We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Piper Essick a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Piper, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

My journey into florals is deeply rooted in family and tradition. I grew up in a small town where my grandma was known as the local “flower lady,” always creating something beautiful. My aunt—an incredibly talented gardener, landscaper, and designer—has been both my inspiration and mentor in starting my business. Creativity has always come naturally to me. I was that crafty kid who loved making things with my hands, and working with flowers just clicked.

With my best friend working as a wedding photographer in Seattle, I found myself naturally immersed in the wedding industry. When the opportunity came to work alongside another florist, it felt like the perfect fit—and the push I needed to start my own business.

In my first year, I took on around 25 weddings. I honestly had no idea what I was doing, but I figured it out along the way. It was intense, exhausting, and so much fun. Eventually, it led me to leave my office sales job and dive in full-time.

Then COVID hit. Like so many others, the stress and uncertainty led to burnout. I took a step back, got a corporate job, and gave myself space to breathe. Now I live in another small town in Washington State, slowly getting back into floral design. I am also in the midst of closing on a 3 acre property to create my dream flower farm!

Piper, 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’ve always been creative—ever since I was a kid, I was obsessed with making things. Whether it was jewelry, scrapbooking, or doodling all over my school papers, I was constantly creating. I also grew up living in the middle of avocado orchards in Southern California, spending most of my time outside, which definitely shaped my love for nature. At heart, I’ve always been a bit of a free spirit, drawn to the outdoors/nature and unconventional.

As I mentioned before, flowers have always been in my family, and that connection naturally led me to floristry. Now, I’m going back to my roots in a big way—starting my biggest project yet: a small-scale flower farm on three acres. My dream is to grow all of my own flowers for my designs and create a space where friends and family can gather and enjoy the beauty of it all.

My style is a little different from the traditional way of floral design, although I think floral design is trending away from the tradition practices altogether, which is fun to see —I love playing with textures, embracing the wild and unexpected, and incorporating florals in ways that feel organic yet intentional. Floral body art, like flower tattoos and headpieces, is one of my favorite ways to push the boundaries of traditional design. I’m drawn to anything out of the box, nontraditional, and as close to nature as possible—raw, untamed, and beautifully imperfect.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I wouldn’t call myself a goal-driven person—in fact, I’m kind of anti-goals. I’ve always been more of a “trust the process” type, believing that if I follow my path with openness, things will unfold exactly as they should. So, is there a specific mission or goal driving my creative journey? Honestly, I’m not sure. But what I do know—deep in my core—is that I’m meant to be doing this.

I’m meant to create. I’m meant to work with nature and with people. I’m meant to bridge that gap between the two—to honor the earth, to see the world a little differently, and to invite others to do the same.

If I have a mission, it’s simply to stay close to the beauty of nature, to keep learning from her, and to let that connection guide everything I do.

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

I believe everyone is creative in their own way, but somewhere along the way, that’s been forgotten. In today’s world, we’re so obsessed with convenience, technology, speed, and efficiency that we lose sight of the simple joy of creating—of making something just for the fun of it.

Floral design pulls me out of that fast-paced mindset. It forces me to slow down, take a deep breath, and truly tune in to myself. It teaches me to trust my instincts, to create with intention, and to honor the incredible beauty of flowers and the vibrancy of nature.

Contact Info:

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

Image Credits

Marcella Laine Photography
Alexandrae Photo
Jessika Christine Photo