Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Floriona Fleischer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Floriona, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’m a self-taught artist, and after 3+ years in the creative business field, I realize that I could have sped up my learning process if I would have let go of my perfectionism. Fear of failure kept me in a constant frozen state, where even attempting to take the first step was impossible. It was actually a quote by Jordan B. Peterson that changed my mindset: “If you are not willing to be a fool, you can’t become a master.” , he brilliantly stated, as he was explaining the Jungian concept of Circumambulation of the Self. According to this concept, progress is not linear, rather you move around your goal. This paradigm shift made me realize that I had been terribly unfair to myself. Up until then, I had expected to create a masterpiece on my very first try, and when that would not happen (naturally!) I’d feel shame and would give up — without ever taking the time to practice, experiment and hone in the skills. Making mistakes brings you closer to your goal, staying still does not.

Floriona, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Floriona and I am a paper flower artist. I was born and raised in Albania, and I live in the US with my husband, our daughter and 2 cats. I speak 6 languages, and was a Foreign Language teacher for 5 years.

I have always been a multi-passionate, creative person, and about 4 years ago I taught myself how to make giant paper flowers to decorate my daughter’s nursery. A few months later, I took the plunge, and Floral Flair Studio was born.

I create vibrant, impossible-to-ignore paper flower installations for commercial, and residential spaces. I also design digital templates, and create easy-to-follow video tutorials, in multiple languages, to make paper crafting accessible to as many people as possible. From time to time, I host workshops, both virtual and in-person. I love to share my knowledge and passion for paper flowers with my fellow creative people all around the world!

I have collaborated with brands like Michaels, JoAnne Store, Cricut, TikTok, etc.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Over the last 3 years, I have built a pretty robust social media presence for my business, across platforms. To be fair, I have always had somewhat of a fascination (obsession?) with social media as this immensely powerful tool, that is literally at everybody’s fingertips. But, as a socially anxious person, social media has also always scared me a bit. The stakes are even higher, as an artist when you’re posting your creations for the world to see, because once you hit ‘Post’ you have no control over it, or how it will be received. “Will anyone see this? Will they like it?” That can be terrifying — at least it was to me — so one way I got over the “fear of posting” was to understand that the number of likes a post gets does not equal the worth of an artist/creator. What truly matters is that you provide value with your posts– whether it be educational, inspirational or entertaining — and that you keep showing up for your audience, imperfections and all.

Before becoming a content creator I was first (and still am) a content consumer. If you’re just starting to build your social media presence, be sure to take some time to get to know the platform you are trying to grow on. It goes without saying: don’t let it consume your life, but set a healthy time limit to just browse and look at what’s working for other creators, what’s trending, and what type of content gets a reaction from you as a viewer.

You also need to enjoy the process of creating content, otherwise you won’t post [as often as you should]. Find out what type of content you enjoy creating the most: is it photos, text, long-form videos or short-form videos, etc. Ideally you want to find a balance between the type of content you enjoy making, and the type of content that others enjoy to see.

Last but not least, be social! As the name suggests, a big part of social media is the communication factor. So be sure to interact with your followers, other content creators, and be a social media butterfly! Be genuine and thoughtful in your comments, and don’t spam with emoji-only or single-word comments.

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

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is bringing to life a new idea. I love trends and I do follow them enthusiastically, but when I create something new, something that did not exist before, that fills my whole being with light and butterflies. It’s a magical feeling that I don’t know if I can do it justice by putting it into words!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.floralflairstudio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/floralflairstudio
• Facebook: facebook.com/floralflairstudio
• Youtube: youtube.com/floralflairstudio
• Other: tiktok.com/floralflairstudio

Image Credits
Ashley Marie Photography for the first photo. Nicholas Fleischer for the second photo. Floriona Fleischer for all the others.