We recently connected with Maddi Haley and have shared our conversation below.

Maddi, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I am certainly happy as a business owner! That’s not to say the journey upwards is ever easy. But I always tell people… even on the hardest days (whether that be mentally or financially) I still can’t see myself doing anything else. I think when starting a business as an artist/creative, there is a certain amount of instability to be expected, and you do have to be prepared for that which takes a lot of resilience and patience. Progress isn’t always linear. But on the flip side, the freedom, flexibility and soul fulfillment that comes along with owning your own creative business can’t really be matched by working a “regular” 9-5. So there are just trade-off’s that have to happen when taking that leap. I really wouldn’t trade it.

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?

Shortly after graduating college in 2016, (and working a handful of dead-end jobs) I noticed an old friend of mine worked for a local floral design company. I became pretty enamored with her role after seeing what she got to do for work every weekend. I reached out to her on a whim to see how I could get involved in floral design. She talked to the owner of the company and they brought me in the very next week. The timing was perfect since they needed more hands as they entered into busy wedding season. It wasn’t long before the owner gave me a formal job offer and brought me on full time. There I learned floristry from the ground up surrounded by an incredibly supportive team. I had always considered having a job related to nature but still wanted that additional piece of being able to create with my own hands. Floristry was exactly it. I felt like I had hit the lottery.

Fast forward a few years, I had become a full time designer there and had the opportunity to learn the in’s and out’s of business, soon becoming the Office Manager followed by Studio Manager.

After 5+ years with the company, I excitedly went off on my own at the end of 2021, and officially started my own business to explore the medium of floristry further.

Absūna is a creative studio offering floral and botanical design within the wedding, event, editorial and commercial sectors. At our core, we believe in designs that evoke curiosity. With nature as our guide, we work heavily with the seasons and are committed to sustainable floristry practices. Some of the services we offer include wedding & event floral design, creative direction, set design, editorial styling, brand activations, and installations.

Design-wise, I tend to stray from the traditional ideas around floristry. I like to incorporate unique ingredients and design elements that evoke curiosity. I don’t believe in copying photos or adhering to rigid design recipes. I believe that combining floral ingredients in a way that is abstract and non-traditional truly provides for the most spirited designs.

Being as sustainable as possible has always been high priority to me, and I’m proud to have been foam-free from the start, always looking for eco-friendly mechanic alternatives and working with local product as much as possible.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Getting to share my creative ideas with others. It still makes my heart flutter that people hire me to bring a vision to life. Being hired as an artist is really is the highest honor, because art in any medium is so subjective. When people see your work and say hey, this really resonates with us and we trust you to design for us, there’s not much of a better feeling than that.

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

Shop and support local, attend galleries, music shows and local exhibitions, donate to art projects and crowd funds. Refer refer refer. Give your friends names out. Share their work online. Word of mouth is the most powerful tool within the art and design space.

Art promotes culture. Culture promotes community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studioabsuna.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studioabsuna/

Image Credits
Lushi Song, Annie Hutchings, Maddi Haley