We were lucky to catch up with Arianna Heisler recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Arianna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

I grew up in a creative household, my mom has done just about anything you can think of. Silk screen printing, she’s done it. Tattoos, she’s done it. And my grandma, well she does all the things a grandma should do! She quilts and crochets and has been doing so my whole life. It was inevitable that I somehow someway would be doing something creative. But I think the best thing my mom did was give me the tools but never force anything. She always allowed me to have the opportunity to try and do whatever I wanted, but even more importantly she cheers me on all in on no matter what I want to do! That is what my parents do right, push me, inspire me and are always there cheering me on!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My origin story as an artist is kind of all over the place, since I was a little kid I loved art class and I was so privileged to learn so many different art forms at such a young age! The high school I attending for my first two years had an amazing art program and I was able to take classes in stained glass, basket making and ceramics. In my ceramics class we learned all the basics, coil building, slab building, and of course the pottery wheel. I fell in love. Fast forward a couple years and a few moves later I ended up in Northwest Arkansas. I moved here to take an internship with a wedding venue and get a change of scenery, I was 21 and had no idea what I was doing. Frankly, I still don’t. But this is where I was introduced to the world of floral design and was immediately obsessed. After my internship ended I continued to freelance and learn everything I could about flowers and design. Then COVID hit, weddings stopped and I was serving in restaurants. During this time is when I started taking pottery classes at a local studio and dove in head first. Now I get to make ceramics and design dream events for clients. I believe that the art of floral design is not just in the flowers but also the vessel those flowers get to live in, and each of those elements should be just and unique and special as the person they’re meant for!

I am most proud of my self development during this journey! Running a small business is no joke and it is not for the faint of heart. You constantly have to push yourself and grow. I am proud of how far I have come.

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

This year is the first year I jumped into my business full time. And this year has been tough, sales are slow for everyone right now but jumping into business for it to be really good for about 4 months and then immediately going into 4 months of snail slow business has been taxing! I have had to pivot and learn what works best, what are people doing right now, how can I better organize myself and my business to set myself up for success when the holidays get here. There have been many days where I want to give up and get a normal job and just move on. But at this point we are invested and there will be none of that!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Funding a small business is one of the hardest parts. I am an anxious human and loans and investors stress me out. So I fund my business myself. This means my growth wont be as fast, I have to build my own branding, my own website. But it also means I don’t have to worry about if I can make payments this month. There is a give an take to funding and also a time and place. This allows me to grow at my own pace and build my brand as I want to and there is something so powerful about that!    

Contact Info:

• Website: sojourn-abide.com
• Instagram: @sojourn_abide