We were lucky to catch up with Yeon Chung recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Yeon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I never received any formal training. I never went to a floral design school.

Looking back, I’m not sure I would have changed anything. I truly believe that all my previous education and work experiences were the best things that happened to me and taught me most of the skill sets I needed to break into this floral industry. After 20 years of working in the creative field, I was prepared to forge my own path. All of what has happened was necessary to make me uniquely who I am.

The most valuable lesson I learned happened in the early days of my flower journey. I was freelancing for a local floral shop for a day. I was making a replica of a prototype arrangement for an upcoming event and struggling to make the flowers sit just right on the vines inside a tall glass vase. After sweating it, I turned to a more experienced floral designer working on the same project and asked her how she did it, I was totally frustrated. She looked at me and said, “You do it with love.”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

It all started with cutting a few roses in my yard and bringing them to my office to enjoy! Little by little, I grew this hobby, taking on commissioned projects mostly from coworkers who noticed the flowers in my office. After many years of working as a graphic designer, when the time came, I swapped my tablet pen for a pair of scissors!

I enjoy working with clients who appreciate my unique perspective on aesthetics and trust me to do what I do!
I provide floral design services to my clients on everyday occasions, special events, and brand projects. From a tiny boutonniere to a large scale floral installation, flowers have this incredible power to create connection and express emotions…..emotions that are often hard to put into words. I don’t follow a recipe or formula for this. I don’t count the number of stems for this. And I don’t replicate my own work. Each piece I create is original, driven by the moment and the message it carries. That’s what makes it personal and meaningful for my clients.

There are millions of florists out there, but there’s only one of me, just like there’s only one of you wherever your passion leads you. Our uniqueness, that’s what truly sets us apart. The journey is all about digging deeper, uncovering what makes us who we are, and embracing it fully. We all have a place in this world, and there’s no need to compare ourselves to others. When we own our individuality, we have something beautiful to offer. I truly believe that!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

This may not be a good example of resilience and some may even think it is an inefficient way of running a business but I remind myself of this experience that I had whenever I need to check where my heart is. One time, I had a flower delivery that went off track. I showed up at the address I was given, only to find out the recipient had moved out of state! I immediately turned around to pick up the flowers, but when I got her new address, I saw it was over a two-hour drive….. each way. And as a business owner, who does everything from A to Z, five hours on the road is a lot! But this floral arrangement was specifically designed with her in mind. They were sympathy flowers designed with a heartfelt message from the sender.
I could’ve called the sender, and explain this delivery is beyond the scope and cannot be made. I am not sure what came over me but I was determined. Five hours was not impossible. And so if it wasn’t impossible, I was going to make it happen. The flowers were delivered right to her doorstep! Going on the 7th year of this business, I don’t think I could do that again, LOL!
But it is still a good story that I tell myself whenever I need that check in, to remember why I started what I started.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started my business, I imagined it would be a hybrid version of a studio and a retail shop. I didn’t want to sell flowers on-site, but I thought I could have a few plants around for walk-ins. Well, I quickly learned a couple of things: first, there weren’t really any walk-ins in my little corner, tucked away from the busy streets. And second, I was a bit of a serial plant killer! After just a month, I decided to pivot to a fully studio-based business with online orders only, no walk-ins.

That shift ended up being the way of life for me! It freed me from the constraints of retail hours and allowed me to create my own schedules. Now, I use the space for everything from creative work, client consultations, coffee chats with friends and hosting seasonal floral design workshops. It was a move that really worked for me, and I couldn’t be happier how it turned out! This tiny little space, a world all my own.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kawaflowers.com
• Instagram: @kawaflowers

Image Credits

Photo credit: Yeon Chung