Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dana Hicks. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
Being a farmer-florist in the floral industry in itself is very different from the industry standard.
As a farmer-florist, I grow seasonal flowers; these flowers are incredibly beautiful, fresh, free of chemicals, and actually a good part of our ecosystem. The flowers I grow feed the living soil, the pollinators (bees, wasps, butterflies, beetles), and the birds in the summer and winter. Our flowers sharply decrease the carbon footprint of wedding flowers or fresh floral arrangements, They are also really beautiful no-waste gifts because our flowers are healthy to compost and your glass vessels can be reused. We grow some pretty unique flowers too! Many of our varieties you can’t even get unless they are coming from a local farm.
As a farmer-florist, I have built my business differently than a standard florist with a storefront – which has its perks and downfalls. I’m more seasonal, and I design my business to reflect this, and honestly it can be difficult for people to really understand. I flow more with the seasons and feel like it’s easier not to get burned out this way. I can set my own schedule and decide when the farm is open and closed; I don’t have to set open hours and staff a building because I essentially, work from home. I always start my designs by using the best of what is blooming out in the fields, and outsource second if necessary. We dry flowers to use in the fall and winter, and if someone REALLY wants to buy a local person flowers in the middle of February, may I suggest a gift card to a seasonal local flower farm!?
One of the appeals of this model to many couples is the fact that there is the opportunity to have extremely gorgeous AND eco-friendly wedding flowers for their wedding. Everything, flowers and foliage, can be grown locally and without the use of harsh pesticides. The flowers haven’t been flown across the globe and trucked across the US to get here, majorly decreasing their carbon footprint. We have the ability to design the most amazing full scale weddings using all locally grown blooms without single use plastic, foam, or creating much waste at all. To all the brides, grooms, and couples that truly value supporting local communities and spending money in a way that supports a healthy and positive ecosystem, Black Dog Flower Co. solves that problem.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Dana Hicks and I own Black Dog Flower Co., a seasonal flower farm and year round floral design studio, located in southern Michigan. I am a former high school social studies teacher turned farmer-florist. I have always loved flowers and gardening and nature in general and in 2019 when the circumstances of life called me to grow flowers, I put my whole heart into it. I never intended to design, I just wanted to grow and sell flowers by the bucket to designers and wholesalers, but too many people told me I had a talent, and I actually believed them! I feel like I had been trying hard to find my “art” for years; crafting, painting, quilting, pottery, etc….but when I had flowers in my hand it just clicked. The combination of growing flowers and designing them to sell retail became my sustainable business model and it grew from there.
Black Dog Flower Co. has morphed from something tiny and uncertain, to a bigger blossoming farm and design studio with solid pillars. We don’t just have fun playing with flowers all day, it’s REALLY hard work. We grow incredibly beautiful and chemical free flowers, we design weekly bouquets for CSA (community supported agriculture) members, take weekly orders for bouquets and parties, and design gorgeous wedding flowers year round. During the growing season we use as many flowers as possible from our farm and thankfully have local growers and wholesalers to fall back on when the frost hits the fields. Growing seasonally has its challenges, but I don’t think I could design without growing. When one is inspired by nature, it only makes sense to do good by it too. That’s why we go to lengths to grow organically, and do what we can to take care of what we have been given.
One of the things my teacher heart loves, and another major aspect of this business, is teaching floral classes and workshops. I love teaching functional floral design workshops, as well as dried wreath, and fresh evergreen wreath workshops at the holidays. Sharing my passion with others and spending quality time and really getting to know my customers is what it’s all about.
I’m really proud of how far I’ve come; how many flowers we grow despite everything that mother nature throws at us. Sometimes it’s really tough, but I’ve learned so much through perseverance. The amount of beauty I am cultivating in my own back yard will never cease to amaze me; and I LOVE sharing it with others. I have found many like minded brides and grooms who really value sustainable wedding flowers, and I get to do all of this while being me and doing what I love. Flowers have healed my heart, they have celebrated lives new and old, brought joy to unsuspecting receiver’s, made hard days beautiful, and celebrated milestones. I’m so incredibly grateful for the flowers and the way in which they have connected me to my community, and my community to nature. Even on the really hard days, I feel lucky and grateful that I get to do this work.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I think there are two important aspects driving my creative journey. One is creating a sustainable business for myself and family and the other are my beliefs about flowers and the floral industry.
First, being a farmer-florist is my career, not a hobby or a side hustle, I don’t “play” with flowers for fun! I was a teacher and had a decent salary, and one of my big goals was for this business to replace that salary. Sometimes I feel like it’s crass to talk about that, but it’s the reason we all start a business! I work so hard doing this, honestly some days I wonder if it actually makes sense. The heat, the drought, the bugs, the stress, you can work your tail off and a storm could knock it all down in a heartbeat. It’s easy when you start, to not pay yourself for your time, or do something underpriced because you want more customers, but, that just doesn’t pay off in the long run. I really try to make a conscious effort to hold to the industry standard for my product and services. I truly believe that my customers want me to make a living wage. It took a lot of effort that first year to prove to myself that I was worthy, but it matters to me and it matters to my peers in the industry as well. In order for me to continue doing what I love and creating art with flowers, I have to make it work financially.
The second part of this is that I truly believe that what I do matters and makes a positive contribution to our ecosystem and local community. When I look at the flowers, I see the bio-diversity, I see the native bees, I see the monarchs and the hummingbirds. I see a wonderful and beautiful gift you could give someone that creates no waste and has no plastic. I see an organically grown beautiful product that brings joy and happiness. A bridal bouquet made with all locally grown flowers that will knock your socks. This local farm (and many others) is changing the narrative on what a real flower is, what it smells like, and what it looks like. A massive percentage of the floral industry is made up of imported and chemical laden flowers, and it’s time that changes. I have a small part of a larger mission to bring more American grown and locally grown flowers to weddings, events, and even flower shops.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
One of the most rewarding aspects of having a creative/artistic career is that what I design comes from the heart…and that the floral art I create directly makes people happy. This is especially important for weddings and events. Knowing what I planted, what I grew, and how I designed it is making someone’s wedding dream come true (even if it is just a little part) is magic. Even a simple bouquet delivery to an unsuspecting person, brings so much joy to them and me.
I love when people see what I see in the flowers; the beauty, the meaning, the magic, its definitely the best part.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blackdogflowerco.com
- Instagram: blackdogflowerco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackdogflowerco/