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

Natalia, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’ve always loved doing anything with my hands, I remember when I was little me & my brother will opened up the broken electronics to see how things worked inside, my grandma also taught me at an early age how to sew, I just remember my happiest moments were getting my hands on some new skill, so floristry just felt right. I was bartending for many years in NY & right before the pandemic I was very unhappy with where I was professionally, I wasn’t doing anything creative and that was slowly crushing my soul, when Covid 19 came I had time to reset and figure out what I wanted to do. Plants & Flowers have always been part of my world and it felt just right to start somewhere around there. I got my first flower shop job at a shop inside Moynihan Train Hall (the new Grand Central Station) the pay was very little but I needed to start somewhere. Along the way I met coworkers who taught me a lot & I would also go to other florist workshops that I liked their work. All of this plus my love & passion for flowers and doing things with my hands just felt like an easy, organic transition. Now almost 4 years later I have my own company, own clients & love doing my own thing!

Natalia, 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?

I am originally from Bogotá – Colombia, I moved to the u.s as an au-pair back in 2010 when I was 19 y/o I lived for a year in Virginia then 6 months in NJ and eventually just moved to NY around 2012. I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay after living in Virginia and NJ, but once I got to NY I knew I wanted to stay. I started working as a babysitter in the Upper East Side and eventually transitioned to the service industry where I was for about 8/9 years. When covid-19 came and the service industry shut down it was truly a blessing for me, I needed the time to think and re-asses what I wanted to do. after starting working with some floral shops and learning a lot along the way I decided to start my own company, I had only one client whom I begged to let me do the floral arrangements at their local, well-known bar restaurant in Williamsburg. Hotel Delmano & after that things have been slowly growing. We focus on private weekly accounts for hotels, restaurants, bars, as well as weddings, styling, set design, large scale installations and assisting people with plants & their care as well, we offer landscaping as well.
I want to be able to help any client/brand with their vision, I want to facilitate a route where I can highlight the clients vision while staying truth to our brand.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

So it’s 2020 and we get hit with a global pandemic, but I feel relieved cause I was so unhappy towards my last days of bartending that I really needed a moment to reset, and I know the pandemic was really a bad time for a lot of business but, personally speaking it was the best thing that happened to me. Unfortunately 2020 came with some other bad news. I was diagnosed stage 2 with breast cancer, I was 30 y/0 then. It was a lot cause I had to be in & out of hospitals and doc offices during a truly hard time with the pandemic. But, I really think this was an affirmation that if i wanted to continue living I needed to do the things that make me happy, no more just having a job, just to have one. There needed to be a huge shift, completely change of careers. Then flowers and plants were the closest and what resonated the most at this time and there was I blooming and almost being born again exploring creativity, flowers, colors, design, textures. I’ve found something that I love and that makes me happy every day, the flower market is like my toy/candy store. My happy place.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love the research process, learning about a brand, what they offer, their identity and try to find something that stays truth to their branding and needs. Sketching, Ideation, moodboards, creating a vibe overall and seeing this come to life once the arrangement is done and the client is happy its truly the best reward, as well as continuing working with a brand and continuing to learn what they like and what works the best for both parties & our brands.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.petalheadsnyc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petalheads.nyc/