We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Izaac Bacik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Izaac below.

Izaac , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I first knew I wanted to pursue houseplant care professionally when I realized it was a field that involved daily learning. My first job working with plants was watering at Lowe’s and as I cared for the pants and was asked about them I took it upon myself to learn as much as I could. Life learning is important to me and knowing I was finding footing in a career where I could learn something new every day solidified my place in the houseplant industry.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Firstly, I don’t have a brand, nor am I a brand. I also don’t have a business, and don’t provide any services of my own. What I do have is passion and an insatiable hunger to learn. I love what I do, and while I originally got into my line of work to expand on a hobby- I stayed for the community connection.

My first job with plants was watering at a Lowes in 2015, and as I brought plants home and learned more about them I realized that I felt really good about what I was doing every day. So, I started working with houseplants in my daily life as well as at work, and I have worked with houseplants and been involved with the local plant community ever since.

If you aren’t familiar with me, you can run into me at Twigs and Figs in Ballantyne where I am the store manager, catch me on Facebook in the Charlotte Plant Swap and Sell group, or find me on instagram at @agayinthegarden.

I was part of a very niche group of extensive tropical collectors for a long time. Houseplant keeping really felt like a closed hobby in the 2010s, but in 2020 the rate of people keeping houseplants exploded and it hasn’t shown signs of slowing down! Now my circle is more like a galaxy with a lot of different levels of collectors who all have different styles. The Charlotte plant scene is fantastic, and still growing. If you feel like you “missed out” on jumping in you didn’t! New plant parents are always welcome.

And that brings me to what I’m most proud of: I’m proud that this is a hobby I am always happy to pull people into. I never want anyone to be priced out of this hobby, to feel unwelcome in this hobby, or feel like they don’t belong. Plants are for everyone- any age, any gender, any race, any ability level- anywhere I go or work with plants will be a progressive and welcoming environment because diversity is what makes a good space a great one.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Plants are nothing if not resilient, they don’t need the babying that a lot of keepers seem to think they do, and they will always find a way to live on, even if that’s in a different form. We can learn a lot from that- and I would say I have. in October 2023 I had top surgery to further confirm my gender identity- the build up to this surgery, as well as just being a queer individual in the south, necessitated resilience. In addition to being resilient, plants are never afraid to lean on one another, many plants are highly communal and depend on one another to grow. So that’s what I did. Through tik tok and instagram campaigns, plant auctions, social media and in person support from friends, and the help of hundreds of strangers who were all united by a love of plants, I was able to raise much of the funding needed for my surgery. I highly recommend making sure you stay resilient by looking at what your plants need- more light, a bigger pot, an entirely new environment, or maybe a few pieces pruned off- and making sure you do the same for yourself!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

An ecosystem functions best when it is balanced, and that means making sure that it is sustainable, resourceful, and continuously cycling energy. In our society, we have fallen into a lot of individualistic behaviors and patterns that will not sustain our ecosystem. To best support artists and creatives you need to make sure you are actively paying attention to our needs and supporting us where able with community connections and growth opportunities! Tell people about our work, like our content, buy our products and services, and always support strikes, wage raises, and a working environment for artists that opens art up to all classes. Our labor is the art, so we need to be able to continue that labor sustainably.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Agayinthegarden
• Other: My pronouns are they/he. Please do not use only he or “Mr” or “sir” in any publication about me.

Image Credits
My coworkers or friends took them all on my phone…. Unsure that I need credit for that. The terrarium pictures were taken by me.