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

Karly, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I think as an artist, the learning never really stops, and the process and journey and failures are so essential to growth and a full understanding of the craft. I learned how to press flowers entirely by trial and error, first by tucking some of my summer blooms into a book, and then researching how to build a proper flower press, then pressing thousands upon thousands of blooms. So many variables contribute to the final results, and then turning those pressed flowers into artwork is an entirely separate challenge. If I had a comprehensive manual to individual flower types, weather conditions, flower press specifics, etc, my learning process may have gone more quickly, but working closely with so many flowers has allowed me to build a deeper understanding of the plants I work with and how they fit into my art. As it is, I am still learning, and still failing along the way. This is part of working with such an organic medium.
The obstacles that stand in the way of learning more are often part of mother nature herself – seasonality, animals, weather. If I press a flower and discover weeks later it didn’t turn out, that flower may no longer be blooming and I must wait an entire year to change something and try again. Animals come into my garden and eat my plants, frost comes and bites back the blooms I was hoping to press. Not everything is within the artist’s control, which makes the pressed flowers I do use so precious to me.

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

I am an artist and mother of two, pressing flowers in my home garden and studio and creating unique botanical artwork. I started pressing flowers in 2014, just trying to save some special blooms from my garden before the winter came, and from there, flower pressing became a passion and then a business. Now I create one-of-a-kind glass artwork and ornaments, as well as art prints and greeting cards, with my pressed flower designs. I also provide custom pressing for wedding bouquets, memorial services, and other meaningful occasions to help clients hold onto special flowers as artwork. I am a proud flower lover, growing and harvesting blooms in my own garden to use in my work, focusing on unique varieties and flowers with special meaning, such as birth month flowers and symbolic plants.

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

Flowers hold so much meaning for so many people, and I love getting to connect with customers and help them find the perfect artwork with a particularly special flower or plant. Whether it is a dogwood bloom that reminds them of a tree that would bloom every spring outside their childhood bedroom window, or a daisy that reminds them of a loved one, I love to hear the stories people connect with certain plants and send them home with a flower they can enjoy forever.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I have been on social media for a long time and things have changed so much over the years. I was so fortunate to start and grow my business and presence on social media (Instagram in particular) during a time when hashtags and connecting with big accounts was a good way to get seen. Having my photos shared (and tagged) on large accounts really helped jumpstart my growth back in 2017. Now, it does seen harder to connect with followers and non-followers, but my advice is to share a mix of photos and videos of finished work, behind the scenes and the creative process, and anything that illustrates what sets you apart and makes your work unique.

Contact Info:

• Website: kmpressed.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/kmpressed

Image Credits
Karly Murphy