We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Albers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Heather thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I have enjoyed every aspect of learning the art of pressing flowers. I am self taught and have experimented with many techniques until I have been happy with the results. I often feel like half scientist, half artist as each new flower I encounter requires a little research and often many trials. Although the process has been slow and frustrating at times, I’m glad I’ve spent the time to refine my craft into a set of procedures I am comfortable and confident with.

Heather, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I first began experimenting with pressing flowers when my oldest son was a tiny baby. It gave me a little bit of a creative outlet on a time of my life that was filled with chaos. I enjoyed the process so much I eventually gained enough confidence to start selling some small pieces, and finally started taking on some bridal bouquets. Today my business is about 95% pressed bouquets, with the majority being bridal bouquets. I also do quite a few memorial bouquets. I always feel honored to be trusted with such important memories. My work is a little different from other flower artists as I do not use the currently popular resin techniques but instead press the flowers flat and dry, do a little color enhancement, and frame them all in a pleasing manner. I know how important these flowers are to my customers and really work hard with each piece so I can return a finished product I am pleased with and hope they love.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

What I enjoy most about being an artist is the ability to share some of myself with the world. I am naturally introverted and spend most of my time in my studio or with my family, and I feel my pressed bouquets are a good one at of making a connection with people while doing something I truly enjoy. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of the natural high that comes from being completely engrossed in a project or the feeling of pride I have with a job we’ll done.

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

I would say the biggest pivot in my career so far came when I decided to quit my job in e commerce and focus solely on my business. At the time I had 3 young boys, close on age, and was working part time while pressing bouquets at night. I was tired all the time and felt like I wasn’t really succeeding at anything. There just wasn’t enough of me to go around. Then my mom got suddenly sick and in less then a months time we lost her. After this devastating shock, I took stock about what was important to me and what I want my life to look like. I was very nervous to quit my job, which I truly enjoyed, but decided to take the plunge. While I still struggle sometimes to find balance, as a lot of parents do, I feel more grounded and present now.

Contact Info:

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