I wrote this back in January.

When I started this endeavor I had a lot of ideas. I was enrolled in the Horticulture certificate program at UCLA but by working with another gardener I felt I wouldn't be able to really be able to do the work without a lot more training. So many things could go wrong, and the last thing I'd want to be responsible for is someone getting hurt. It evolved into terrariums and floral arrangements. The terrariums (which I love still) did not sell. I tried different things. I sold at flea markets and craft fairs, different local shops I love like Memento Mori (amazing curiosities and goth/new wave gifts), Taza Echo Park (tiny but wonderful woman owned coffee shop) and Kaleidoscope Kollective (a collective of female led businesses) who I still sell wreaths through. Spent a couple of Sundays at Melrose Trading Post as well. I made small arrangements and dropped them off at different places with my business card. I didn't get any customers, but it did bring people to my website. I taught classes. All of these were wonderful and positive experiences, except I didn't make any money. You learn from trying. However it seems social media, word of mouth and befriending event planners seem to be what's generating the most business.

During the two week holiday break I've been doing a lot of reading about business and marketing. Setting goals for 2017. I'm going to have to do so much more to get myself out there, and it is a weak point for sure. While admittedly self absorbed, I'm not good about self promotion. But I have tasted the freedom of working for myself and I'm not ready to give it up. So I plan to:
Create more blog posts
Socialize more with industry professionals
Take more classes
Advertise more

I'm looking forward to paying myself and doing some good in the world. For starters I donate leftover scraps to be used as packing materials for Josh Skincare. In return I get products which is great. But I'd like to be able to do more to help people who need it. I have some ideas, and when the time comes I'll share them.

For the last two years I've thought about being my own boss and how to make that a reality. For the past ten I'd been working as a fashion designer in New York for companies like DKNY Jeans International, Tommy Hilfiger and Kohl's, but I wasn't passionate about it like other designers. Designers who'd go home and read about fashion, blog about style or work on their own lines. They were living their dreams. I'd go home and tend to my plants, hang out with my critters and perform comedy.

Periodically throughout my life I'd work at garden centers. I love plants, and especially loved the holidays when I'd create custom holiday wreaths. Sadly I couldn't earn a sustainable living doing that work, especially in such an expensive place. After ten years I knew I needed a change.

I traded the busy sidewalks of NYC for the busy freeways of Los Angeles. Surrounded by so much nature and beauty, all I could think about was plants, flowers, and growing things. My initial idea back in Brooklyn was to open up my own garden shop/florist, but I had no money and did not want to go into debt. Maybe it's the time I took to think about it, or the laid back pace of SoCal, but I realized I could start small. So here I am, bringing the flowers to you. In time I hope to see how things grow.

I chose hellebores as my namesake plant because each Winter I ache for Spring. Hellebores are one of the first flowers to emerge. They are adaptable, tough, beautiful and long lasting. They symbolize a new beginning. Exactly what I was looking for.

Cheers!