Interview
If there is one major business
lesson you’ve learnt over the
years of setting up and running
your own business – what would
you say it was?
I think it’s really important to
understand who you are as
an artist and what you like to
make. When we are starting
out, we often accept too many
commissions that aren’t right
for us or our brand. Rather than
taking the perspective that you’re
missing out on an opportunity, it
can actually be really powerful
saying no to things that
won’t advance your
art portfolio or
support your
brand. My
advice for any
budding crafty
entrepreneur is
to stay true
to yourself and
your art and you
will nd your market.Social media has become
such an important tool for
crafters and craft companies
alike – which platform do you
enjoy using the most?
De nitely Instagram! It’s where
my paper ower journey began
and ourished. It’s a visual
platform that provides a great
summary of any artist’s portfolio
of work. The other would be my
website – I’ve found that it gives
my business legitimacy; it’s where
you can really tell your story,
establish your brand, and refer
potential clients to check out
your work.You’re
also involved
with the Paper Talk
Podcast and The Paper Florists
Collective – can you tell us
more about them?
The Paper Florists Collective
was founded by my friend,
Quynh Nguyen, in 2017. I was
invited to be involved as a
team member in 2018 along
with Priscilla Park. Now it is
just Quynh and I and we are a
great team as we have different
strengths and experiences. The
purpose of the organisation
is to promote the community,
support each other, and elevate
our artistry such as using the
Paper Florists Facebook group,
to keep members and crafters
of the community in touch on a
daily basis, as well as hosting
monthly virtual meetings. Our
ultimate goal is to organise
an international convention forI already had experience writing
tutorials and teaching online
courses and workshops, as
well as some knowledge with
photography, so compiling and
coming up with tutorials for a
book seemed to be a natural
next step.What’s been the best, and most
diffi cult things, about creating
your Paper Flower Art book?
The best thing is being able to
share everything I’ve learned
over the past few years with
the paper ower community. I
wouldn’t still doing what I do
had the paper ower community
not supported me throughout.
So I feel like it’s my way of
giving back.
The most dif cult thing is
letting go of perfection in editing
and the sense of ownership over
my techniques and owers. I’m
going to see a lot of ‘my’ owers
in other people’s repertoire, and
that’s just something that I have
to get used to.What’s your favourite custom
commission to take on?
I love custom commissions
where the client completely
trusts my creative aesthetic
and decisions because it’s
also their aesthetic. It means
we work collaboratively to
create an end product that
re ects everyone’s vision.
These commissions tend to be
directly with individual clients
(often brides) or commercial
clients with a very strong brand.You also run workshops, private
classes and online courses –
which is your preferred way
to teach people?
I love in-person workshops
because I get to meet people
from all walks of life who just
want to make beautiful things
and/or learn a new craft,
experience real-life interaction
and engagement. They are also
a great way to get to know or
stay in touch with my followers
personally. When you’re trying
to build a community of paper
orists, it’s incredibly
important
to provide
opportunities
for the
community
to come
together.What’s your
favourite thing
about what you
do?
Being able to create what
I imagine. In the past, before
I found my calling, I was never
satis ed with my artistic results.
I struggled to render into life
what was in my mind. However,
since nding this medium, I feel
that on most days, I can create
what I had in mind.Is there any other form of
crafting that you want to
try your hand at?
I have always loved making
pottery so I would love to
delve more deeply into that
art form!Interview
“Compared to my
younger self, I certainly
Have Lore confi Dence in
Ly art anD I aL confi Dent
with my choices”
You’re
also involved