We recently connected with Emily Swarts and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

It was when I realized that I did not want to be a person who choose comfort over growth, that I took the leap. As they say, no choice is also a choice. After a full year of indecision and deep introspection, they way I mustered up the courage to quit my 8 year tenure at Google – the only post-grad job I had ever known – was to realize that I did not want my life decisions to be dictated by fear.

Risk inherently means entering the unknown – the future is not written, the infinite possibilities of what could happen remains vast and unknowable – and therein lies both hope and fear, catastrophes and dreams, black holes and stardust. For me, my dream to be a floral designer eventually trumped my fear of failure.

At Google though, the ‘golden handcuffs’ are real – and that made it all the harder. I loved my work-life balance, the financial security, the culture, the benefits, the perks, and the impactful work we were doing at a global scale. My job at the time of my leave was as a UX program manager on Google Search. I ran design sprints investigating the future of AI and user experience – working at the forefront of design and technology with brilliant people. It made taking the leap all the greater – as if I were jumping out of a plane rather than off of a diving board. I could literally feel my stomach drop.

Just like any leap, sometimes you just have to close your eyes and step off. I ‘spontaneously’ made the final decision only a few days before I gave notice in April 2023, not letting myself have extra time to rationalize myself out of it, and not telling my parents either because they would likely take the next flight out of SFO headed straight to JFK in an attempt to talk me off the cliff.

My conviction in this choice became so strong that in my head it narrowed down to choosing courage over cowardice. The mind trick I played on myself when I told my manager was to distill down what I had to do to the most rudimentary physical action: simply sit on a chair and move my lips a bit and let a sound come out – my voice. So that’s what I did. I shared the news and officially left Google on May 1, 2023.

What comes next: trust and a hefty amount of adrenaline and hard work. I often think back to a passage from Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”: “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”. I firmly believe this. I jumped off a plane but then, to my delight, I grew wings. Therein lies the beauty of what it means to trust – and the power of the mind to shape our actions, beliefs, and abilities. To trust means you choose the outcome. I chose my dream.

People often ask me, “Why flowers?”. I find this an odd question, because it assumes that I just picked floristry out of a list of creative pursuits, as if I just wanted a career change and I randomly chose this profession. I respond, “I just love flowers”. It feel so simple, and so obvious to me. What other reason is there to risk your life if not for love?

Emily, 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?

Fleurvoyant is a floral-botanical design studio based in Santa Monica, CA. We create enchanting floral experiences that infuse events and spaces with beauty and intention. We offer floral services for events, set design, luxury weddings, and local deliveries. We call our aesthetic “garden-inspired with a touch of wild” – focusing on organic textures and sculptural shapes. Founded by florist and herbalist, Emily Swiggett, we believe in the healing power of nature and the unique ability of flowers to foster joy, wonder, and enhanced vitality. We bless every bloom and take extra care in ensuring our florlas are customized to best reflect our client’s aesthetic with unique and artistic designs.

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

I believe that the beauty of being a creative is the ability to oscillate between the dreamer and the do-er, the entrepreneur and the technician. On a daily basis, I get to active my feminine and masculine sides – envisioning new possibilities and then making them manifest. The most fulfilling aspect of being an artist is being a maker – being involved from the entirety of the design process and having a work of art to show from it, and then repeating the cycle again. There is nothing more satisfying than bringing beauty into the world.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Book: The E-Myth by Michael E Gerber
Book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Movie: Martha documentary

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fleurvoyant.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fleurvoyant/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fleurvoyant/
• Other: https://fleurvoyant.substack.com/
  https://bio.site/fleurvoyant

Image Credits

Annie Morgan
Olivia Marshall
Jeffrey Li