We were lucky to catch up with Taylor & Justin Wiley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Taylor & Justin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

First let’s rewind to 2020, the year that took us by surprise & made us cry, laugh, and gave us plenty of time to ponder and rethink our life plan! Amidst the pandemic, we said “I do” at Four Seasons Troon North in October of 2020. I (Tay) had graduated that spring from the University of Arizona with a degree in Psychology, and was starting my Master’s program at GCU with the goal of becoming a counselor. Meanwhile, Justin was working as an automotive technician, and was doing it for the income, but it wasn’t the best work environment or permanent spot for him. I had been feeling for a little while that I was tired of being in school, and was starting to question my overall goals and long-term plan. Based off the personal struggles I’d faced in my life, I felt very strongly for a long time that becoming a counselor was the “purpose from the pain” I was meant to pursue and it felt right. Backtracking a little to the summer of 2020, I picked up doing digital drawings on my iPad for some extra money and as a fun hobby due to being bored at the house. I posted my drawings on Facebook groups, Marketplace–really anywhere I thought they may sell. I started turning pictures of families, pets, houses & more into digital drawings, pricing them very cheap because I wanted any work and a chance to share my artwork! In August of 2020 I opened my Etsy shop, then named Desert Draws, and sold digital drawings and stickers which I hand cut, (yikes!) I began to get a few sales, then more, and more sales. I met with realtors and pitched my drawings as a gift for clients to anyone who would talk or meet with me, and grew more connections. Going back to being in school–I started to feel an internal battle about what I wanted to be doing. I eventually came to the conclusion that I didn’t think I wanted to be a counselor anymore; I LOVED that area so much and it felt strange to accept that wouldn’t be my job title someday, but I also felt a huge burden lifted off my shoulders. When I brought the idea to my family, I was worried they may be disappointed I wanted to be done with that career path since I had dedicated a long time to pursuing that path. Surprisingly, my dad shared that he had recently felt like counseling was no longer my calling, and that I was meant to do something different. I sat down with my family, and we brainstormed what would even come next. Since Desert Draws had started to get a little busier and I was spending more time on drawings, we all agreed that we would give it six months, and if Desert Draws continued to grow, then I would keep pursuing that, and if not, I would find something else. To my excitement, it kept growing, and I started to expand what I was selling into onesies, shirts, cups, logos, ornaments, signs, and more, using my Cricut. Now, the second phase of our business happened when we became Aster and Palm. Sometime around spring of 2021, I accepted a job putting vinyl letters on 200 acrylic menus (which I now know I way undercharged for, but hey that’s how you learn!) The job took days to finish and was a lot more than I anticipated–that was when I realized I needed more productivity if I was going to continue making signs and expand this business any further. With the help of my parents, I purchased my first laser, a Glowforge Pro (R.I.P.!), and it was history from there! Justin quit the automotive field in March of 2022, and we’ve been working as a team since! With the help of the amazing Launch It Girl, we created our new brand and website, and with much advice from the owner, Lauren, she convinced me to change our name since it no longer really applied to what we were trying to sell. Hence, Aster and Palm was born (thx Lauren!) (Very long) story short, although I may not be helping others in the way I originally thought, I have no doubt that God redirected my path for a reason, because I love love love what I do, and am able to work alongside my husband, amazing brides, clients & vendors. With myself as the creative mind and my husband, Justin, as the operational muscle & builder of our custom projects and more, I think we make the perfect team! Our goal is to bring all those mood boards, hours searching on Pinterest, and inspirations come to life for our clients. I believe that if we always stay grateful, humble, and love what we do, even on the harder days, we will keep being a great team and hopefully continue to grow!

Taylor & Justin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We are a husband and wife ran small business, specializing in dreamy wedding and event signage. The majority of our clients reside in Arizona, but we’ve also done signage for destination weddings and events in locations such as Cabo, Nashville, California & more, and shipped orders worldwide to Australia, Europe, Asia, Canada & more. We’ve worked with brands such as Ulta, Paula’s Choice, Tubby Todd, Electric Picks, and other amazing companies. We bring hours of scrolling on Pinterest for signage ideas to life, take the stress away from our couples and planners, and create something truly unique and magical for their special day. As our full time jobs, we put our hearts into our business and clients, and nothing makes us happier than receiving positive feedback that our clients’ signage turned out better than they could’ve imagined! We use the highest quality materials such as acrylic and wood, and offer a large variety of customization options such as colors, fonts, shapes, and more. We are blessed to have this as our job, and thank every client who orders from us as it’s supporting our dream and family.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

First thing: network, network, network. When we started making laser-cut signage, we collaborated in a lot of shoots and events to get our name out there and meet new vendors and clients. There were definitely certain projects that created more referrals and relationships than others, so I would focus on weighing the pros and cons of each project at the beginning depending on factors such as labor time, material costs, travel & setup time; things like that! That has been very helpful in creating long-lasting and genuine relationships with other vendors, venues, and clients who we look forward to working with! I also highly suggest reaching out to and introducing yourself to other vendors or venues who you ideally want to work with! Making yourself personable and sharing more of the story behind your business helps people visualize your brand, what sets you apart, and make that connection.
Looking back on the last few years, it seems like the majority of clients we’ve worked with found us through word of mouth/referral or social media, most often Instagram. So another piece of advice I’d give is to put yourself out there on social media, even if it’s not perfectly aesthetic! :) Perfection shouldn’t be the goal (which has taken me awhile to realize), but focus more of your attention on engaging with your followers and just sharing more about yourself and your business. Your passion will attract those that are interested and engaging with them will keep them around! One of my favorite types of clients are those who say they’ve been following us for awhile, and are excited to finally have a reason to work with us!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

YES. I’m a strong believer that our brains are all wired so uniquely and differently, although it seems like the more creatives I meet, there’s similar struggles that come up such as the need for perfection, comparison, and the hustle of being a small business owner/creative, specifically in the wedding and event industry! I think we are usually our hardest critics, and I know for me personally, sometimes I never think my work is good or unique enough even if outside sources say otherwise! I think a lot of creatives feel the same way at times, and to people who aren’t creative minded, they may see our work and say things like “it’s perfect!” which is encouraging, but doesn’t feel accurate if we don’t feel the same way. In regard to this, I’m working on not comparing our company/brand to others so much, being proud of our work, yet staying humble. And remembering that perfection is unattainable, but creating beautiful, quality pieces that have lots of love put into them is attainable and the goal!

Contact Info:

• Website: asterandpalm.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/asterandpalm
• Other: LINKS: https://bio.site/asterandpalm

Image Credits
First picture: @nicoleandphoto Second picture: @brookemageephotography Third & sixth pictures: @kenziepellerinphotography Fourth picture: @lunamariephoto Fifth picture: @dreahphotography Seventh & eighth pictures: @carmelajoyphotography