!
The fifth one down on the left inspires me. Makes me think of the golden crown worn by the goddess Demeter, possibly my favorite combination of elements for a Greek God to rule over.
About six years ago, I made the decision to start teaching ballroom dancing to make some extra money on the side. For years I told myself I would never do it, unless I had to, because I wanted to continue to train and enjoy the social aspect of the creative hobby. I was afraid the business side would steal my light, and make me hate dancing.
There is some truth, that my interest has faded. Was this the fault of turning it into a business? I think not. It only fueled me to get better at what I do. Time is the element that degrades, ages, and withers away at our enthusiasm. I do not not have the zeal I once had, but I am still an inspiration to many. I can say happily that my decision to make it my business has allowed me to offer a better growing ground for seeds to be planted in the hearts of tender souls. After a while you begin to look around at other businesses that offer the same services that you do, and you begin to think about what you can offer better, and things they don't do. This is what gravitates the type of clients that you will be most excited to work with, and it will motivate you to carry on in your craft.
That is dried rye and how fitting for the goddess of harvest :). I hadn't thought of making a crown with just rye, but that would gorgeous!
Thank you for sharing your experience of teaching ballroom dancing. It's true that time plays a big role as we inevitably change as we age. I like that you do not attribute these changes to business, but simply to how life works. Thank you also for your advice to keep carrying on and to refine my services. Your words are well-heeded :).
Your work is really beautiful @saagescrub and can completely understand the growth in your business.
Aww thanks so much @angiemitchell! Your compliment is very affirming!
That is a beautiful floral crown. Will make sure my better half sees your store.
Thank you for passing on my store!